The Aces Swept Seattle, Jackie Young Tied a WNBA Record, and A'ja Wilson Became the Only Player in History to Score 1,000 Points Twice.
Some weeks in sports feel like a highlight reel that hasn't been edited yet. Too many moments. Too many records. Too much to process in real time.
This was one of those weeks for the Las Vegas Aces.
Thursday night in Seattle, Jackie Young scored a career-high 35 points including a jaw-dropping 22 in the first quarter alone, tying the WNBA record for points in a single quarter. Sunday night at Michelob Ultra Arena, A'ja Wilson scored her 1,000th point of the 2026 season, becoming the only player in WNBA history to reach that mark in a single season more than once.
Two games. Two records. Two dominant wins. Las Vegas outscored Seattle by a combined 49 points across both nights. The Aces swept the Storm, improved to 29-13, and sent a message to everyone watching: this team is not done.
Thursday in Seattle: Jackie Young took it personally
The first quarter on Thursday night in Seattle was something I haven't seen in a long time. Young scored 22 points in the opening period alone tying the WNBA record for points in a single quarter. She went 8-for-9 from the field and 3-for-4 from three in those first 10 minutes. By the time the first buzzer sounded the Aces led 25-13 and Young had already put together what would be a career performance before halftime had even arrived.
She finished with a career-high 35 points. Her previous best was 34, which she had done twice. Now she owns the record. 22 of those points came in one quarter. The Aces won 114-77 and it felt like the margin could have been even larger.
What made Young's performance remarkable wasn't just the volume it was the efficiency and the timing. The Aces needed a statement road win heading into the final stretch of the season. Young provided it in the first 10 minutes and never let up.
Wilson added 29 points on Thursday and entered Sunday's game needing just 9 points to become the first player in WNBA history to score 1,000 points in a season twice.
Sunday at The House: A'ja Wilson made history
She did it at the 4:06 mark in the second quarter. Wilson scored her 9th point of the game a quiet, methodical addition to a total that had been building all season and crossed into territory that no player in the history of this league has ever reached before. 1,000 points in a single season. For the second time in her career.
The first time was 2024. She did it in 37 games. She did it again in 2026. She finished Sunday with 30 points and 8 rebounds, bringing her season total to 1,021 ranking No. 3 on the all-time single-season list behind her own 2024 mark and Kelsey Mitchell's 1,056 this year. Wilson has now scored in double figures in 63 consecutive games the longest active streak in the league and has the most 30-point games this season with 12, second only to Diana Taurasi all-time with 49 career 30-point games.
30 points. 8 rebounds. 1,021 season points. 12th game this season with 30 or more. And the only player in WNBA history to hit 1,000 in a season twice. Just another Sunday at The House for the best player in the world.
Two completely different games, same dominant result
What made this week interesting was how different the two wins looked. Thursday in Seattle was a blowout that was over before halftime Young went nuclear in the first quarter, Wilson added 29, Kalani Brown suited up for Las Vegas for the first time and scored 10 on a perfect 4-for-4 from the field in the fourth quarter, and Dana Evans added 10 off the bench. The Aces finished with 29 assists on 40 made field goals and shot 46.4 percent from three.
Sunday at home was a more contested game Seattle actually led 10-6 early and cut the deficit to 2 in the second quarter before the Aces went on a 12-6 run to reassert control. It took more work. Young had to stop a Storm run with a floater, Wilson went 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the first half, and the Aces defense had to lock in after letting Seattle shoot 58.8 percent in the second quarter. They responded with a season-high 27 fast break points, 13 steals, and held Seattle to 27.8 percent in the fourth quarter to put it away.
Both wins ended in the same place Aces by 37 on Thursday, Aces by 21 on Sunday. Seattle is a young team playing without Ezi Magbegor and dealing with the kind of growing pains that first-year rosters go through. Flau'jae Johnson gave them everything she had 25 points on Thursday and 29 on Sunday — and she should be proud of how she competed in both games. But the gap between these two teams right now is real.
Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, and the depth that makes this team dangerous
While Wilson and Young dominated the headlines across both games, the supporting performances told an equally important story about what makes this Aces team so difficult to game plan against. Gray had 6 assists Thursday and 15 points with 4 assists Sunday while moving past Sylvia Fowles and Nykesha Sales into No. 24 all-time in WNBA steals. Cheyenne Parker-Tyus became the 31st player in WNBA history to record a career 2,600 points, 1,500 rebounds, and 250 blocks. Latson scored 8 off the bench Sunday when the starters needed rest. Brown gave the Thursday bench a perfect 4-for-4 night.
This is a team with no weak links right now. That's what makes them genuinely scary heading into the playoffs.
My take
Jackie Young tied a WNBA record and set a career high in the same quarter. A'ja Wilson became the only player in history to score 1,000 points in a season twice. The Aces swept Seattle and outscored them by 49 combined. The bench showed up. The stars shined. The depth contributed.
29-13. Heading toward the playoffs with the kind of momentum that championship teams build at exactly the right time of the season.
One more regular season home game Fan Appreciation Night against the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday September 22 at 7pm on ESPN. Her Game Network will be there. And knowing this team right now, the records aren't done falling.
Game 1 Final: Las Vegas Aces 114, Seattle Storm 77
Game 2 Final: Las Vegas Aces 98, Seattle Storm 77
The numbers across both games
Jackie Young: 35 PTS (career high), 22 in 1st quarter (ties WNBA record) — Thursday; 23 PTS, 8 AST — Sunday
A'ja Wilson: 29 PTS — Thursday; 30 PTS, 8 REB, 1,000th season point — Sunday (only player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 in a season twice; 2026 total: 1,021)
Chelsea Gray: Thursday assists leader (6); 15 PTS, 4 AST Sunday — moves to No. 24 all-time in WNBA steals
Kalani Brown: 10 PTS on 4-4 FG (Thursday debut)
Dana Evans: 10 PTS (Thursday)
Ta'Niya Latson: 8 PTS off bench (Sunday)
Wilson: 63 consecutive double-digit scoring games (leads WNBA)
Wilson: 12 thirty-point games this season (leads WNBA), 49 career (2nd all-time)
Franchise: 12th 100-point game this season — most in franchise history
Aces record: 29-13
Next: vs LA Sparks, Tuesday Sept. 22, 7pm, ESPN — Fan Appreciation Night