LAS VEGAS (July 15, 2024)—The Las Vegas Aces (16-7) close out the pre-All-Star/Olympic Break portion of their schedule on Tuesday, with a 7 pm PT tip against the Chicago Sky (9-14). The game will air nationally on Amazon Prime Video and locally on the Silver State Sports & Entertainment Network.
The Aces are the hottest team in the WNBA heading into the final week before All-Star and the Olympics, as they have won 10 of their last 11 games. They boast the best offense in the league during that stretch (109.5 OER), and the 3rd best defense (95.4 DER).
| OER | DER | FG% | 3G% | OppFG% | Opp3G% | |||
| 6-6 thru June 18 | 105.4 (6th) | 104.2 (10th) | .428 (7th) | .344 (3rd) | .445 (10th) | .393 (12th) | ||
| 10-1 since June 19 | 109.5 (1st) | 95.4 (3rd) | .481 (1st) | .358 (2nd) | .409 (2nd) | .329 (6th) |
A’ja Wilson continues to be the run-away favorite to win her 3rd M’VP Award as she leads the league in scoring (27.2 ppg) and blocked shots (2.8 bpg), while ranking 2nd in rebounding (11.9 rpg), 5th in steals (1.8 spg) and 5th in field goal percentage (.527). In more advanced stats, per basketballreference.com, she leads the WNBA in win shares (6.8), offensive win shares (4.6), defensive rebound percentage (30.8) and block percentage (6.8); while ranking first among qualifiers for the scoring title in offensive efficiency (120.5), second in defensive efficiency (92.1), second in total rebound percentage (19.6), 2nd in defensive win shares (2.3) and 9th in steal percentage (2.7).
The 6-time All-Star is threatening to smash the league single-season scoring mark of 25.3 points per game set by Diana Taurasi during the 2006 season. Wilson also enters Tuesday’s game with a WNBA-record-tying 5 straight games with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Kelsey Plum (18.8 ppg) and Jackie Young (18.5 ppg) give the Aces a trio of scorers averaging 18 or more points per game. No team in the history of the league has ever had three players score at that clip for an entire season.
Chicago enters Tuesday’s game having dropped two straight, but both were to the first-place Liberty. The Sky currently sit in 8th place in the league standings, 1 game behind the Indiana Fever in 7th.
Chicago’s identity is in its defense, ranking 6th in the league in defensive efficiency, allowing 100.5 points per 100 possessions. The Sky are particularly effective on the perimeter where they allow opponents to make just 32.2 percent of their shots from beyond the arc—the 4th lowest in the league. They also rank 3rd in the league in steals (8.3 spg)
Offensively, Chicago ranks 11th in efficiency scoring 97.4 points per 100 possessions. The Sky connect on 42.3 percent of their field goal attempts (11th in the league) and 31.4 percent of their 3-pointers (9th), but make up for that somewhat by grabbing the 2nd most offensive rebounds (.341 OReb%) and turning the ball over the 4th fewest times in the league (14.0 topg).
Rookie Angel Reese has garnered most of the attention for Chicago this season, making her case for Rookie of the Year behind a WNBA record streak of 15 consecutive double-doubles. She ranks 3rd on the team in scoring (13.5 ppg) and leads the entire league in rebounding, averaging 12.0 boards per game.
Chennedy Carter has also been grabbing headlines for the Sky as the 4th-year pro went unsigned throughout the 2023 season due to off-the-court challenges. She has been Chicago’s most effective offensive performer scoring a team-best 16.4 points per game and shooting at a 51.3 percent clip from the field. Carter has also been adding 2.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Marina Mabrey is the team’s other double-digit scorer, chipping in 14.0 points per game, and handing out 4.6 assists per contest.
The Aces are 24-20 all-time against the Sky, having won 7 straight games over the regular and postseason—8 in a row if you include the 2022 Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game. In the first meeting between the clubs this season, Las Vegas picked up a 95-83 road win over Chicago on June 27 as A’ja Wilson (31 points), Jackie Young (22 points) and Kelsey Plum (21 points) combined to score 74 points in the victory (recap/box score).