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2021 Las Vegas Aces season

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2021 Las Vegas Aces season
CoachBill Laimbeer
ArenaMichelob Ultra Arena
Attendance2,943 per game
Results
Record24–8 (.750)
Place1st (Western)
Playoff finish2nd seed, Lost in Semifinals to Phoenix Mercury 2–3
Team Leaders
PointsA'ja Wilson – 18.3 ppg
ReboundsA'ja Wilson – 9.3 rpg
AssistsChelsea Gray – 5.9 apg

The 2021 Las Vegas Aces season was the franchise's 25th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the 4th year the franchise was based in Las Vegas. The regular season tipped off on May 15, 2021 at the Seattle Storm.[1]

The Aces started the season by splitting a two game set in Seattle in a rematch of last year's finals. After that set, they won four of their remaining five games in May, with their only other loss coming against Connecticut. They lost their opening game in June, but went on a five game winning streak from there. The streak was snapped in Minnesota, in overtime, in a one point loss to the Lynx. The Aces followed the loss with an overtime win against Seattle to finish out June 7–2. They carried their winning streak into July, winning the first two games of July. The streak was snapped, again in overtime, by the Mercury. They rounded out July with a loss and a win to finish 3–2 in the month. The Aces went into the Olympic break with a 15–6 overall record. They returned from the break with a 4–1 record in August, with the loss to the Sun surrounded by two wins. They closed out the season with a 5–1 record in September, including a four game winning streak. They finished the season with a 24–8 overall record, which earned the team the second seed in the 2021 WNBA Playoffs. 24 wins tied their franchise record for regular season wins with 2008.

As the second seed, the Aces earned a double bye into the Semifinals, and awaited the highest remaining seed from the Second Round. After the games of the First and Second Round, the highest remaining seed was the Phoenix Mercury. The Aces had home court advantage in the series, but lost two of their home games, despite a 13–3 home record in the regular season. The Aces couldn't win Game 5 at home, losing by three to end the series and their season.

Transactions

[edit]

WNBA draft

[edit]
See also: 2021 WNBA draft

The Aces made the following selections in the 2021 WNBA draft.

Round Pick Player Nationality School/Team/Country
1 12 Iliana Rupert  France Tango Bourges Basket (France)
2 14 Destiny Slocum  United States Arkansas
3 36 Kionna Jeter  United States Towson

Trades and Roster Changes

[edit]
Date Details
December 9, 2020 Exercised Team Option on G Jackie Young[2]
January 13, 2021 Signed G Lindsay Allen and F Emma Cannon to Training Camp Contracts[3]
Core C Liz Cambage[4]
February 1, 2021 Re-Signed F Dearica Hamby[5]
February 2, 2021 Signed G Chelsea Gray[6]
February 11, 2021 Signed G Riquna Williams[7]
February 15, 2021 Traded G Lindsay Allen and the 24th Pick in the 2021 Draft to Indiana in exchange for the 14th Pick in the 2021 Draft.[8]
March 12, 2021 Re-Signed C Liz Cambage[9]
April 18, 2021 Signed G Destiny Slocum to a Rookie Scale Contract[10]
Signed F Lauren Manis, F Shakayla Thomas and C Kate Cain to Training Camp Contracts[11]
April 19, 2021 Signed G Kionna Jeter to a Rookie Scale Contract[12]
April 26, 2021 Waived G Kionna Jeter[13]
April 29, 2021 Waived C Kate Cain[14]
May 11, 2021 Waived F Lauren Manis and F Shakayla Thomas[15]
May 29, 2021 Waived F Emma Cannon and signed F Joyner Holmes[16]
June 28, 2021 Waived F Joyner Holmes[17]
July 2, 2021 Signed C Kiah Stokes[18]
September 2, 2021 Signed G Bria Holmes to a 7-Day Contract[19]

Roster

[edit]
2021 Las Vegas Aces roster
Players Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Height Weight DOB From Yrs
C 8 Australia Cambage, Liz 6' 8" (2.03m) 216 lb (98kg) 1991-08-18 Australia 4
G 12 United States Gray, Chelsea 5' 11" (1.8m) 170 lb (77kg) 1992-10-08 Duke 6
F 5 United States Hamby, Dearica Injured 6' 3" (1.91m) 189 lb (86kg) 1993-11-06 Wake Forest 6
G 32 United States Holmes, Bria 6' 3" (1.91m) 170 lb (77kg) 1994-04-19 West Virginia 4
G/F 35 United States McCoughtry, Angel Injured 6' 1" (1.85m) 173 lb (78kg) 1986-09-10 Louisville 11
C 19 South Korea Ji-su, Park 6' 5" (1.96m) 206 lb (93kg) 1998-12-06 South Korea 2
G 10 United States Plum, Kelsey 5' 8" (1.73m) 145 lb (66kg) 1994-08-24 Washington 3
G 24 United States Slocum, Destiny 5' 6" (1.68m) 157 lb (71kg) 1997-09-09 Arkansas R
C 41 Turkey Stokes, Kiah 6' 3" (1.91m) 191 lb (87kg) 1993-03-30 Connecticut 5
G 2 United States Williams, Riquna 5' 6" (1.68m) 165 lb (75kg) 1990-05-28 Miami (FL) 8
F 22 United States Wilson, A'ja 6' 4" (1.93m) 195 lb (88kg) 1996-08-08 South Carolina 3
G 0 United States Young, Jackie 6' 0" (1.83m) 165 lb (75kg) 1997-09-16 Notre Dame 2
Head coach
United States Bill Laimbeer (Notre Dame)
Assistant coaches
United States Tanisha Wright (Penn State)
United States Vanessa Nygaard (Stanford)
United States Sugar Rodgers (Georgetown)
Athletic trainer
United States Michelle Anumba (Duke)


Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Game log

[edit]

Preseason

[edit]
2021 pre-season game log
May: 0–1 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
1 May 2 Los Angeles Sparks L 71–80 Scrimmage Michelob Ultra Arena
No Fans 		0–1
2 May 8 @ Los Angeles Sparks T 85–85 Liz Cambage (21) Dearica Hamby (9) Wilson
Young
Gray
Plum (3) 		Los Angeles Convention Center
No Fans 		0–1–1
2021 pre-season schedule

Regular season

[edit]
2021 game log
Total: 24–8 (Home: 13–3; Road: 11–5)
May: 5–2 (Home: 3–1; Road: 2–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
1 May 15 @ Seattle Storm L 83–97 A'ja Wilson (24) Dearica Hamby (9) Plum
Williams
Wilson
Young (4) 		Angel of the Winds Arena
1,031 		0–1
2 May 18 @ Seattle Storm W 96–80 Jackie Young (21) A'ja Wilson (11) Chelsea Gray (7) Angel of the Winds Arena
1,001 		1–1
3 May 21 Los Angeles Sparks W 97–69 Chelsea Gray (18) Hamby
Cambage (10) 		Chelsea Gray (6) Michelob Ultra Arena
1,972 		2–1
4 May 23 Connecticut Sun L 65–72 A'ja Wilson (14) Cambage
Wilson (7) 		Chelsea Gray (5) Michelob Ultra Arena
1,954 		2–2
5 May 26 @ Phoenix Mercury W 85–79 Jackie Young (27) A'ja Wilson (9) Chelsea Gray (9) Phoenix Suns Arena
4,082 		3–2
6 May 28 Indiana Fever W 113–77 Dearica Hamby (25) Liz Cambage (7) Chelsea Gray (12) Michelob Ultra Arena
N/A 		4–2
7 May 30 Indiana Fever W 101–78 Dearica Hamby (22) Liz Cambage (13) Chelsea Gray (5) Michelob Ultra Arena
1,981 		5–2
June : 7–2 (Home: 4–0; Road: 3–2)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
8 June 1 @ Connecticut Sun L 67–74 Liz Cambage (28) Liz Cambage (7) A'ja Wilson (6) Mohegan Sun Arena
N/A 		5–3
9 June 3 @ New York Liberty W 94–82 A'ja Wilson (30) A'ja Wilson (13) Chelsea Gray (9) Barclays Center
1,389 		6–3
10 June 5 @ Washington Mystics W 96–93 Liz Cambage (24) A'ja Wilson (15) Chelsea Gray (8) Entertainment and Sports Arena
2,100 		7–3
11 June 13 Dallas Wings W 85–78 A'ja Wilson (28) A'ja Wilson (14) Jackie Young (5) Michelob Ultra Arena
No Fans 		8–3
12 June 15 New York Liberty W 100–78 Kelsey Plum (32) Liz Cambage (11) Gray
Young (5) 		Michelob Ultra Arena
2,115 		9–3
13 June 17 New York Liberty W 103–76 Kelsey Plum (18) Dearica Hamby (12) Kelsey Plum (7) Michelob Ultra Arena
No Fans 		10–3
14 June 25 @ Minnesota Lynx L 89–90 (OT) A'ja Wilson (28) Liz Cambage (20) Chelsea Gray (7) Target Center
2,734 		10–4
15 June 27 Seattle Storm W 95–92 (OT) A'ja Wilson (22) A'ja Wilson (11) Chelsea Gray (7) Michelob Ultra Arena
3,766 		11–4
16 June 30 @ Los Angeles Sparks W 99–75 Jackie Young (18) Liz Cambage (11) Chelsea Gray (8) Los Angeles Convention Center
746 		12–4
July : 3–2 (Home: 1–2; Road: 2–0)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
17 July 2 @ Los Angeles Sparks W 66–58 A'ja Wilson (20) A'ja Wilson (10) Chelsea Gray (4) Los Angeles Convention Center
959 		13–4
18 July 4 Atlanta Dream W 118–95 Kelsey Plum (23) Cambage
Hamby (10) 		Kelsey Plum (8) Michelob Ultra Arena
2,705 		14–4
19 July 7 Phoenix Mercury L 90–99 (OT) A'ja Wilson (25) A'ja Wilson (12) Gray
Wilson (6) 		Michelob Ultra Arena
3,013 		14–5
20 July 9 Minnesota Lynx L 67–77 Kelsey Plum (18) Kiah Stokes (12) Chelsea Gray (5) Michelob Ultra Arena
No Fans 		14–6
21 July 11 @ Dallas Wings W 95–79 Hamby
Wilson (22) 		A'ja Wilson (13) A'ja Wilson (8) College Park Center
2,533 		15–6
August : 4–1 (Home: 2–0; Road: 2–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
22 August 15 Washington Mystics W 84–83 A'ja Wilson (20) A'ja Wilson (14) Chelsea Gray (11) Michelob Ultra Arena
3,024 		16–6
23 August 17 Washington Mystics W 93–83 Kelsey Plum (24) A'ja Wilson (14) Plum
Wilson (5) 		Michelob Ultra Arena
3,241 		17–6
24 August 24 @ Connecticut Sun L 62–76 Chelsea Gray (15) Camgabe
Williams (6) 		Jackie Young (5) Mohegan Sun Arena
4,012 		17–7
25 August 26 @ Atlanta Dream W 78–71 A'ja Wilson (21) A'ja Wilson (12) Kelsey Plum (8) Gateway Center Arena
2,182 		18–7
26 August 28 @ Indiana Fever W 87–71 Riquna Williams (15) Liz Cambage (9) Gray
Plum (6) 		Indiana Farmers Coliseum
N/A 		19–7
September : 5–1 (Home: 3–0; Road: 2–1)
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Record
27 September 2 Chicago Sky W 90–83 Plum
Williams
Wilson (21) 		Kiah Stokes (13) Chelsea Gray (5) Michelob Ultra Arena
5,150 		20–7
28 September 5 @ Chicago Sky L 84–92 Kelsey Plum (23) A'ja Wilson (12) Chelsea Gray (5) Wintrust Arena
5,210 		20–8
29 September 8 Minnesota Lynx W 102–81 Jackie Young (29) Jackie Young (10) Chelsea Gray (14) Michelob Ultra Arena
5,663 		21–8
30 September 13 Dallas Wings W 85–75 Kelsey Plum (30) A'ja Wilson (12) Kelsey Plum (5) Michelob Ultra Arena
N/A 		22–8
31 September 17 @ Chicago Sky W 103–70 Riquna Williams (22) Kiah Stokes (13) Stokes
Wilson (7) 		Wintrust Arena
4,911 		23–8
32 September 19 @ Phoenix Mercury W 84–83 Kelsey Plum (23) Jackie Young (7) Jackie Young (4) Phoenix Suns Arena
9,724 		24–8
2021 season schedule

Playoffs

[edit]
2021 playoff game log
Total: 2–3
Semifinals
Game Date Team Score High points High rebounds High assists Location
Attendance		 Series
1 September 28 Phoenix W 96–90 Riquna Williams (26) A'ja Wilson (9) Chelsea Gray (12) Michelob Ultra Arena
7,009 		1–0
2 September 30 Phoenix L 91–117 Kelsey Plum (25) A'ja Wilson (9) Gray
Wilson (7) 		Michelob Ultra Arena
6,432 		1–1
3 October 3 @ Phoenix L 60–87 Liz Cambage (13) Dearica Hamby (7) Jackie Young (3) Desert Financial Arena
7,090 		1–2
4 October 6 @ Phoenix W 93–76 Chelsea Gray (22) A'ja Wilson (12) Gray
Plum (6) 		Footprint Center
11,255 		2–2
5 October 8 Phoenix L 84–87 Gray
Plum (22) 		Liz Cambage (11) Chelsea Gray (6) Michelob Ultra Arena
9,680 		2–3
2021 playoff schedule

Standings

[edit]
# Team W L PCT GB Conf. Home Road Cup
1 x – Connecticut Sun 26 6 .813 – 12–3 15–1 11–5 9–1
2 x – Las Vegas Aces 24 8 .750 2 11–4 13–3 11–5 6–4
3 x – Minnesota Lynx 22 10 .688 4 10–5 13–3 9–7 7–3
4 x – Seattle Storm 21 11 .656 5 9–6 11–5 10–6 8–2
5 x – Phoenix Mercury 19 13 .594 7 6–9 7–9 12–4 5–5
6 x – Chicago Sky 16 16 .500 10 10–5 6–10 10–6 6–4
7 x – Dallas Wings 14 18 .438 12 7–8 7–9 7–9 3–7
8 x – New York Liberty 12 20 .375 14 6–9 7–9 5–11 5–5
9 e – Washington Mystics 12 20 .375 14 7–8 8–8 4–12 4–6
10 e – Los Angeles Sparks 12 20 .375 14 2–13 8–8 4–12 1–9
11 e – Atlanta Dream 8 24 .250 18 6–9 4–12 4–12 4–6
12 e – Indiana Fever 6 26 .188 20 4–11 4–12 2–14 2–8

Notes

(#) – League Standing
x – Clinched playoff berth
e – Eliminated from playoff contention
Source: Overall standings and Commissioner's Cup Standings


Playoffs

[edit]
First round
Single elimination
Sept. 23		Second round
Single elimination
Sept. 26		Semifinals
Best-of-five
Sept. 28 – Oct. 8		WNBA Finals
Best-of-five
Oct. 10 – Oct. 17
2Las Vegas Aces9691609384
4Seattle Storm805Phoenix Mercury90117877687
5Phoenix Mercury835Phoenix Mercury85OT5Phoenix Mercury7791OT5074–
8New York Liberty826Chicago Sky91868680–
1Connecticut Sun95798369–
3Minnesota Lynx766Chicago Sky1012OT688679–
6Chicago Sky816Chicago Sky89
7Dallas Wings64

Note: Teams re-seeded after each round.

Statistics

[edit]
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage  TO  Turnovers per game
 PF  Fouls per game Team leader League leader

Source:[20]

Regular Season

[edit]
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
A'ja Wilson 32 32 31.9 44.4 100 87.6 9.3 3.1 0.9 1.3 18.3
Kelsey Plum 26 0 25.5 43.7 38.6 94.4 2.5 3.6 1.0 0.0 14.8
Liz Cambage 25 24 23.8 54.3 35.7 71.0 8.2 1.3 0.9 1.6 14.2
Jackie Young 32 32 31.8 50.5 25.0 83.3 4.1 3.2 1.1 0.3 12.2
Dearica Hamby 29 0 24.5 54.5 25.0 65.5 6.7 1.7 1.1 0.1 11.6
Chelsea Gray 32 32 28.9 45.4 38.0 88.9 2.9 5.9 1.2 0.3 11.1
Riquna Williams 32 32 26.0 44.4 41.7 92.0 2.6 1.6 0.8 0.4 10.5
Park Ji-su 25 0 8.9 32.7 0.0 83.3 1.8 0.8 0.1 0.6 2.0
Kiah Stokes 15 8 20.5 58.8 0.0 50.0 6.1 1.0 0.4 0.7 1.5
Destiny Slocum 21 0 6.4 31.8 33.3 60.0 0.9 0.6 0.1 0.0 1.0
Angel McCoughtry 1 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Awards and honors

[edit]
Recipient Award Date awarded Ref.
A'ja Wilson Western Conference Player of the Month - June July 1 [21]
Chelsea Gray WNBA All-Star Selection June 30 [22]
Liz Cambage
Dearica Hamby
A'ja Wilson
A'ja Wilson Western Conference Player of the Week July 6 [23]
Kelsey Plum September 20 [24]
Kelsey Plum Western Conference Player of the Month - September September 20 [25]
Kelsey Plum Sixth Woman of the Year September 30 [26]
Dan Padover Basketball Executive of the Year [27]
A'ja Wilson All-WNBA Second Team October 15 [28]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2020 Las Vegas Aces Scheudle". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  2. ^ "WNBA Transactions". wnba.com. WNBA. December 9, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  3. ^ "Las Vegas Aces re-sign 2 players". reviewjournal.com. Las Vegas Review-Journal. January 13, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  4. ^ "Aces designate Cambage as a core player, re-sign Allen and Cannon to training camp deals". thenext.substack.com. The Next. January 13, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  5. ^ "Las Vegas Signs Two-Time, WNBA Sixth Woman Of The Year Dearica Hamby To Contract Extension". aces.wnba.com. WNBA. February 1, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  6. ^ "Aces Sign Three-Time WNBA All-Star Guard Chelsea Gray". aces.wnba.com. WNBA. February 2, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  7. ^ "Aces Ink All-Star Riquna Williams To Free Agent Deal". aces.wnba.com. WNBA. February 11, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  8. ^ "Aces Acquire 2021 Second Round Pick From Indiana In Exchange For Lindsay Allen & No. 24 Pick In 2021". aces.wnba.com. WNBA. February 15, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  9. ^ "Las Vegas Re-Signs Three-Time All-Star Center Liz Cambage". aces.wnba.com. WNBA. March 12, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  10. ^ "WNBA Transactions". wnba.com. WNBA. April 18, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  11. ^ "Aces Finalize Training Camp Roster With Addition Of Lauren Manis, Shakayla Thomas, Kate Cain". aces.wnba.com. WNBA. April 19, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  12. ^ "WNBA Transactions". wnba.com. WNBA. April 19, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  13. ^ "Aces Waive Kionna "Melo" Jeter". aces.wnba.com. WNBA. April 26, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  14. ^ "Aces Waive Kate Cain". aces.wnba.com. WNBA. April 29, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  15. ^ "Aces Waive Lauren Manis & Shakayla Thomas". aces.wnba.com. WNBA. May 11, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  16. ^ "Aces Add Forward Joyner Holmes To Roster, Waive Emma Cannon". aces.wnba.com. WNBA. May 29, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  17. ^ "Aces Waive Second-Year Forward Joyner Holmes". aces.wnba.com. WNBA. June 28, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  18. ^ "Aces Sign Six-Year Veteran Center Kiah Stokes". aces.wnba.com. WNBA. July 2, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  19. ^ "Aces Sign Bria Holmes To Seven-Day Contract". aces.wnba.com. WNBA. September 2, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  20. ^ "Stats - Las Vegas Aces". aces.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  21. ^ "Tina Charles and A'ja Wilson Named Players Of The Month". wnba.com. WNBA. July 1, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  22. ^ "Rosters Set for AT&T WNBA All-Star 2021 on July 14". wnba.com. WNBA. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  23. ^ "Jones, Wilson Named Players Of The Week". wnba.com. WNBA. July 6, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  24. ^ "WNBA Players of the Week: Natasha Howard and Kelsey Plum". wnba.com. WNBA. September 20, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  25. ^ "Kia WNBA Players of the Month: Jonquel Jones and Kelsey Plum". wnba.com. WNBA. September 20, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
  26. ^ "Kelsey Plum Named 2021 Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year". wnba.com. WNBA. September 30, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  27. ^ "Las Vegas Aces General Manager of Basketball Operations Dan Padover Named the 2021 WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year" (Press release). WNBA. September 30, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  28. ^ "The 2021 All-WNBA First & Second Team Announced". wnba.com. WNBA. October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
[edit]
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