![\"A\u2019ja](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/aja-wilson.jpg\" "\\"A\u2019ja")
A\u2019ja Wilson. Image via: Steve Marcus\/Las Vegas Sun via AP The Las Vegas Aces kicked off the WNBA Finals with a tense but thrilling 89-86 victory over the Phoenix Mercury at Michelob ULTRA Arena. The No. 2 seed Aces surged past the No. 4 seed Mercury in a game that saw multiple lead changes, clutch plays, and standout performances. A\u2019ja Wilson led the charge for the Aces, later sharing a celebratory moment with rapper Juvenile after the win.<\/p>\n
A\u2019ja Wilson\u2019s dominant performance fuels Aces\u2019 win, celebrated victory with rapper Juvenile<\/p>\n
A\u2019ja Wilson, the Aces\u2019 star forward, celebrated her recent victory with 400 Degreez rapper Juvenile following her standout performance for the team. Wilson recorded 21 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, anchoring the team\u2019s balanced attack. Bench standout Dana Evans also shined, scoring 21 points in just 26 minutes while hitting five of six from beyond the arc. \u201cI feel like I feed off my defense,\u201d Evans said. \u201cI got some early steals, got to the basket, saw the ball going in, and just kept being aggressive.\u201d Jewell Loyd contributed 18 points off the bench, helping the Aces outscore the Mercury 41-16 behind the arc.The Mercury fought valiantly, with Kahleah Copper posting 21 points and Alyssa Thomas finishing just shy of a triple-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists. However, Phoenix struggled in the fourth quarter, scoring only 15 points while the Aces tallied 22. Late-game free throws and a missed 3-pointer by Satou Sabally sealed the Mercury\u2019s fate. Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts admitted afterward, \u201cWe ran a play to get Kahleah a look. They did a good job of switching out\u2026 they made a good defensive stand there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Las Vegas Aces\u2019 celebrations and the road ahead<\/p>\n
Following the victory, Wilson shared a celebratory moment with rapper Juvenile, marking a memorable postgame highlight for the team and fans. With Game 1 secured, the Aces now hold a 1-0 lead in the series and are one step closer to championship glory.The WNBA Finals continue with Game 2 on Sunday, Oct. 5, at Michelob ULTRA Arena, airing at 3 p.m. ET on ABC. The Aces aim to build on their momentum, while the Mercury look to rebound and even the series on the road.Also Read: Is Luka Doncic pulling strings behind the scenes? New Los Angeles Lakers star spills beans on Slovenian star\u2019s growing influence<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A\u2019ja Wilson. Image via: Steve Marcus\/Las Vegas Sun via AP The Las Vegas Aces kicked off the WNBA…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":276325,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[2341,33657,142849,4144,142850,1502,62,67,132,68,232,66837],"class_list":{"0":"post-276324","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wnba","8":"tag-aja-wilson","9":"tag-juvenile","10":"tag-juvenile-rapper","11":"tag-las-vegas-aces","12":"tag-michelob-ultra-arena","13":"tag-phoenix-mercury","14":"tag-sports","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-us","18":"tag-wnba","19":"tag-wnba-finals"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115314119793212744","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=276324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/276324\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/276325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=276324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=276324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=276324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}