Las Vegas Aces’ star A’ja Wilson has been ruled out for tonight’s 7 pm ET matchup against the New York Liberty.
Wilson is listed out on the league’s injury report due to her right leg. The forward briefly left the Aces’ recent game against the Chicago Sky on Sunday after rolling her ankle.
The forward and four-time MVP is currently leading the league in points, averaging 25.7 per game.
Aces’ head coach Becky Hammon said that Wilson’s absence on the court gives Las Vegas a different look.
“I think there’s also things that we can exploit, makes us faster,” Hammon said. “Yeah, we’re smaller, so we gotta be collectively on the rebounding, the boards, but after that, you know, we can spread them out. We got a lot of shooting out there now, so it changes up the looks for us and them, so poses different problems offensively and defensively. I think I think the chess match will be fun.”
The Liberty will also be without one of their star players, as Satou Sabally is still under concussion protocol. Ahead of Tuesday night’s game, Liberty’s Breanna Stewart spoke on the news of Wilson’s absence.
“No, I mean, I honestly wasn’t surprised that she wasn’t gonna play,” Stewart said. “Her ankle, It looked a little bit nasty, but hopefully she’s doing well, and also understanding, like, the long game of the season. But I think for me it’s making sure this team, we still don’t take things lightly. I mean, we played them without A’ja before, and it was a close game.”
The last time the two teams played without Wilson on the court was back in September 2024, where the Liberty defeated the Aces, 75-71.
New York and Las Vegas last faced off in the Commissioner’s Cup championship game in 2023, where the Liberty took home their first trophy in franchise history. A steady rivalry has been building between the two teams over the past few years, spurred by the 2023 Finals and 2024 Playoffs.
