LAS VEGAS (AP) \u2014 No WNBA team is hotter than the Aces, but how much their monthlong winning streak meant in the big picture of chasing a championship was still in question before Thursday night.<\/p>\n
Las Vegas then made the point in extending its streak to a franchise-record 13 games with a 97-87 victory over Minnesota<\/a> that it plans to have a major say in the postseason, that the top-seeded Lynx shouldn\u2019t expect a coronation.<\/p>\n \u201cThis gas tank is not tapped out yet,\u201d Aces coach Becky Hammon said. \u201cWe\u2019re getting there.\u201d<\/p>\n This was quite a different situation from the last time the teams met Aug. 2. Minnesota handed the Aces the worst home loss in league history, a 111-58 drubbing<\/a> that put Las Vegas on the brink of not even making the playoffs.<\/p>\n The idea of pushing for the No. 2 seed would have seemed preposterous.<\/p>\n \u201cWe got embarrassed,\u201d point guard Chelsea Gray said. \u201cIf that didn\u2019t embarrass you, don\u2019t show up to the game the next day.\u201d<\/p>\n The Aces not only showed up, they began to win. And keep winning.<\/p>\n Now the streak is up to a baker\u2019s dozen, tied with three other teams for the fifth longest in WNBA history. The Los Angeles Sparks won the record-setting 18 in 2001.<\/p>\n \u201cWe really had to learn how to believe in one another,\u201d star forward A\u2019ja Wilson said.<\/p>\n The Aces are tied with Atlanta and Phoenix all at 27-14, but Las Vegas owns the tiebreaker with both clubs.<\/p>\n Not only did the Aces make a team statement, Wilson made an individual one as well.<\/p>\n Minnesota\u2019s Napheesa Collier is the runaway favorite for MVP, an award that Wilson has won three times, including last season<\/a>. Hammon recently made an impassioned plea to voters that Wilson deserves the honor again.<\/p>\n Wilson was named Western Conference player of the month after averaging 25.5 points and 11.8 rebounds. Then on Thursday, she scored 31 points on 12-of-15 shooting to go with eight rebounds to pass Collier in scoring average (28.7-26.9).<\/p>\n Fans chanted \u201cM-V-P\u201d in the third quarter when Wilson completed a three-point play at the free-throw line and in the fourth when she knocked down a 3-pointer for an 81-71 lead.<\/p>\n Collier finished with 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting, Minnesota emptied its bench with 4:42 left and the Lynx ended the night having allowed a season high in points.<\/p>\n Whether Wilson\u2019s performance sways voters remains to be seen, but as the top player on what has been the best team, Collier remains in good standing to get the votes.<\/p>\n As far as which team gets the trophy, the Aces showed against the Lynx they plan to be part of that conversation. This is a franchise not far removed from winning the title in 2022 and 2023<\/a>.<\/p>\n Those teams didn\u2019t face the adversity this one has encountered.<\/p>\n \u201cThat locker room is a strong-willed locker room,\u201d Gray said. \u201cThere were lots of moments where we could\u2019ve folded. We could\u2019ve went our separate ways, and we just got tighter. We stayed with the process. It\u2019s been beautiful to see, and everybody\u2019s reaping the benefits of that. I say every season you want to be playing your best basketball (in) August, September, and that\u2019s what you\u2019re seeing right now.<\/p>\n \u201cI still think there\u2019s another level we can go to on both ends of the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n