Aces send scary message to WNBA with 114-77 blowout in first game back

The WNBA took a break. Apparently, the Las Vegas Aces did not cool off. Las Vegas returned to regular-season action Thursday night with a 114-77 demolition of the Seattle Storm, improving to 28-13 as the league begins its final sprint toward the playoffs.

The 37-point margin was impressive enough. Putting 114 points on the board after an extended interruption to the season made the performance even harder to ignore. With playoff positioning still at stake and only a handful of regular-season games remaining, Las Vegas didn't look like a team trying to rediscover its rhythm.

The Aces looked ready for October. The WNBA posted its official recap of the victory here:

For everyone else in the postseason field, Thursday's result provided an uncomfortable reminder. The Aces are getting hot at exactly the right time.

Las Vegas returns from break with offensive explosion

Long breaks can produce strange results.

Players leave for international competition. Teams lose their normal routines. Coaches have to bring everyone back together and quickly rediscover chemistry.

Las Vegas didn't appear bothered. The Aces overwhelmed Seattle offensively and pushed their record to 28-13. That matters because the top of the WNBA standings remains crowded enough that every late-season result can alter postseason positioning. Minnesota entered the final stretch with the league's best record, but several contenders remained within striking distance of important seeds.

Las Vegas is firmly among them. The Aces' championship pedigree makes their late surge particularly notable.

This isn't an inexperienced roster discovering what playoff basketball feels like.

Las Vegas has been through these games before.

That becomes increasingly valuable when the calendar reaches the final few weeks and individual possessions begin carrying postseason consequences.

Thursday offered another reason for optimism.

There was no sluggish return. No ugly first game back. No need to explain away a rusty performance. Las Vegas simply buried Seattle.

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Thursday wasn't only about the Aces. The entire league returned to a postseason race that could change quickly over the final games.

Washington beat Chicago 110-80. Dallas defeated Los Angeles 97-77. Atlanta overwhelmed Connecticut 103-59. Phoenix survived Portland 94-91 in one of the night's most dramatic finishes.

Then Las Vegas delivered the biggest offensive number of the evening. The Aces' victory moved them to 28 wins and ensured they remained in the thick of the fight for favorable playoff positioning.

That's important because seeding can dramatically change a postseason path. The difference between drawing one opponent and another can determine whether a contender gets a manageable opening matchup or immediately finds itself in a heavyweight fight.

Las Vegas knows all about heavyweight fights.

This franchise has spent the past several seasons playing some of the league's most meaningful games. That experience is one reason Thursday's result deserves attention beyond a single blowout. Good teams win after long breaks. Dangerous teams return looking as if they never stopped playing.

Las Vegas looked much closer to the second category Thursday.

There isn't much regular season left. If the Aces continue playing anything like this, there may be a lot more Las Vegas basketball after it.

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