A’ja Wilson did not miss a beat in her first game back after a three-game absence because of a right ankle injury, recording her 130th career double-double with 32 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks to lead the Las Vegas Aces to an 88-80 victory over the Portland Fire on Thursday night.
Wilson wasted little time making an impact, scoring 10 points in each of the first two quarters while shooting 54% from the field and helping Las Vegas take control before halftime.
The four-time WNBA MVP also moved into sole possession of seventh place on the league’s all-time made 2-point field goals list, passing Seimone Augustus with 2,168 for her career.
The victory gave the Aces their 10th road win of the season, tying the Minnesota Lynx for the most in the WNBA. Las Vegas has also won three of its past four games away from home.
“Early on, I was just testing my ankle to see if it was ready to rock and roll,” Wilson said. “I felt like I was ready a couple of games ago, but the medical staff said something different.
“I just knew that I had to be aggressive and take what the defense was giving me.”
Jackie Young added 19 points and 11 assists for her third double-double of the season while extending her streak of games with at least 15 points to eight.
Young, who knocked down three 3-pointers in the victory, was recently named a reserve for the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game and will join Wilson in Chicago on July 25.
The Fire struggled to generate consistent offense, allowing the Aces to take control with several extended scoring runs. Las Vegas used an 11-2 run in the first quarter before closing the opening half on a 17-5 surge.
The decisive stretch came late in the third quarter, when the Aces closed it out on a 9-0 run, extending their lead to 17 points heading into the fourth quarter.
Hammon was pleased with the Aces’ defensive effort despite a late lull.
“I thought we played (defense) really well for the first 38 minutes,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “We got a little loose late in the fourth quarter offensively, and we weren’t guarding great the last two to three minutes.
“I thought we were a little bit more disruptive in the first half. The fourth quarter got away from us, but overall, a good job, pleased.”
Portland was led by Carla Leite, who finished with 13 points, including nine made free throws, in the Fire’s sixth home loss of the season.
Leite entered the night leading Portland in scoring at 15.4 points per game and ranked ninth in the WNBA with 5.6 assists per contest.
“Obviously, we fouled (Leite) a few too many times, but she is an aggressive player,” Hammon said. “She is a downhill player and a handful to keep in front, so we did OK defensively.
“I always think there are some areas we can improve on, even just communication-wise, when she is running the pick and roll, but she is a handful in pick-and-roll actions.”
Up next, the Aces return to Michelob Ultra Arena for the second set of back-to-back home games this season. Las Vegas hosts the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday at 3 p.m. before welcoming the Indiana Fever on Sunday at 6 p.m.