For the third time this season, the Dallas Wings locked horns with the Las Vegas Aces. At first, it seemed as if the game would help the Aces extend their record to 3-0 against the Wings. But the case shifted by the end. Despite having the leading scorer, the Aces witnessed an upsetting 90-93 loss.

This marks a significant achievement for the Wings, as the team was widely expected to lose, likely due to the Aces’ 2nd rank in the Western Conference and the duo of A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum. But thanks to a strong team effort, the Wings turned the tables. However, the standout player remains the Aces’ scoring machine, Wilson.

Wilson is a game-changer for the Aces’

In today’s game, Wilson hit an impressive 42 points in just 37 minutes of gameplay. This marks her third career 40-point game. She is now just one 40-point game away from standing in first place alongside her Team USA teammates.

“A’ja Wilson has her 3rd career 40-point game. Only Diana Taurasi & Breanna Stewart (4) have had more in WNBA history,” wrote StatMamba on X.

In just two years, Wilson has delivered outstanding performances three times. First, she scored a career-high 40 points against the Washington Mystics on August 11th last year. “I’ve always imagined when people get 40, it’s just this feeling that they get,” shared Wilson. In the process, she also became the first WNBA player to score 40 points without making a 3-pointer.

“But I really didn’t ‘feel’ it, and I love that. It was just in the flow of the offense. My teammates were finding me in my spots. I’m happy that it was in the flow of our system,” added Wilson, who became only the eighth player in the league’s history to score 40 points with 10 rebounds in a game. Just 11 days later, Wilson did what no one saw coming.

WNBA MVP 2024 is the aim of A’ja Wilson

She raised her career high to an unbelievable 53 points- quite a rare sight in the league. On August 22nd last year, she added four free throws in the final seconds to reach the number.

By doing so, Wilson became only the third player in the league’s history to hit that score. Before her, Liz Cambage of the Wings in 2018 recorded a 53-point game, and Riquna Williams of the Tulsa Shock in 2013 scored 51 points. There have been only 34 games in history where a player has scored 40 points or more, and Wilson is part of three of them.

Fast forward to now: by scoring 42 points, she stands just below Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi. The 2024 Olympic gold medalist has been impressive right from the beginning. In fact, she’s scored over 30 points in 9 games so far this season. Wilson also has the advantage of playing for one of the best teams in the league, with a gaudy 18-12 record.

But for Wilson, the ultimate goal is to clinch the WNBA MVP award. The Aces icon finished 3rd in the race last season while garnering a fourth-place vote. She is determined to change it now. “I feel like the biggest thing was just a fourth-place vote… That was definitely a chip on my shoulder that I focused on in the offseason while getting better,” she told Bleacher Report and she sure is making her case.