In a matchup between two of the WNBA's top players on two of the league's top teams, Las Vegas Aces superstar A'Ja Wilson showed why she is the reigning MVP.

Wilson had 31 points on 12-of-15 shooting and eight rebounds in leading the Aces to a 97-87 win over the league-leading Minnesota Lynx on Thursday for a franchise-record 13th straight win.

With the victory, Las Vegas (27-14) moved into a tie for second place in the standings with the Atlanta Dream and Phoenix Mercury. Those three teams all trail the Lynx (32-9) by five games.

Wilson, a three-time league MVP, came into the game averaging 23.4 points – second only to Lynx star Napheesa Collier's average of 23.5 points.

Collier, though, finished with just 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting, dropping her season average to 23.1, allowing Wilson to take over the race for the scoring title at 23.6 points per game. Wilson's 30-point game was her 12th of the season, tying a WNBA record.

The Aces shot 55.1 per cent and made 11 of 24 shots from 3-point range with Jackie Young making 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. Young finished with 20 points and five assists, while Chelsea Gray added 13 points and 10 assists.

Not in the M'VP's house

Presented by @ring // #ALLINLV pic.twitter.com/ThXvxM3JVq

— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) September 5, 2025

 

Mercury defeat Mystics for sixth win in row

The Phoenix Mercury pulled away to beat the Washington Mystics 75-69 to extend their winning streak to six games and secure home-court advantage for the first round of the WNBA play-offs.

The Mercury (27-14) looked like they were going to win easily, leading 71-62 with 2 1/2 minutes remaining, but the Mystics quickly responded with a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to two with just under a minute to play.

Satou Sabally then answered by draining a 3-pointer to end Phoenix's scoring drought, and DeWanna Boner followed with a free throw with 17.7 seconds left for the game's final points.

Kahleah Copper led the Mercury with 18 points, while Alyssa Thomas nearly recorded a triple-double, tallying 12 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Sami Whitcomb scored 12 points on four 3-pointers and Sabally added 10 points, six boards and four assists.

Rookie Kiki Iriafen notched 18 points and 13 rebounds en route to setting a Mystics franchise record with her 16th double-double of the season, breaking the mark set by Crystal Langhorne in 2010.

Washington (16-26), however, lost its eighth in a row and fell to 5-16 in its last 21 games.

SIX IN A ROWWWWWW! pic.twitter.com/a4PusNUrsj

— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) September 5, 2025

 

Valkyries rally by Wings to clinch play-off berth

The Golden State Valkyries rallied from 13 points down to defeat the Dallas Wings 84-80 and secure a play-off berth.

It was the fifth straight win for the Valkyries (23-18), who became the first team in WNBA history to reach the play-offs in their first season.

The First of a Lifetime.

The Valkyries are officially playoff bound — the first expansion team in @WNBA history to make the postseason in their first year.

Valks Fam, you’ve never doubted us — and we’re not done yet @Sephora | The Firsts pic.twitter.com/cRxgDBoicp

— Golden State Valkyries (@valkyries) September 5, 2025

A win didn't look promising for Golden State early, as it fell behind 10-0 in the opening minutes and later missed 12 of 13 shots at one point to head into half-time down 41-32.

Rookie Janelle Salaun helped the Valkyries rally, hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter en route to finishing with a team-high 19 points.

Carla Leite and Veronica Burton each scored 15 for Golden State, with Burton converting a 3-point play along with four free throws in the game's final 22.3 seconds.

Paige Bueckers finished with a game-high 27 points on 11-of-20 shooting to go with six assists and four steals for the last-place Wings (9-33), who lost their ninth in a row and 14th in 15 games.