Elena Delle Donne leads Mystics to win over first-place Aces in return

The Mystics held the Aces below 70 points for just the second time this season in their 78-62 victory.

Washington Mystics player Elena Delle Donne returned to the court in spectacular fashion. She had a team-high 21 points in just 22 minutes of play in the Mystics’ 78-62 win over the Las Vegas Aces.

Delle Donne was nursing a hip injury before her return but admitted she isn’t playing scared.

“I’m playing free,” Delle Donne said. “I don’t think about injuries or, ‘Oh, what if I step on a foot again.’ It’s basketball, and you’ve got to just enjoy the moments you’re out there and play as hard as you can.”

The Mystics held the Aces below 70 points, which is just the second time this season the Aces failed to cross that mark. Aces superstar A’ja Wilson recorded her 20th double-double of the season, which is the second-most in the WNBA this season. The Connecticut Sun’s Alyssa Thomas holds the top spot with 25 this season.

“It felt so good to be out there … just to have the whole group out there felt good,” Delle Donne said. “I think you could see it; we were just playing with joy, sharing the ball, trusting in each other. That’s what it can look like.”

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