Sometimes even a win can feel like a loss, and the Las Vegas Aces faced that dilemma in their 88-78 road victory over the Toronto Tempo on Sunday at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Aces starting forward NaLyssa Smith suffered a non-contact left knee injury during the third quarter and had to be helped off the court after she was unable to put weight on her left leg.

Smith immediately grabbed her knee after coming down awkwardly while attempting to corral a pass from Jackie Young in transition. She was evaluated by the Aces’ training staff before being helped toward the locker room.

The severity of Smith’s injury was not immediately known, leaving the Aces to await further evaluation on the WNBA’s field-goal percentage leader.

“God has his hands on (Smith),” Aces center A’ja Wilson said. “We’re going to continue to be beside her through the whole process, but it is like Becky (Hammon) says, man down, man up.

“Emotions are going to be emotions; it’s just something you never want to see. It is tough on the game, but we know she is covered and we will continue to be with her every step of the way.”

Wilson led Las Vegas with 27 points while adding seven rebounds and seven assists, helping the Aces take advantage of a depleted Toronto lineup and earn their sixth win in their last 10 games and first road victory since Aug. 6. She was listed as questionable with a back injury before being made available to play.

Guard Jackie Young complemented Wilson’s performance with 21 points and seven assists, marking her third consecutive game and eighth in her last nine with at least 20 points.

Toronto entered the matchup without five of its top scorers: Marina Mabrey, Brittney Sykes, Nyara Sabally, Aneesah Morrow and Maria Conde. The group accounted for 80% of the Tempo’s 87.5 points per game entering Sunday, leaving Isabelle Harrison, Kiki Rice, Julie Allemand and the rest of Toronto’s supporting cast to fill the scoring void.

The victory kept the Aces at No. 3 in the WNBA standings, a game ahead of the Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever with four regular-season games remaining.

“I think we are still trying to find the version of our best selves,” Hammon said. “We have had moments of it, but I think we’re still trying to find consistency of our best version of ourselves, so that is the goal.”

While the Tempo kept the game within four points heading into halftime, the Aces’ defense helped secure the victory after the break as Las Vegas pulled away for a game-high 20-point lead in the second half.

Las Vegas recorded 12 steals and forced 15 Toronto turnovers, converting those miscues into 17 points.

“We just have to continue executing at a high level. That is what I’m concerned with,” Hammon said. “Putting in an effort to make sure the consistency is there.

“We have our goals, and they reached a couple of them today, so that is what we’re gonna keep doing. We keep pushing them to become better all the way through the last game and into the playoffs.”

The Aces will face the Tempo again on Friday for the final game of their season series when the teams meet at Michelob Ultra Arena.

The matchup will serve as Las Vegas’ final game before the league breaks for the FIBA World Cup, which runs Sept. 4-13 in Berlin.

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