It would be difficult to exaggerate the stakes of the Aces\u2019 upcoming game Thursday.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s more than their final regular-season contest against the Minnesota Lynx. It\u2019s a key game for postseason seeding and an opportunity for redemption, at a larger venue in T-Mobile Arena to boost.<\/p>\n
The Aces, who have won 12 straight games to vault into third in the WNBA standings, used a seven-day break to prepare for the league\u2019s best team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think there needs to be any ra-ra speeches,\u201d coach Becky Hammon said. \u201cWe know what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Personal, but not personal<\/p>\n
The Aces (26-14) don\u2019t need to be reminded how embarrassing their last meeting with the Lynx (32-8) was.<\/p>\n
They lost 111-58 to Minnesota at Michelob Ultra Arena on Aug. 2. The 53-point loss was the largest home defeat in WNBA <\/a>history<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Aces haven\u2019t lost since and could set a franchise record for consecutive wins Thursday. But Hammon, who was named the league\u2019s coach of the month for August on Wednesday, doesn\u2019t credit the Lynx for sparking the streak. She believes the Aces were already trending in the right direction beforehand.<\/p>\n Three-time MVP A\u2019ja Wilson still wants her teammates to remember how the defeat felt.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s personal, not towards the Minnesota Lynx, but more so it\u2019s personal on us as individuals \u2014 as the Aces, we have to take it personal within ourselves that we need to look better than what we did,\u201d Wilson said.<\/p>\n The loss was rock bottom for the Aces, who are a half game behind the second-place Atlanta Dream (27-14) in the standings. They have the tiebreaker over the Dream and the fourth-place Phoenix Mercury (26-14).<\/p>\n The Lynx have already secured the No. 1 seed, so Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve could start managing her players\u2019 workloads. Hammon knows her team needs to be prepared no matter what.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re still playing for playoff seeding, so I don\u2019t know what Cheryl is going to do. I imagine she\u2019s going to play most of her people,\u201d Hammon said. \u201cBut she\u2019ll make a read. \u2026 Every team kind of goes through that process, especially towards the end when you\u2019re getting ready to make a big push.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018The two best players\u2019<\/p>\n Hammon has consistently said Wilson deserves to win her fourth MVP award this season, which would be a WNBA record.<\/p>\n Wilson entered the season as the second choice to win the award at the Westgate SuperBook behind Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark. But Lynx forward Napheesa Collier has since become the overwhelming favorite.<\/p>\n Collier is the -900 favorite to win her first MVP award at the Westgate SuperBook, while Wilson is the +600 second choice.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there\u2019s been a narrative very early on, which I don\u2019t understand,\u201d Hammon said of Wilson being quickly overlooked. \u201cIt\u2019s not a participation prize. Everybody doesn\u2019t get a prize.\u201d<\/p>\n Hammon said Wilson and Collier are \u201cthe two best players\u201d but used a hypothetical to make the case for Wilson.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you have one game, or you\u2019re starting your franchise and you have one pick, make your pick,\u201d Hammon said.<\/p>\n Wilson, 29, leads the WNBA in blocks per game (2.2) and is second in rebounds per game (10.1). She is also second in the league in points per game (23.4) behind Collier (23.5), but has more total points because Collier has missed 10 games this season.<\/p>\n Wilson missed the Aces\u2019 first matchup with the Lynx with a concussion and sat out much of the next two meetings, which were both blowouts in favor of Minnesota.<\/p>\n That means Thursday could be the first time the MVP favorites truly go head-to-head.<\/p>\n \u201c(Collier has) always been this very versatile player,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cSo to see her develop her game and her name in this league doesn\u2019t come by any surprise to me, because I just know her style of play. I know how hard it is to guard, so it was just a matter of time. But it\u2019s always been mutual respect between (us) and it\u2019s cool to see it all kind of pan out in this way.\u201d<\/p>\n Brighter lights, addition loading<\/p>\n Wilson squealed with joy when Hammon told the Aces they were practicing at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday instead of their Henderson headquarters.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know why I like T-Mobile. T-Mobile is a lot of fun. The energy is there,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cNo offense to Michelob, but the lighting is really, really good. So I\u2019m excited.\u201d<\/p>\n Hammon had a simple reason for why she likes T-Mobile Arena.<\/p>\n \u201cMore fans,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Luckily for both Wilson and Hammon, the Aces will play their three remaining regular-season home games at the venue. They could also welcome another player to the fold at T-Mobile Arena.<\/p>\n Veteran forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, who has yet to play for the Aces after giving birth to her son in June, is aiming to return Sept. 9 against the Chicago Sky.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s wanting to do probably more than we\u2019re letting her do right now,\u201d Hammon said. \u201cBut we just want to make sure the process is as safe as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Parker-Tyus participated in shootaround before a win over the Atlanta Dream on Aug. 27, then stayed in town to keep working during the Aces\u2019 three-game road trip. She was integrated into practices during the team\u2019s break and participated in her first full-court scrimmage Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not easy, but it\u2019s definitely worth it,\u201d Parker-Tyus said. \u201cI\u2019m willing to grind through that toughness and the hard part, because I know that it\u2019s a super fulfilling feeling to get back where I want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com.<\/a> Follow @CallieJLaw<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It would be difficult to exaggerate the stakes of the Aces\u2019 upcoming game Thursday. 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