The Las Vegas Aces’ run continues, and they are now officially headed to the playoffs.
Jackie Young dropped 22 points at Wintrust Arena on Monday night and helped the Aces hang on to grab a 79-74 win over the Chicago Sky. That pushed their win streak to 11 games, and officially secured them a playoff spot. They are the second team in the league to do so, following the Minnesota Lynx.
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After an easy first half for the Aces, the Sky jumped right back in it after the break and used a massive 19-6 run to make it a one-possession game again. Kamilla Cardoso converted a huge and-1 right before the end of the period to get things within a single point.
Then finally, late in the fourth quarter, Angel Reese caught a quick fast break look from Ariel Atkins for a layup to put Chicago out in front, 73-72 for the first time since the opening minutes of the contest. That, though, is when the Aces made their final push. Chelsea Gray responded with a huge 3-pointer on the other end, and then A’ja Wilson sank a jumper after NaLyssa Smith stuffed Cardoso at the rim to put the Aces up by multiple possessions once again.
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Reese’s bucket was the last one that the Sky hit the rest of the way. Chicago missed its next five shots as the Aces held on to grab the five-point win.
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Atkins led the Sky with 30 points and seven assists while shooting 10-of-18 from the field in the win. Reese finished with 10 points and 17 rebounds. The double-double was Reese’s 20th of the season and 46th of her career. That’s the most a player has ever recorded in their first two seasons in WNBA history, passing Tina Charles’ record.
The Sky, who have already been eliminated from postseason contention, hold a 9-28 record.
Young added seven assists and shot 9-of-13 from the field to drop her team-high 22 points for Las Vegas. Wilson finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, and Chelsea Gray finished with 14 points.
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The Aces’ last loss came on Aug. 2, when they fell in a historic 53-point loss to the Lynx — who currently sit in first place in the league with a 30-7 record. They’ve been perfect since then, and have had five double-digit wins during that span. That’s launched them up the league standings. They are now in third in the league, just barely behind the Atlanta Dream in second place. While the Lynx still have a commanding lead over the field, the Aces are easily the hottest team among the four-team race for the No. 2 seed as the final stretch of the regular season gets underway.
Whether that can be sustained long enough to lead to a meaningful postseason run, however, remains to be seen.
Sky retire Candace Parker’s jersey
The Sky honored longtime star Candace Parker at halftime of Monday night’s contest and raised her jersey into the rafters at Wintrust Arena.
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Parker, a Chicago-area native, spent two seasons with the Sky late in her career and led the franchise to its only WNBA title in 2021. It marked the second jersey retirement ceremony that Parker has received this season, following the same move from the Los Angeles Sparks. Parker spent 13 seasons in Los Angeles and won two MVP awards and another title there.
