Las Vegas Aces Dominate Chicago Sky For Ninth Win

Veteran Tamera Young leads the way to a dominating win

The Las Vegas Aces (9–12) beat the Chicago Sky (7–13) for the second time in a week, this time by a resounding 24 points on Chicago’s home court. The game was effectively over by the end of the third quarter as the Aces held a 26 point lead and the rest of the game turned into game experience for the Aces’ and Sky’s younger players.

Early in the game, it was an unexpected hero that helped drive Vegas out to a 13 point halftime lead. Tamera Young, not Kayla McBride or A’ja Wilson, was leading the Aces in scoring with 11 points. Young’s performance wasn’t just limited to scoring as she finished with 16 points in 23 minutes; she also pulled down a game-high 8 rebounds and had 4 assists.

The Aces’ dynamic duo of McBride and Wilson that averages 39.5 PPG, combined for just 30 points. A’ja Wilson never really got going, shooting 4–12 of FGA and only getting four rebounds. Wilson only played a little bit in the second half, amassing 23 minutes total, as Coach Bill Laimbeer used the blowout as an opportunity to rest his starters who’ve been playing significant minutes as of late.

McBride’s performance, 18 points and 3 assists, was significantly boosted by 3 three-pointers in very quick succession around the 5:00 mark of the third quarter. Overall, McBride shot 5–11 from the field (3–4 from 3-point range) and 5–5 from the FT line. Her three 3-pointers sparked the Aces into a dominant run to close out the third quarter, pushing the Sky into that 26-point hole to start the fourth.

In a change of pace from recent games, 10 different Las Vegas players scored. Kelsey Plum had another fantastic game, 14 points (2–4 from 3) and 2 assists. Off of the bench, Ji-Su Park, Jaime Nared, and Dearica Hamby each scored 7 points. Hamby also contributed 8 rebounds and 4 assists.

The win for Vegas came in a kind of bizarre way; they just played better than Chicago. They made more shots and won the game. Vegas shot 35–73 (47.9%) from the field and 6–12 (50%) from 3-point range versus Chicago’s abysmal 27–71 (38%) on FGs and 5–18 (5–18) on 3s. As Jeff VanGundy like to say, It’s a “make-or-miss” league. And on Tuesday night, the Aces made shots and Chicago didn’t.

In the Aces-Sky game on July 5th, the Sky made a concerted effort to play QUICK and run the ball up the court to get off easy looks at three. Initially, that strategy worked phenomenally in that game as the Sky drained 7–11 3PA, but in the last three halves of basketball between these teams, the Aces have shut that type of play down. The slowed down tempo that Las Vegas forced Chicago to play in Round 2 is exactly the type of way Vegas wants to play, focused on A’ja Wilson in the post. Of course, A’ja didn’t have her best performance in the second game, but that was because of Chicago’s defensive game-plan to double team her in the post.

For the playoff race, Las Vegas remains in ninth-place, tied with the Atlanta Dream (9–9) in the win column. Vegas’ two wins over Chicago could be crucial in a tiebreaker situation; Chicago sits in tenth-place and is a really similar team to Vegas in player experience and age.

Tuesday’s game against the Sky was important for Vegas; not only did they close distance in the playoff race, but they took down a team that has shown significant flashes of potential this season, most notably taking down the defending champion Minnesota Lynx by a double-digit margin last Saturday. This game should serve as a confidence booster and confirm that Vegas has the depth and talent to make a playoff run.

Up next for the Aces: after going 4–1 in their last five to climb back into the playoff picture, they travel to Minnesota to face the defending champion Lynx (11–8) on Friday, July 13th.

Up next for the Sky: the Sky will travel to Washington to face Elena Delle Donne and the Washington Mystics (12–7) on Friday, July 13th.