A’ja Wilson scored 45 points in the Las Vegas Aces’ 101-94 win at the Connecticut Sun on Thursday. It was the fifth 40-point game of her career. No one in WNBA history has more.
Wilson broke a three-way tie with Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi, who have four such games apiece. She is also the only player to score 45 or more points twice, in a league where the 45-point mark has been reached 10 times total. The night moved Las Vegas to 3-1 and put an early stamp on Wilson’s run at a fifth MVP award.
A’ja Wilson Chases Efficiency, Not Just Points
Wilson went 13-of-13 from the free throw line. Chelsea Gray put the rest of it plainly.
“When you got somebody dropping 45 and only missing three shots, that’s amazing to be able to play with,” Gray said. “So of course, I’m gonna try to find her any way I can.”
The number Wilson cared about was not 45.
“It’s beautiful to rack up all these points and, oh my gosh, but are they gonna be efficient? And that’s what’s key. That’s the numbers that I look at,” Wilson said. “So if I’m able to do that, then I’m gonna be okay.”
She traced the night to one adjustment. In her previous game, Wilson said, she rushed her offense and tried to bait double-teams instead of reading what the defense gave her.
“I definitely went into this game saying I need to use my right hand and just being patient in that, and it paid off,” Wilson said.
Aces coach Becky Hammon framed it as Wilson rounding back into form after a training camp slowed by minor injuries.
“She spent a little time out in training camp with a couple bumps and bruises, so I think really now she’s just trying to get her rhythm back, get her legs back underneath her,” Hammon said. “This game she clearly did.”
Wilson Climbs the WNBA Record Book
The 45 points pushed Wilson past several markers in one night.
Her 13-of-13 line from the stripe was the ninth time she has made at least 10 free throws without a miss, and the most she has ever made cleanly. Her previous high was 12-of-12, done twice. The free throws also moved her up the all-time list. Wilson entered the night eighth in WNBA history in made free throws with 1,470, and by the final buzzer she had passed Tina Charles, Lisa Leslie, and Tina Thompson to reach fifth at 1,483.
Thursday was Wilson’s 38th career 30-point game, second all-time behind Taurasi’s 54. It was her 164th 20-point game, third all-time. She has now scored in double figures in 28 straight games, the second-longest active streak in the league.
What a special night for A’ja Wilson
45 PTS (26 in 2nd half)
15-18 fgm
2 BLKThis was her 5th career 40+ point game, which is the most in WNBA history!
She passed Angel McCoughtry in Q2 to move up to 20th on the WNBA’s all‑time scoring list
pic.twitter.com/A5fuOjAhB4
— NBA (@NBA) May 16, 2026
Becky Hammon Wants Wilson Shooting More From Deep
One of Wilson’s 3-pointers came late, and it was not on the call sheet.
Wilson hit a trey with 1:30 left that pushed the lead to 101-86 and effectively ended Connecticut’s night. Hammon has been open about wanting Wilson to shoot more from the perimeter.
“I don’t think that was the play at all. It was just a matter of the flow of the game,” Wilson said. “Obviously Becky wants me to shoot more, so I just gotta continue to get comfortable with it. If it’s there, I’m gonna knock it down.”
Hammon’s reasoning was short.
“We always want the best player on the planet to shoot more,” Hammon said.
The Aces leaned on a throwback offense to get Wilson going. Hammon said Las Vegas ran basic horn sets with two bigs, a departure from the team’s usual spacing and movement.
“It was a little bit more old-school in our play calling tonight,” Hammon said. “It was a little bit more pound basketball tonight.”
The Las Vegas Aces Survive a Connecticut Push
Las Vegas led for most of the night, but not comfortably. The Aces made their first eight shots, all assisted, and grew a 13-point cushion by the third quarter. Connecticut rallied with an 11-0 run that pulled the Sun within 72-70 late in the third. Wilson handled the rest. She hit a 3-pointer and an and-1 to close the quarter, then led a 13-5 run in the fourth after the Sun had drawn back within 88-79.
Three other Aces players scored in double figures. Chennedy Carter scored 18 off the bench, Jackie Young had 13 points with six rebounds and six assists, and Gray had a double-double with 12 points, seven rebounds, and 10 assists.
Connecticut, now 0-4, had a balanced scoring night. Six players reached double figures, with 17 from Hailey Van Lith the high mark and a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double from Aneesah Morrow.
The Sun roster is young, and Wilson is encouraged by what she saw.
“They have something brewing here that’s gonna be special once they start really playing as a collective,” Wilson said. “If they stay together for a little while, something really good could happen.”
She was also asked whether nights like this become a “welcome to the WNBA” moment for younger players.
“I had my welcome to the league moment. Rebecca Brunson gave me mine,” Wilson said. “So I feel like we all gotta go through it. Tough. I’m sorry, but it’s a part of it.”
A’ja Wilson Headlines the Early MVP Race
Wilson enters 2026 as the player to beat. She won the 2025 WNBA MVP award in a runaway, collecting 51 of 72 first-place votes and 657 points overall. Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx finished second with 534 points. Alyssa Thomas of the Phoenix Mercury was third at 391.
That fourth MVP was a league record. A fifth would extend a mark only Wilson holds.
The betting markets expect her to chase it. Wilson opened the season as the MVP favorite at +170 on FanDuel. Caitlin Clark sits close behind at +230, and Breanna Stewart, Paige Bueckers, Allisha Gray, and Thomas fill out the next tier of contenders.
Gray, her teammate, has watched the standard up close for years.
“I think people get used to greatness,” Gray said. “When you have a person like her that’s doing this on a nightly basis, you can’t get bored with watching greatness.”
Thursday was the kind of night that keeps a favorite in front. It produced 45 points, near-perfect shooting, and a fourth quarter Wilson closed on her own.
A Final Trip to Mohegan Sun
Thursday was the Aces’ last regular-season trip to Mohegan Sun Arena. The Sun are set to relocate to Houston, and the building Wilson has played in since her rookie year is part of what she is leaving behind.
“I got my first WNBA point in this building, won our first championship in this building, and now we’re leaving here with something,” Wilson said. “Gonna miss this place.”
Hammon had a similar read.
“For me it’s a little bittersweet. I got a lot of good memories in this building,” Hammon said. “However, going back to Houston I think is super exciting. I know there’s a fan base there ready to explode and accept this team.”
The Aces lost their season opener and shot 40.8% from the field doing it. They have won three in a row since, shooting 58.8% over that stretch. Wilson, a four-time MVP chasing a fifth, has set the tone for the run.
Up Next
Las Vegas visits the Atlanta Dream on Sunday at State Farm Arena. Tip-off is 10:30 a.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
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