Aces lose to Liberty as MVP favorite A’ja Wilson misses with ankle injury

Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson missed Sunday’s showdown against the New York Liberty.

New York won 75-71 in a rematch of last season’s WNBA final. Jackie Young had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds when the Liberty were leading 73-71, but Breanna Stewart blocked her layup attempt to give New York the win.

Wilson was not originally listed on the Aces’ injury report released Saturday, but was ruled out just hours before game time.

Aces head coach Becky Hammon told reporters before Sunday’s game that the 28-year-old center sprained her ankle Friday against the Connecticut Sun. Hammon said there are no long-term concerns with the injury, but that they are resting her and taking it game by game.

According to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, Wilson wore a walking boot on her right foot before Sunday’s game.

The game is the first Wilson has missed all season; in fact, it was the first regular season game she has missed in three seasons. The two-time MVP played and started in all 36 regular season games in 2022 and all 40 regular season games in 2023.

The injury meant the Aces were without their best scorer. Kelsey Plum was Las Vegas’ top scorer on Sunday with 25 points, six assists and three rebounds. Young scored 12 points and Alysha Clark 11 points and six rebounds. Stewart led the Liberty to victory with 21 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals and the game-winning block.

Wilson, who is once again one of the favorites for the MVP title, has had an outstanding year on offense and defense, averaging 27.3 points and 11.9 rebounds as well as 1.9 steals and 2.7 blocks.

The Aces fell to 22-13 with the loss. They secured a playoff spot on August 30 after defeating the Atlanta Dream. New York improved to 29-6, a league-best record.