The Las Vegas Aces defeated the Phoenix Mercury 86-76 on Wednesday, June 17, in the WNBA Commissioner's Cup game, qualifying for the championship game.

Three-time WNBA champion A'ja Wilson spoke about the Aces' struggles in one area of the field in the game, with the team working on this and making a season-high 18 team steals.

"Huge, that's what we've always been talking about," Wilson said. "That's what we've been harping on. It has not been the best. It's actually been the crappiest."

It was a rather fitting win for the Aces after they lost to the Dallas Wings in their previous game by a 30-point margin, with the score being 96-66. Wilson talked about her team's past defensive struggles and how they need to improve on it, while reacting to 18 team steals, equalling Toronto's record this season.

Wilson pointed out that she and the team have been talking about the defense over the past few games. Being one of the top teams in the league this season, their defense has not been up to par, allowing 86.5 points per game and ranking eighth in the league.

"For us to bounce back, we've got to get involved more. It doesn't have to come in just stops," Wilson added. "It's gotta come in deflections, steals, that's how it shows that your mind is really locked in on the defensive side, so I'm glad we were able to do that today."

Wilson talked about how the Aces need to continuously improve their defense and keep working on steals and other areas to show they have the tenacity and mindset.

But how have the Aces been doing defensively this season? What are the areas they need to improve upon?

A’ja Wilson Reminds That the Aces Need To Work on Defense

Although the Aces had 18 team steals to their name in their latest game, they have been poor on that side of the defense, averaging only 6.9 steals per game and ranking 10th in the league.

The Aces have a defensive rating of 107.4 and rank 10th in the league for the category. They need to be more agile when handling transitions, as they have allowed 9.1 fast-break points per game and rank eighth in the league.

Furthermore, they need to be more careful with the paint, as they rank seventh for allowing 36.9 points per game.

Whereas Wilson has been the most influential player in the defense for the Aces, averaging 7.1 defensive rebounds and ranking fifth in the league in it. She also ranks second in the league in blocks made, averaging 2.2 blocks per game.

The Aces stand second in the Western Conference and the league standings. Amid their slacking defense, they have been in great form, holding a record of 11-4. They will play the Golden State Valkyries on Sunday, June 21, and will look to display a good defensive game.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

Read More at Her Sports Nation!

Written by

Dhruv Singh

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore