The Las Vegas Aces defeat the Seattle Storm at first of four home games

AFTER THE GAME

The Las Vegas Aces defeat the Seattle Storm 90-86 at the first of their four home games — the perfect birthday present for NaLyssa Smith and A'ja Wilson.

A'ja Wilson bagged 29 points on her 29th birthday, with Jackie Young scoring 26, Chelsea Gray earning 13, and NaLyssa Smith and Jewell Loyd both adding 10.

Wilson took the top scorer spot with nine points in the first quarter. The Aces saw an improvement in shooting by 50% overall in the second quarter, outscoring the Storm. The Storm outscored the Aces 16-6 in the paint during the third quarter, but the Aces picked themselves back up during a close fourth quarter, finishing strong with 44.9% overall — the perfect way to celebrate their 40th home sellout (and teammates' birthdays).

BEFORE THE GAME

The Las Vegas Aces are set to clash against the Seattle Storm on Friday, August 8 (a.k.a., A'ja Wilson and Nalyssa Smith's birthday).

This game will be the first of four home games hosted by the Aces, and will be their last matchup against the Storm. Both teams stand 16-14 overall, with the Storm sitting higher in the regular season standings.

Birthday girl A'ja Wilson averaged 19.8 points in the last eight games, staying in the top five league leaders across blocking, scoring, rebounding, and stealing.

Jackie Young, Jewell Loyd, and Chelsea Gray average double-digit scoring for the Aces with 16.6, 11.4, and 11.0 ppg, respectively.

Birthday girl NaLyssa Smith sits eight rebounds away from 1,000 career rebounds, with A'ja Wilson needing six blocks to pass Ruth Riley at No. 9 on the all-time blocked shots list for the league.

At the Aces' last face-off against the Storm, they averaged 80 ppg, 35.7 rpg, and 44% of shots from the field.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, August 8.