Due to a wrist injury, A’ja Wilson leaves the Aces’ game against…

Due to a wrist injury, A’ja Wilson leaves the Aces’ game against …

Following an injury sustained Tuesday night during the Las Vegas Aces’ 87-78 loss to the New York Liberty, reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson had an MRI on her right wrist on Wednesday morning. Wilson wrote on Threads on Wednesday morning, “Welp! The sound of an MRI machine is the best way to wake up, lol. She expressed gratitude to her team and the medical personnel in New York for responding quickly to the incident. “We are gonna be alright!” she wrote as she ended the message. The team has yet to receive the MRI results. Wilson’s status for Thursday’s game against the Washington Mystics is labeled as uncertain.

After going up for a layup, Wilson landed hard on her right arm and wrist six minutes into the second quarter, causing the injury. Her squad surrounded her while she lay on the ground for a few minutes, but she managed to stand up on her own. Wilson decided to keep her in the game for the next few plays, according to coach Becky Hammon, so the Aces wouldn’t have to intentionally foul to end play. Las Vegas would have been in the bonus for the last four minutes if they had done it.

Wilson returned to the locker room shortly before the first half ended, marking the next natural halt. At halftime, she was ruled out. “She is adamant about not missing the game or sitting out. However, physicality does occur in the real world, so we wanted to be cautious tonight and err on the side of caution,” Hammon stated. “With her, err on the side of caution. We want to make sure she’s not putting herself in any danger of hurting or harming anything because our season is greater than this one game.”

Wilson missed three games earlier this season due to concussion protocol, and the Aces were 2-1 during that time. Prior to Tuesday, Wilson was averaging 21.9 points and nine rebounds per game. After leading the Liberty by two points at the break, the Aces substituted Kierstan Bell for Wilson in the second half. They couldn’t quiet the Liberty enough to stay in the game, but they managed to keep it close until the fourth quarter. Las Vegas ended the game with 16 turnovers and 41.9% field goal shooting, failing to make a field goal in the last five minutes.

“For us, Wilson completely alters the dynamics at both ends of the floor. That is something you can never recreate. That is definitely not something that can be replaced by one person, two, three, or even four,” Hammon stated. “It’s about us fighting and sticking together and figuring it out.”