Jewell Loyd has breakout game in Aces' win over Wings after slow start to season
LAS VEGAS — This is the Jewell Loyd the Aces traded for in January, the addition Las Vegas counted on to remain a WNBA championship contender.
She scored 21 points, including a 3-pointer with 28.3 seconds left that put the Aces ahead for good, in their 88-84 victory over Dallas on Friday night.
Loyd shot with confidence, making a statement from the beginning by scoring the Aces' first eight points. The 11-year, six-time All-Star entered the game averaging a career-low 9.1 points and shooting 30%.
Loyd made 7 of 13 shots against the Wings, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range. She often was guarded by Paige Bueckers, taken first overall in this year's draft. Loyd herself was the No. 1 pick in 2015.
'Confidence is always there,' Loyd said. 'I get annoyed more when I miss shots. Making shots allows people to play free and spacing and all those things. You want to see the ball go through the basket. My preparation's been the same. My teammates believe in me, coaches, fans. Everyone's encouraging me all the way through.'
Coach Becky Hammon said before the game that she wasn't worried about Loyd's shooting, that it would come around. She was right.
Loyd came out strong, scoring 16 points in the first half.
'We need her shooting,' Hammon said afterward. 'We've been waiting for that explosion, and I thought she got off to a really great start.'
Not that the entire night went smoothly.
Loyd didn't score in the third quarter and committed three turnovers. Then in the fourth period, she took an elbow from DiJonai Carrington and left the floor.
But Loyd wasn't gone long, returning in time to make the go-ahead shot after point guard Chelsea Gray kept the possession alive with an offensive rebound. Gray then fed the ball to Loyd, who drilled the shot.
That helped the Aces erase an 11-point deficit with a 15-point run.
'We were so engaged, and there was a belief we were going to win this game,' Loyd said.
Loyd was the shiny new piece the Aces — who won WNBA titles in 2022 and 2023 — were going to hang their title hopes on after acquiring her from Seattle in a three-team trade that also sent fan favorite and WNBA All-Star Kelsey Plum to Los Angeles. Given what Plum has done in LA, averaging 21.0 points, the Sparks often have looked as if they won the trade.
But performances like this one against Dallas could change that dynamic.
Loyd's slow start has mirrored the team's. The Aces entered the game 4-4 and nearly lost to a Wings team with just one victory, even giving up an 18-point run at one point in the third quarter.
Las Vegas rallied with Loyd a key piece even with reigning MVP A'ja Wilson out because of a concussion.
'It's about winning games in September, so we just want to keep building habits,' Hammon said. 'We're still waiting for that unicorn 40 (minutes). As long as I can see us making progress and keeping the belief in each other. This is a process. This stuff just doesn't happen overnight. That's why you play 44 games.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
5 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Red Sox manager Alex Cora and Yankees slugger Aaron Judge create happy moment for Cora's twin boys
BOSTON (AP) — Red Sox manager Alex Cora wanted his twin 7-year-old sons to meet the Yankees' Aaron Judge, the biggest star of his team's AL East foe. 'They were like 'No, no. He's a rival,''' the Boston manager recalled. Cora persisted, mentioning players that have spent time with both teams, like Alex Verdugo. Xander and Isander Cora got to meet the 6-foot-7 All-Star before Boston's 4-3 win on Saturday night. The brothers wore Boston's new alternate jerseys in Fenway green. Cora took a photo of the boys with Judge, who gave one of them a set of batting gloves. 'I only had one pair on me, so that's all I could do,' Judge said, smiling. 'We're rivals when we step on that field for 7 o'clock,' Judge told The Associated Press on Sunday morning. 'He's a dad. He's got two sons that are big baseball fans, so I get the chance to meet them and talk a little baseball with them. ... That's another cool part of the job.' Cora had been hoping for a while to set up the meeting. 'Last week, I texted him and said: 'We need to do this, and he was like: 'Just let me know,'' the manager said. 'I'm a fan of all these guys. These guys, they kick our butt and sometimes we do it to them,' Cora said. 'At the end, we're a fraternity. I've been watching him since 2017. I think last year, we started communicating. I'm in awe with everything that goes on with him because it's (Shohei) Ohtani and Judge. They're the faces of baseball. The way he conducts himself on and off the field.' Cora said one of his sons is outspoken and the other is shy. Cora shared details of the get-together with his wife, Angelica. 'They were kind of like quiet in the beginning and then they were comfortable,' he said, before breaking into a laugh as he finished the story. 'They called Angelica after the fact and said: 'He's shy. They called him shy.'' Judge was marking his first Father's Day as a dad. His wife, Samantha, gave birth to Nora Rose on Jan. 27. 'Definitely, being a dad now, I look at it a little different,' the Yankees outfielder said of the meeting and signing autographs for fans after batting practice. 'Just try to take maybe five minutes, six minutes out of my day. That's a memory they get to have for a lifetime. Even for me, those are special moments I get to share with fans.' Cora's boys can expect a present. Another set of batting gloves, so there is one for each. 'He said he was going to send it,' Cora said. 'They said: 'He didn't sign it.' I said: 'Don't worry about it. You got the picture.' ___ AP MLB:
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Phoenix Mercury vs. Las Vegas Aces WNBA game: TV channel, time and how to watch
Phoenix Mercury vs. Las Vegas Aces WNBA game: TV channel, time and how to watch Show Caption Hide Caption Phoenix's Satou Sabally questions league's commitment to player health Mercury forward Satou Sabally put the WNBA on blast, saying Commissioner Cathy Engelbert isn't considering players' health when it comes to scheduling Sports Seriously The Phoenix Mercury and Las Vegas Aces square off Sunday in a WNBA Commissioner's Cup game that could prove crucial for both teams' hopes in the midseason competition. This will be the first meeting of the two teams during the 2025 season, though the Aces did claim an 85-84 preseason victory back in May. For Phoenix, this trip to Vegas will be about establishing more consistency after alternating wins and losses over the last seven games. The Mercury (7-4) will be hoping to replicate Wednesday's 93-80 win over the Dallas Wings. The Aces (5-4) snapped a three-game losing streak Friday in a four-point win over the Wings, which they picked up without star A'ja Wilson (who missed the game while in concussion protocol). Wilson's status is unclear, and as the center leads Las Vegas in most statistical categories, Sunday would be a formidable test if she has to sit out a second straight contest. Here's what to know to watch the Mercury-Aces game as the WNBA Commissioner's Cup continues: What time is Mercury vs. Aces WNBA game? The WNBA Commissioner's Cup game between the Phoenix Mercury and Las Vegas Aces is set for a 6 p.m. ET tip-off at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. How to watch Mercury vs. Aces WNBA game: TV, stream
NBC Sports
2 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Report: Orlando acquires Desmond Bane from Memphis for Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four firsts
Orlando Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman said this offseason it was time to 'turn the page' on the Magic's rebuild and become a win-now team. On Sunday he did just that, agreeing to a trade that is all-in: Memphis is trading guard Desmond Bane to Orlando for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks and one first-round pick swap, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. The first reaction to this trade: Bane is a perfect fit for what Orlando needs, but that is a very steep price to pay. Orlando needs shooting more than anything and Bane brings that, knocking down 39.2% of his 3-pointers last season, and for his career is a 41% shooter from beyond the arc. More than just a gunner, Bane was a secondary shot creator in Memphis who averaged 19.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists a game last season. Put him next to a healthy Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner and the Magic offense should make a leap from its 27th-in-the-league ranking a year ago, especially with Banchero and Wagner setting screens for Bane (that will be very difficult to defend). Bane is also a solid defender who will fit in with the Magic's elite unit on that end. Weltman and Orlando surveyed the East, saw that it feels more wide open in the wake of the Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard injuries, and decided now was the time to push their chips into the middle of the table. Orlando could well be a top-four team in the East next season and a playoff threat. What is jaw-dropping about the trade is the four unprotected first-round picks. That's a lot to surrender for a player who has never been an All-Star before, especially in a trade where the Magic had to throw in two quality veterans. In Memphis, it feels like more moves are on the way, the four picks give them flexibility to make future trades to lower payroll, clearing the way for a massive Jaren Jackson Jr. extension this summer. Or, they could explore trades for Jackson and/or Ja Morant and consider a total reset (don't bet on it, but it's something to watch). \While Bane played a key role in the offense when Morant has been out, Caldwell-Pope steps in as a rock-solid starter at the two and Anthony can be a good first guard off the bench for the Grizzlies. However, it's the picks that give them flexibility to make future trades or use those picks to add depth over time.
