Reigning champion Aces look set to maintain an unprecedented pace in the 2nd half of the WNBA season

Heading into the second half of the season at a historic pace, the Las Vegas Aces have shown no sign of stopping.

With 19 wins in their first 21 games, the Aces sit at the top of the WNBA standings and have the best offense and defense in the league.

“Just staying focused on what we’ve done so far,” point guard Chelsea Gray said. “Trust in each other, play for and with each other and just have fun. We never take anyone for granted.”

Gray, one of four Las Vegas players in this weekend’s all-star game, said that despite the Aces’ record, the WNBA is a lot more competitive than it has been in recent years.

Las Vegas is trying to become the first repeat champion since Los Angeles in 2001 and ’02. Going into the playoffs, the Aces can pull off the best record in league history – the 29-5 that Phoenix posted in 2014.

“We’re all so competitive that we just challenge each other every day,” said Aces guard Kelsey Plum. “There is no hold-up in this team.”

New York and Connecticut are second and third in the standings, respectively. The Liberty are still trying to put together a full 40-minute effort with a revamped roster that includes off-season additions Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot.

The Liberty looked great one time and not so good the next. New York blew a 20-point lead over Indiana before the All-Star break, but took it back in overtime.

Guard Sabrina Ionescu, who won the 3-point game on the all-star weekend in a record performance, said the Liberty are still learning how to “maintain a lead.”

“We just keep learning how to play well with each other,” she said. “It’s a big factor why some of our games end up the way they do. But we understand it’s happened one too many times, and we need to look within and continue to build that chemistry. I think we will .”

Connecticut has been trying to find ways to replace center Brionna Jones, who tore her right Achilles tendon last month and is out for the season. The Sun, who lost to the Aces in the WNBA Finals last year, relies even more on stars Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner.

“We’re still trying to figure it out. We lost a huge chunk in the middle. We’re figuring it out every day, but it’s been a lot of fun,” said Bonner. “We just need to lean on each other a little bit more. Everyone needs to pick up the slack.”

Here are some other things to look for in the second half of the season:

Canadians in the W

Three Canadians have set foot on the WNBA floor this season, all with different consequences.

In her first season back after an ACL injury cost her the 2022 season, Kia Nurse of Hamilton, Ont., has started all 20 games with her new club, the Seattle Storm. But the 27-year-old averages a career-high 6.7 points per game, thanks in part to just 30.6 percent shooting from inside the box.

Bridget Carleton, the 26-year-old from Chatham, Ont., is having another solid season in a bench roll for the struggling Minnesota Lynx, averaging 4.6 points in 16 minutes per game. Carleton is hoisting more three-pointers than ever and making a decent clip, but her efficiency was lacking from two-point range.

Carleton’s Lynx teammate, Natalie Achonwa, has not returned following the birth of son Maverick in April.

Rookie Laeticia Amihere, the product of Mississauga, Ont. from South Carolina, had her most productive part of the season between late June and early July, scoring 21 points in three games.

Amihere’s Atlanta Dream picked up a six-game winning streak in the all-star break. The Dream is on track to make the playoffs for the first time since 2018, led by all-stars Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray and Cheyenne Parker.

Long way to the top

Griner has posted career numbers, but the Mercury has the second worst record in the league at 4-15.

The all-star center had a simple recipe for Phoenix in the second half of the season: “Get more dubs!”

Get healthy

The all-star break couldn’t have come at a better time for Los Angeles and Washington, both of whom were decimated by injuries in the first half.

The Sparks, who have lost six games in a row, had only two players in each game in the early part of the year and hope to get everyone back to health soon.

Washington went through its own injury issues with Elena Delle Donne, Natasha Cloud, Kristi Toliver and Ariel Atkins all missing time.