The boost was seismic. After all, it came on the heels of a 53-point humiliation. Just over a month ago, the Minnesota Lynx stormed into Michelob ULTRA Arena and left the Las Vegas Aces with the worst home loss in league history: a 111-58 demolition. Embarrassing? Absolutely, but that loss turned out to be gasoline on the fire. Since that night, the Aces haven’t dropped a single game, and fans have been buzzing about this historical turnaround ever since.

And last night, it came to a full circle as Vegas avenged their nightmare with a 97-87 victory over the Lynx inside T-Mobile Arena. They set a new franchise record with a 13-game win streak. Earlier, the Aces announcer Krista Blunk had put it plainly: “The 53-point loss against Minnesota was the gut punch. A’ja Wilson talked with Becky Hammon, and said it won’t happen again, and talked to every single player on the team and said, ‘If you were okay with that and not embarrassed, then we don’t need you.’” Now, Wilson didn’t just talk the talk; she hammered her MVP case home with another signature night, ending in 31 points.

Meanwhile, Napheesa Collier (the other half of the MVPhee chatter) managed only 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists, a step below her usual offensive standards. So yes, this was an MVP duel in the face of a regular-season matchup, and if the fan noise is any indication, the pendulum is swinging toward Wilson. Social feeds are flooded with clips, graphics, and declarations of “4x MVP” already. After all, as Blunk noted, she should have her place in history as a four-time MVP – and dethrone MVPhee in the process.

Fans Declare MVPhee Just Got Dethroned by A’ja Wilson

It started as A’ja Wilson’s box scores for the night began making the rounds on social media, and the Las Vegas Aces couldn’t have been happier. Their three-time MVP was shining again, reaching out with all her 6’8” wingspan for the MVP trophy – both figuratively and literally. Because she packed the stat sheet with 31 points on 12-of-15 shooting, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal in 35 minutes, all while posting a +13 plus/minus.

That combination of efficiency (80% from the field) and dominance at both ends had fans crowning her in real time. As one person commented, “A’Ja Wilson just taking MVP from the GREAT MVPhee. Just dominating Napheesa Collier in leading the Aces to a 13th straight win and revenge on the Lynx for that 53 point loss. #WNBA.”  Another fan piled on with “A’JA WILSON DROPPED NAPHEESA COLLIER 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂.” Yes, they added those many laughing emojis, but it was more about the irony.

“Phee will play another Unrivaled season just to be MVP there,” another fan noted. Well, Phee was named the inaugural MVP in Unrivaled, a league in which Wilson didn’t participate, citing that she likes to enjoy her offseason. However, let’s not forget that Phee finished as the runner-up for the W’s MVP even last year and won DPOY.

Now, Napheesa Collier has ranked above Wilson all season long in categories like points per game, but this head-to-head simply flipped the script. Wilson’s 13th 30+ point outing simply erased the image of Napheesa Collier as the league’s frontrunner and placed the spotlight squarely back on Las Vegas’ cornerstone.

Now, just when the MVP debate seemed narrowed down to two, the conversation briefly swerved. One fan ended up bringing in Clark, who recently announced that she is OFS. “Top WNBA players today. 1. Napheesa Collier 2. Angel Reese 3. A’Ja Wilson… . . . . . . . . 40. Paige Bueckers 41. Caitlin Clark,” the fan wrote. And then, soon enough, it was back, though with neither Wilson nor Phee in question.

A fan wrote simply, “Alyssa Thomas???” They seemed to be echoing Sheryl Swoopes, who recently argued Thomas is being overlooked: “Phoenix is not in the playoffs without Alyssa Thomas. Not even close. A lot of people say, ‘Well, MVP should be based off of team record.’ I don’t necessarily agree with that. But if it is, let’s look at Phoenix’s record with Alyssa Thomas, and what she has been able to do for this team this season.”

Still, as the dust settled, the spotlight returned to Wilson and Collier. Even beyond per-game averages, availability matters, and Napheesa Collier’s missed time with an ankle injury has opened the door even wider. A fan wrote, “she’s even healthier and more present than Phee.” As the old saying goes, the best ability is availability. Becky Hammon underscored that point, noting Wilson’s dominance in sheer volume: she leads the WNBA in total points (841, while Collier sits seventh with 704), and in total rebounds (364, tied with Angel Reese).

And if the box score is the “how,” then impact metrics are the “why.” Beyond these raw numbers, Net Points and on-court/off-court plus-minus (+/-) also illustrate just how much these two elevate their teams’ ability to win. Speaking of it, Wilson’s strong MVP case is anchored in her season-long ability to tip the balance of every game she touches.