The 2019 Las Vegas Aces season was the franchise's 23rd season in the Women's National Basketball Association and the second year the franchise is based in Las Vegas - after relocating from San Antonio and Utah. This was the second season under head coach Bill Laimbeer. The season tipped off on May 26, 2019, versus the Los Angeles Sparks.
The Aces started the season 7–5 and were never able to put together a winning streak of more than two games. However, the Aces improved in July and went 7–2 during that month. Their record included two separate three game winning streaks. One of their two losses actually occurred in August, due to an earthquake delayed game. The Aces cooled off in August, going 6–5. The record included a four-game winning streak, and a three-game losing streak. The Aces locked up a post season bid on August 18. The Aces went 1–1 in September to finish 21–13 on the year. This record secured them the fourth seed in the playoffs.
As the fourth seed, the Aces hosted the Chicago Sky in their second round match. The Aces won a close game 93–92 to advance to the semifinals. There they faced the top-seeded Washington Mystics. The Aces ended up losing to the Mystics, three games to one.
Transactions
WNBA draft
Round Pick Player Nationality School/Team/Country 1 1 Jackie Young Notre Dame
Trades/Roster Changes DateDetails February 1, 2019 Re-signed F Dearica Hamby February 19, 2019 Signed G Saniya Chong to a Training Camp Contract Signed C Ruth Hamblin to a Training Camp Contract February 21, 2019 Signed G/F Alex Harden to a Training Camp Contract April 17, 2019 Signed G Dominique Wilson to a Training Camp Contract May 12, 2019 Waived C Ruth Hamblin and G Dominique Wilson May 13, 2019 Signed G Sydney Colson May 16, 2019 Traded G Moriah Jefferson, C Isabelle Harrison, their first and second-round picks in the 2020 WNBA draft to the Dallas Wings for C Liz Cambage August 28, 2019 Signed G Epiphanny Prince
Roster
Game log Pre-season
| 1 | May 19 | Minnesota Lynx | L 75–79 | McBride (18) | Swords (8) | Plum (6) | Cox Pavilion | 0–1
Regular season
| 1 | May 26 | Los Angeles Sparks | W 83–70 | Wilson (21) | Hamby (14) | Plum (6) | Mandalay Bay Events Center7,249 | 1–0 |- | 2 | May 31 | @ Phoenix Mercury | L 84–86 | McBride (15) | Wilson (9) | Wilson (4) | Talking Stick Resort Arena14,090 | 1–1
| 3 | June 2 | Connecticut Sun | L 74–80 | Wilson (19) | Wilson (9) | Colson (5) | Mandalay Bay Events Center2,747 | 1–2 |- | 4 | June 6 | @ Atlanta Dream | W 92–69 | Tied (15) | Hamby (8) | J. Young (8) | State Farm Arena2,630 | 2–2 |- | 5 | June 9 | @ New York Liberty | L 78–88 | McBride (25) | Cambage (10) | McBride (4) | Westchester County Center1,447 | 2–3 |- | 6 | June 14 | New York Liberty | W 100–65 | Plum (19) | Wilson (8) | J. Young (8) | Mandalay Bay Events Center4,110 | 3–3 |- | 7 | June 16 | @ Minnesota Lynx | W 80–75 | McBride (22) | Cambage (9) | Hamby (4) | Target Center8,392 | 4–3 |- | 8 | June 20 | Washington Mystics | L 72–95 | Wilson (28) | Tied (6) | Tied (4) | Mandalay Bay Events Center4,416 | 4–4 |- | 9 | June 22 | Dallas Wings | W 86–68 | Hamby (27) | Cambage (9) | J. Young (8) | Mandalay Bay Events Center4,347 | 5–4 |- | 10 | June 25 | Seattle Storm | W 60–56 | Cambage (14) | Cambage (13) | Colson (4) | Mandalay Bay Events Center4,215 | 6–4 |- | 11 | June 27 | @ Los Angeles Sparks | L 74–86 | Cambage (18) | Hamby (10) | J. Young (9) | Staples Center10,295 | 6–5 |- | 12 | June 29 | Indiana Fever | W 102–97 (OT) | Wilson (39) | Wilson (11) | J. Young (10) | Mandalay Bay Events Center4,581 | 7–5
| 13 | July 2 | Chicago Sky | W 90–82 | 3 tied (16) | Cambage (9) | J. Young (8) | Mandalay Bay Events Center3,516 | 8–5 |- | 14 | July 5 | Washington Mystics | L 70–99 | Plum (17) | Tied (5) | Tied (5) | Mandalay Bay Events CenterN/A | 8–6 |- | 15 | July 7 | @ New York Liberty | W 90–58 | McBride (24) | Cambage (11) | Plum (6) | Westchester County Center1,971 | 9–6 |- | 16 | July 10 | @ Indiana Fever | W 74–71 | Cambage (19) | 3 Tied (6) | 3 Tied (3) | Bankers Life Fieldhouse9,247 | 10–6 |- | 17 | July 13 | @ Washington Mystics | W 85–81 | Tied (17) | Cambage (9) | 3 Tied (4) | St. Elizabeth's East Arena4,200 | 11–6 |- | 18 | July 19 | @ Seattle Storm | L 66–69 | Cambage (16) | Cambage (14) | Tied (3) | Alaska Airlines Arena9,000 | 11–7 |- | 19 | July 21 | Minnesota Lynx | W 79–74 | Cambage (22) | Cambage (13) | Plum (8) | Mandalay Bay Events Center4,352 | 12–7 |- | 20 | July 23 | Seattle Storm | W 79–62 | Hamby (24) | Cambage (12) | Cambage (6) | Mandalay Bay Events Center5,193 | 13–7 |- | 21 | July 30 | Dallas Wings | W 86–54 | Tied (18) | Hamby (11) | J. Young (7) | Mandalay Bay Events Center3,756 | 14–7
| 22 | August 1 | @ Los Angeles Sparks | L 68–76 | McBride (19) | Hamby (11) | T. Young (6) | Staples Center11,692 | 14–8 |- | 23 | August 3 | @ Dallas Wings | W 75–70 | McBride (21) | Swords (10) | J. Young (5) | College Park Center5,882 | 15–8 |- | 24 | August 9 | Chicago Sky | L 84–87 | Cambage (28) | Hamby (12) | McBride (5) | Mandalay Bay Events Center4,200 | 15–9 |- | 25 | August 11 | Connecticut Sun | W 89–81 | Cambage (21) | Cambage (12) | Tied (6) | Mandalay Bay Events Center4,633 | 16–9 |- | 26 | August 13 | Atlanta Dream | W 94–90 | Hamby (23) | Hamby (16) | Cambage (6) | Mandalay Bay Events Center3,532 | 17–9 |- | 27 | August 18 | @ Chicago Sky | W 100–85 | Wilson (25) | Cambage (10) | T. Young (4) | Wintrust Arena6,072 | 18–9 |- | 28 | August 20 | Phoenix Mercury | W 84–79 (OT) | Tied (19) | Cambage (15) | J. Young (10) | Mandalay Bay Events Center5,032 | 19–9 |- | 29 | August 23 | @ Connecticut Sun | L 85–89 | Cambage (18) | Hamby (10) | J. Young (5) | Mohegan Sun Arena7,483 | 19–10 |- | 30 | August 25 | @ Minnesota Lynx | L 77–98 | J. Young (14) | Hamby (7) | J. Young (5) | Target Center8,834 | 19–11 |- | 31 | August 27 | @ Indiana Fever | L 71–86 | Wilson (18) | Wilson (8) | Plum (6) | Bankers Life Fieldhouse6,958 | 19–12 |- | 32 | August 31 | Los Angeles Sparks | W 92–86 | Wilson (24) | Tied (12) | Tied (5) | Mandalay Bay Events Center8,470 | 20–12
| 33 | September 5 | @ Atlanta Dream | L 74–78 | Wilson (19) | Wilson (8) | J. Young (9) | State Farm Arena4,023 | 20–13 |- | 34 | September 8 | @ Phoenix Mercury | W 98–89 | Cambage (21) | Cambage (9) | Tied (4) | Talking Stick Resort Arena13,135 | 21–13
Playoffs
| 1 | September 15 | Chicago Sky | W 93–92 | Cambage (23) | Cambage (17) | Plum (6) | Thomas & Mack Center7,981 | 1–0
| 1 | September 17 | @ Washington Mystics | L 95–97 | Wilson (23) | Cambage (12) | Plum (9) | St. Elizabeth's East Arena3,968 | 0–1 |- | 2 | September 19 | @ Washington Mystics | L 91–103 | Cambage (23) | Cambage (10) | Plum (10) | St. Elizabeth's East Arena4,200 | 0–2 |- | 3 | September 22 | Washington Mystics | W 92–75 | Cambage (28) | Wilson (8) | Plum (9) | Mandalay Bay Events Center6,175 | 1–2 |- | 4 | September 24 | Washington Mystics | L 90–94 | Cambage (25) | Cambage (12) | Hamby (7) | Mandalay Bay Events Center5,465 | 1–3
Standings
Playoffs
Statistics
Regular season Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG A'ja Wilson 26 25 28.4 47.9 0 79.2 6.4 1.8 0.5 1.7 16.5 Liz Cambage 32 30 25.2 50.4 16.7 74.8 8.2 2.1 0.6 1.6 15.9 Kayla McBride 34 34 29.1 42.5 42.8 90.6 4.2 2.6 1.2 0.1 13.3 Dearica Hamby 34 9 24.8 48.8 32.1 71.8 7.6 1.9 1.0 0.4 11.0 Kelsey Plum 34 30 25.5 36.5 35.7 87.2 2.8 3.0 0.8 0.1 8.6 Jackie Young 34 34 22.6 32.2 31.8 80.8 3.3 4.5 0.8 0.4 6.6 Tamera Young 34 4 18.5 38.0 31.3 63.9 3.6 2.0 0.7 0.1 5.3 Epiphanny Prince 3 0 9.3 50.0 42.9 0 0.7 1.0 0.3 0.3 4.3 Sugar Rodgers 33 0 11.6 36.0 35.7 60.0 1.5 1.2 0.4 0.4 3.4 Sydney Colson 33 0 11.5 44.0 45.0 81.8 0.7 1.8 0.9 0.1 3.3 Carolyn Swords 29 4 8.9 43.8 0 84.6 2.2 0.3 0.2 0.1 2.6 Park Ji-su 25 0 6.5 21.6 0 44.4 1.1 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.8
Awards and honors Recipient Award Date awarded Ref. A'ja Wilson WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week June 24, 2019 July 1, 2019 Kayla McBride WNBA All-Star SelectionJuly 15, 2019 A'ja Wilson Liz Cambage Bill Laimbeer WNBA Coach of the Month - July August 1, 2019 Dearica Hamby Sixth Woman of the Year September 15, 2019 Jackie Young WNBA All-Rookie Team September 16, 2019
References
External links The Official Site of the Las Vegas Aces