Wilson scores 27, Young adds 21 as Aces beat short-handed Tempo 88-78

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — A’ja Wilson had 27 points, seven rebounds and seven assists to help the Las Vegas Aces beat the Toronto Tempo 88-78 on Sunday night.

The Tempo (11-26) played their second consecutive game at Rogers Arena, this time in front of 15,877 fans, after they beat Portland 82-79 on Friday to snap a 12-game losing streak.

Jackie Young added 21 points for the Aces (26-13), who pulled within a half-game of second-place Golden State in the WNBA standings.

Kia Nurse led Toronto with 19 points and Kiki Rice scored 14 and Temi Fagbenle 13.

NaLyssa Smith's layup gave the Aces a 10-point lead with a minute left in the second quarter, but Toronto closed on a 6-0 spurt to make it 43-39 at halftime. Isabelle Harrison scored inside to make it a two-point game about two minutes into the third quarter but the Tempo got no closer.

All-Star Marina Mabrey (adductor), Brittney Sykes (left foot), Nyara Sabally (calf), Maria Conde (calf) and Aneesah Morrow (left knee) did not play for Toronto. The team announced earlier Sunday the Sykes and Morrow, who were injured in the first half of the Tempo's win over Portland, would miss the remainder of the season. Coach Sandy Brondello said before the game that Mabrey “will be evaluated in a few weeks."

Aces: Host Toronto on Friday.

Tempo: Visit Seattle on Wednesday.

See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

The Toronto Tempo and the Las Vegas Aces warm up before a WNBA basketball game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (Jacob Mallari/The Canadian Press via AP)

Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson (22) drives to the basket as Toronto Tempo's Temi Fagbenle, left, and Toronto Tempo's Teonni Key, right, defend during the first half of a WNBA basketball game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (Jacob Mallari/The Canadian Press via AP)

CHICAGO (AP) — Former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom was ejected from Sunday night's Indiana-Chicago WNBA game after Sky guard Natasha Cloud yelled and pointed in his direction late in the third quarter.

Freedom was sitting along the baseline. He had on a black shirt that read “WOMAN noun. adult human female.”

The Fever called for a timeout after Cloud scored inside with 1:22 left in the third. Cloud then went to confront Kanter, who held his arms and took one step on the court. Security and a handful of Sky players stepped in between the two before the dispute escalated.

Freedom then was escorted from the court area. He displayed his shirt as he walked toward the lobby. He had a conversation with a group of police officers before departing Wintrust Arena.

Freedom and Royce White, another former NBA player, declared themselves eligible for the WNBA draft this month, saying they identify as women.

See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

Former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom greets a friend before a WNBA basketball game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)