A'ja Wilson recorded her 18th double-double of the season with 19 points and 13 rebounds as the Las Vegas Aces secured their ninth consecutive victory, defeating the Phoenix Mercury 83-61 on Thursday night.
Dana Evans contributed 17 points off the bench, while Jackie Young, NaLyssa Smith and Chelsea Gray each added 12 points for the Aces (23-14), who moved into third place in the WNBA standings with seven games remaining in the regular season.
Wilson, the reigning league MVP, notched her seventh double-double during the winning streak. The Aces took control early, leading 23-17 after the first quarter and stretching their advantage to 43-29 at halftime after holding Phoenix to 28.9 percent shooting in the first half.
The Mercury (21-14) managed to cut the deficit to nine points in the third quarter, but Las Vegas responded to take a 59-46 lead into the final period. Phoenix was limited to 61 points, a season low and the second-fewest allowed by the Aces this season.
Alyssa Thomas led the Mercury with 17 points, and Satou Sabally added 15, but guard Kahleah Copper was held to six points on 2-of-8 shooting before leaving the game with a left side injury sustained while fighting through a screen by Wilson with 6:24 left in the third quarter.
