A’ja Wilson’s extended break from competitive basketball is beginning to look especially valuable for the Las Vegas Aces. The four-time WNBA MVP followed a 29-point performance in the Aces’ first game after the World Cup pause with 30 points in Sunday night’s 98-77 victory over the Seattle Storm, helping Las Vegas extend its winning streak to five games and improve to 29-13 with two regular-season contests remaining. Wilson also finished with eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block in 30 minutes.

Those performances have put Wilson’s condition near the center of the conversation as the WNBA moves toward the postseason. The Athletic’s power rankings published Monday and distributed by Yahoo Sports placed Las Vegas at No. 2, behind the Golden State Valkyries and ahead of the Minnesota Lynx. The ranking was not a reflection of the official standings — Minnesota remained ahead of both Golden State and Las Vegas by record — but instead emphasized recent form, and few developments have been more encouraging for the Aces than Wilson’s immediate production after the break.

Wilson did not play for the United States at the FIBA Women’s World Cup, withdrawing for health reasons after carrying a substantial workload during the WNBA season. Aces coach Becky Hammon had previously said Wilson was still managing back discomfort, while Wilson later described the decision as one centered on taking care of her body rather than specifically resting for a postseason run. The distinction matters, but the result has been the same from Las Vegas’ perspective: its most important player received an uncommon recovery window late in the season and returned without an obvious reduction in effectiveness.

The contrast with several other playoff stars is notable because the World Cup break affected teams unevenly. Players who competed deep into the international tournament had to transition almost immediately back into the WNBA schedule. Las Vegas guards Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray were among the players returning from Team USA’s gold-medal run, while Wilson was able to remain away from tournament competition. The Athletic’s power-ranking analysis noted that the unusual pause created different workload-management challenges across the league, particularly with only a small number of regular-season games remaining afterward.

For the Aces, the transition has been unusually smooth. They defeated Seattle 114-77 on the road Thursday in their first game following the break, with Young scoring a career-high 35 points and Wilson adding 29 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Three nights later, the matchup shifted to Las Vegas and the result was nearly identical. Wilson supplied 30 points while Young contributed 23 points and eight assists in the 98-77 win. Las Vegas shot efficiently, established an early advantage and responded after Seattle briefly reduced the margin during the second quarter.

Wilson’s two-game production — 59 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists — provides a small but striking post-break sample. More important than the totals is how quickly she has been able to resume a central offensive role. Against Seattle on Sunday, Wilson made seven of 13 shots from the field and converted 16 of 18 attempts at the free-throw line. It was the 49th 30-point game of her WNBA career, putting her behind only Diana Taurasi on the league’s career list for such performances, according to the Associated Press.

Las Vegas is also getting significant production alongside Wilson. Young’s return from the World Cup has given the Aces another high-level scoring option at precisely the right time. Her 35-point performance in Seattle included a record-tying 22-point quarter, according to The Athletic, and she followed it with an efficient 10-for-15 shooting performance Sunday. Chelsea Gray added 15 points against Seattle while continuing to operate as Las Vegas’ primary organizer. The combination reduces the need for Wilson to create every critical possession herself as postseason defenses increasingly focus on her.

The remaining question is how much can reasonably be inferred from two games against a Seattle team near the bottom of the standings. The Athletic noted that Las Vegas’ post-break schedule is favorable, and the Storm fell to 8-35 after Sunday’s defeat. The Aces still have to translate their current rhythm into playoff basketball, where defensive pressure, scouting and shortened rotations will be substantially different. Las Vegas also faces questions about frontcourt depth beyond Wilson, making the health and availability of its primary rotation increasingly important as the stakes rise.

Even so, the timing of the surge is significant. The WNBA postseason is scheduled to begin Sunday, Sept. 27, with the league’s top eight teams qualifying regardless of conference. Teams are seeded by regular-season record, and the first round uses a best-of-three, 1-1-1 format, making a top-four finish valuable because it provides home-court advantage. Las Vegas entered the final portion of the schedule at 29-13, while Minnesota and Golden State remained ahead in the overall race and Atlanta remained close behind.

The power rankings therefore capture a broader point about the defending champions: Las Vegas does not need to finish with the league’s best record to enter the playoffs with momentum. The Aces have won five straight, Wilson looks comfortable after her time away, and Young has returned from international play in exceptional offensive form. There are still seeding questions to settle and more demanding opponents ahead, but the immediate evidence suggests the World Cup interruption did not disrupt Las Vegas. For Wilson in particular, the time away appears to have provided exactly what the Aces hoped for — enough recovery to enter the postseason stretch performing at an MVP-level standard.