Defending champion Aces clinch eighth straight playoff berth

The Las Vegas Aces will be in the 2026 WNBA playoffs, to the surprise of nobody.

The defending champs clinched their eighth straight playoff berth, a streak that goes back to their second year in Vegas, with an 83-76 win over the Washington Mystics on Thursday. They are currently third in the WNBA standings at 24-11, behind only the Minnesota Lynx (28-7) and Golden State Valkyries (24-9).

Jackie Young led the effort with a season-high 32 points plus five assists, more than making up for off nights from A'ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray, who were a combined 6-of-24 from the field.

It was Las Vegas' second home win in three days over the Mystics, having beat them on Tuesday too.

JACKIE YOUNG UR THE GREATEST pic.twitter.com/ovwY1z1aDl

It hasn't been the smoothest season for the Aces, though they showed how much a slow start mattered last year when they posted a 14-14 record to open the season then won 16 straight games and their third WNBA championship in four years.

This year, the Lynx loom as not just a challenger, but the favorite, with oddsmakers giving them something in the neighborhood of even money to win their first title since 2017. Obviously, that doesn't mean the Aces will make it easy for them.

For now, though, the challenge is playoff positioning, with the Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever both two games back from the Aces for the No. 3 seed with nine games to play.