Aces fall to Liberty with MVP frontrunner A’ja Wilson sidelined by ankle injury

Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson missed Sunday’s showdown against the New York Liberty.

New York held on for a 75-71 win in a rematch of last season’s WNBA finals. Jackie Young had a chance to tie the game in its final seconds with the Liberty leading, 73-71. But Breanna Stewart blocked her layup attempt, icing the win for New York.

Wilson was not originally listed on the Aces’ injury report released on Saturday, but was ruled out a few hours before tipoff.

Aces head coach Becky Hammon told reporters before Sunday’s game that the 28-year-old center tweaked her ankle late in Friday’s game against the Connecticut Sun. Hammon said that there are no long-term concerns about the injury, but that they are giving her rest and taking it game-by-game.

Per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, Wilson wore a walking boot on her right foot before Sunday’s game.

The game is the first Wilson has missed all season; in fact, it was the first regular-season game that she’s missed in three seasons. The two-time MVP played and started in all 36 regular-season games in 2022, and all 40 regular-season games in 2023.

The injury left the Aces without their primary points-getter for the game. Kelsey Plum led Las Vegas in scoring Sunday with 25 points alongside six assists and three rebounds. Young scored 12 points, and Alysha Clark tallied 11 points and six rebounds. Stewart led the Liberty to victory with 21 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals and the game-sealing block.

Wilson, who is once again an MVP frontrunner, is having an outstanding year on offense and defense, averaging 27.3 points and 11.9 rebounds, plus 1.9 steals and 2.7 blocks.

The Aces fell to 22-13 with the loss. They clinched a playoff berth on Aug. 30 after defeating the Atlanta Dream. New York improved to a league-best 29-6.