Aces 90-71 Sky (September 3, 2024) Match Summary

LAS VEGAS – A’ja Wilson scored 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, Chelsea Gray added 13 points and 10 assists and the Las Vegas Aces beat Chicago 90-71 on Tuesday night, handing the Sky their seventh straight loss.

Chicago and Atlanta’s defeats in Phoenix secured playoff spots for the Mercury and the Indiana Fever, who had no games to play.

Tiffany Hayes, who stepped in for Kelsey Plum while she rested a sore ankle, scored 20 points for the Aces (21-12), while Jackie Young scored 15 points.

Wilson’s eighth game of the season with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds helped Las Vegas stay one game ahead of Seattle in the first round and secure the fourth playoff spot and home-court advantage. Wilson also had three blocks, three assists and two steals and did not commit a foul.

She has now scored 139 points in her last four games, tying Maya Moore for the most points scored in four games in the WNBA, which Moore did 10 years ago for Minnesota.

The game was played at T-Mobile Arena instead of the Aces’ usual home stadium at Mandalay Bay and drew 18,394 fans, the second-best home attendance in franchise history.

Michaela Onyenwere scored 15 points to lead Chicago, which remains tied with Atlanta for the final playoff spot, one game ahead of Washington. Kamilla Cardoso added 14 points, Dana Evans added 13 off the bench and Angel Reese extended her rookie record for double-doubles to 25 with 12 points and 16 rebounds.

The Aces led 47-31 at halftime, but the Sky didn’t let up. Evans hit a 3-pointer with 3:58 left to cut the deficit to 78-68. Wilson scored the next six points as the Aces pulled away.

The Aces led 17-13 after one quarter and then scored 13 straight points to start the second quarter, with Gray scoring seven points and assisting on the other three baskets.

Las Vegas went into the fourth quarter with a 68-51 lead, with Young scoring four points to lead the team to 8-2.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball