Kierstan

Bell

Smith scored a career playoff high on Tuesday night. She was Aces’ most efficient player scoring the basketball, shooting 77.7% from the field. Smith was excellent at finding her spots on the floor and moving without the basketball. All of her field goals were assisted as Kiersten Bell, A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Dana Evans all found her for scores within the paint. Second to Wilson who has nine, Smith provided a lot of support rebounding the basketball, providing seven for the Aces.

Bell will miss her second consecutive game as she continues to battle a leg injury. In her most recent absence, rookie Aaliyah Nye replaced Bell in the opening unit and earned her first-career start, scoring two points in 26 minutes. Nye will likely start again for the Aces in their season finale against the Sparks. However, given the Aces’ success after inserting Bell into the starting lineup on July 27th, she should reclaim that role once healthy. Las Vegas has won 15 straight games; a win on Thursday would give them 16 straight to end the regular season, securing the second seed for the postseason.

Added to the Aces’ injury report Tuesday afternoon, Bell has officially been ruled out. Her absence opens up a spot in the starting lineup, with Jewell Loyd being a potential replacement. Loyd began the season as a starter, but she and the Aces have benefitted from her moving to the bench. Las Vegas has won its last 14 games.

Bell was added to the Aces’ injury report late Tuesday afternoon due to a lower right leg issue. She’s started 16 of the 17 games she’s played since July 27, averaging 4.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 three-pointers in 15-8 minutes. While Bell’s numbers may not jump off the page, Las Vegas has won 16 of those 17 contests, including the last 14. If she cannot play against the Sky, that may be an opportunity for Jewell Loyd to rejoin the starters.

While she struggled guarding Maddy Siegrist, the Wings left Bell wide open for each of her made shots. Three different Aces players in Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd and then NaLyssa Smith all helped Bell hit her three first quarter three-pointers. After the first quarter, Gray, Dana Evans and Jackie Young all made the extra pass to Bell and as a result she cashed the remaining three shots as well.

Bell returns to the starting lineup on Friday after being replaced in the opening unit on Wednesday by Dana Evans. Bell started her first game of the season against the Wings on July 27, and since then, the Aces have won seven of eight games, including five straight heading into the showdown with Phoenix. They’ll look to extend their streak to six games on Friday.

Aces head coach Becky Hammon made a defensively motivated change to her team’s starting lineup on Wednesday, replacing Kierstan Bell with Evans. Evans hit two three-pointers and scored eight points while providing solid defense when she was on the floor. However, this wouldn’t be a spot where great streaming value could be had with Jewell Loyd coming off the bench. As for Bell, she only played eight minutes off the bench, going scoreless with four rebounds and one assist. Whether it’s Bell or Evans starting future games, there isn’t a need to consider streaming either, with Loyd coming off the bench.

After starting the Aces’ last seven games, with Jewell Loyd moving to the bench, Kierstan Bell will not be in the starting lineup on Wednesday. She’s been replaced by Evans, who can be a pest defensively in what is a critical matchup for the Aces. Bell will lose out on playing time with the lineup change, but she should remain in the rotation.

Loyd has scored in double-digits in three straight games, two of which have been against the Valkyries. Her shot diet consisted mostly of catch-and-shoot threes, and had a mid-range jumper and a drive off the dribble sprinkled in. Loyd made sure to make the extra pass, especially when the Valkyries’ defense was closing out quickly on her standing on the perimeter. She created two made three-pointers via Kiersten Bell and Jackie Young. With 3:38 left in the fourth quarter, Loyd made her 630th career three-pointer. She’s now one away from tying Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell for 10th on the all-time three-pointers list.

Sunday’s performance was similar to what Aces fans expected when their team acquired Loyd during the offseason. Coming off the bench for the fourth straight game, the “Gold Mamba” caught fire from beyond the arc against the Valkyries. Shooting 7-of-11 from deep, Loyd matched the Aces’ single-game record for made three-pointers. Add in the points and steals, and fantasy managers received excellent value from Loyd on the final game day of the week. Kierstan Bell (two points, three rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot) has cooled off since dropping 19 points in her first start for Loyd on July 27, but this does not necessarily mean that Las Vegas will return the latter to the starting lineup. For those who have Loyd rostered, Sunday’s effort was a reminder of what she can do.