WNBA Wraparound: A'ja Wilson goes back to basics, New York could sweep and the WNBA may be growing

3 highlights from the WNBA last week:

A'ja Wilson scores 40+ points twice in one week: A'ja Wilson is THAT GIRL. She channeled the power of the basic white tee-shirt and has been getting to work this week. Her runway-worthy fits are fun of course, but Wilson is giving the message that she means business on and off the court with the simple sweats. No time for distractions.

That was evident when she scored 42 points on 72.7 percent shooting from the field against Dallas on Tuesday, then 41 points and 17 rebounds on 69.6 percent shooting on Sunday against Phoenix. Those are absolutely wild individual game stats, and Wilson is carrying her team at the moment. The Aces have struggled since the Olympic break, possibly from fatigue given that six players on the roster competed in Paris.

They now have 12 losses in the 2024 season, double the amount they had in last year's regular season. While they are still one of the top teams in the league and will be feared during playoff season. Wilson's dominance only adds to that fear, because at this point, what can't she do?

Tina Charles gets first career triple-double: Another WNBA great also showed out this week, as Tina Charles recorded her first triple-double on Wednesday. Charles is currently the second all-time WNBA scorer behind Diana Taurasi and added this accomplishment to her packed resume. In Seattle, against the team she most previously played on, Charles scored 19 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists for the Atlanta Dream. She added 4 steals and 1 block to that stat line. The addition of Charles to the Dream roster this year was a smart move, as her veteran presence compliments the Dream's young centerpiece, Rhyne Howard. It's been nice to see a WNBA great like Charles succeed.

The Techs add up in Phoenix: Maybe to some, a technical foul is not a highlight ... but some of us enjoy spicy basketball! The Phoenix Mercury have constructed a roster this season filled with players who can get... quite spirited on the basketball court. It may be catching up with them though, as Natasha Cloud was suspended from Tuesday's Mercury game for reaching seven techs in one season.

Diana Taurasi was nearly suspended as well, but the technical she was issued that would have been her seventh was rescinded. Kahleah Copper is on the cusp of a suspension as well with six techs this season. The Mercury have 33 technical fouls on the season so far, a WNBA record. While some may say this is detrimental (and sure, the suspensions are), we choose to spin it to say that the Mercury are passionate. This passion will come in handy during the playoffs, but until then, maybe they should try to limit their techs and avoid losing players.

2 WNBA Games to tune into this week:

Las Vegas Aces vs. Connecticut Sun: Friday, Sep. 6 at 7:30 p.m.

When you put two of the best teams against each other, it's going to be a great time. These teams in particular have some amazing match ups. Alyssa Thomas vs A'ja Wilson, Dijonai Carrington's defence, Kelsey Plum's offence, playmaking and shot making galore. A potential playoff series down the line, both these teams are fighting for every win they can get. Connecticut just barely sits in the second seed, with Minnesota right behind them. The Aces are a little farther back in 4th place, but would love to keep the Seattle Storm off their backs. Expect some big performances and a gritty game.

New York Liberty vs. Las Vegas Aces: Sunday, Sep. 8 at 4:00 p.m.

Could New York sweep the series against their 2023 Finals rivals? It's possible. The Liberty have won all three games against the Aces so far this season. The last time these two teams met up a few weeks ago, the Aces were struggling hard on defense. They seem to have regained their energy in that respect, but their real X-factor is A'ja Wilson.

Wilson is having a career-best, historic season averaging 27.5 points, 12 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game. Those white tees are doing something because the Aces look more like themselves this week. Still, the Liberty are leading the league and will have motivation to sweep the series. Expect Wilson to put on a CLINIC in this one, and the Liberty to throw everything they have at the Aces.

1 storyline to monitor this week: Could another WNBA expansion team be on the horizon ... ?

Last week, a news story broke that another WNBA expansion team is set to be announced in the near future. The WNBA announced the Golden State Valkyries team last September, and they will join the league in 2025. Then, in March of 2024, Shireen Ahmed of CBC broke the news that Toronto was getting its own expansion team as well. By May, the league had announced the Toronto team, set to join the league in 2026.

Back when Golden State was announced last fall, there were rumors that another team would be added in 2025 as well. Toronto was in the mix, but then the initial bid failed, and it was another one that succeeded this year. The other team rumored back in 2023 was Portland, but like Toronto, their bid fell through as well. Now there are reports of Portland's bid being revitalized. According to these reports, the league will announce the Portland expansion team next week, and they could potentially join the league in 2026 with Toronto.