Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray is in the upper echelon of WNBA shot-makers, and on Thursday, she proved it again.
If there is a clutch basket to be made, it’s got Gray written all over it. She already tormented the Atlanta Dream this season with a game-winning fadeaway jumper with 3.6 seconds remaining, and now the four-time WNBA champion adds the Portland Fire to her list.
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Gray sank nine 3-pointers against Portland during a 105-89 win, tying a WNBA single-game record for the most shots from beyond the arc. The 33-year-old added her name to a list that includes Rhyne Howard (twice), Arike Ogunbowale, Jewell Loyd and Kelsey Mitchell.
Gray’s stellar performance was also the seventh time in her career she sank five or more shots from deep. She finished with 29 points on 67% shooting from the field, five rebounds and three assists.
“It was great. I had a couple of games there where I was like, ‘OK, like, I’m making them in practice,’ but, you know, just trusting the work,” Gray said postgame. “I hit a couple early, and it just felt good.”
Gray wasn’t the only player who had a huge night. Her teammate, A’ja Wilson, also added her name to the WNBA history books.
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Against Portland, Wilson finished with 32 points on 50% shooting, five rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Her huge outing was her 40th career game with 30 points or more, and it propelled her to No. 16 on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list.
Wilson entered Thursday’s game with 6,004 career points and finished with 6,036 points, passing Seimone Augustus (6,005), Lauren Jackson (6,007) and Brittney Griner (6,031). Wilson’s teammate, Loyd, is next on the list at No. 15 with 6,090 points.
Additionally, Wilson needed two rebounds to move past Sancho Lyttle (2,601). Now, the four-time MVP sits at spot No. 14 on the league’s all-time rebounding list with 2,605 rebounds. Wilson spoke about what fuels the chemistry between her and Gray that allows them to have success.
“I think our trust. Our trust is something that we have been brewing together forever,” Wilson said. “I think we also have a great friendship that we don’t take anything personal. We’re like, ‘What’s your goals? How you wanna get there?’ and it’s reciprocated.”
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aces’ Chelsey Gray matches WNBA single-game 3-point record vs Fire
