LAS VEGAS (Sept. 3, 2024)—Chelsea Gray and A’ja Wilson posted double-doubles as the Las Vegas Aces improved to 21-12 with a 90-71 defeat of the Chicago Sky on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena. Gray’s 13 points and 10 assists marked the third points/assists double-double of her career and Wilson chalked up 30 points and 14 rebounds. Also scoring in double figures were Tiffany Hayes with 20 and Jackie Young with 15.
Michaela Onyenwere scored a team-high 15 points for Chicago, while Angel Reese had 12 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.
Box Score | Highlights | Photo Gallery
Las Vegas’ win kept them a game ahead of Seattle, who came back from 12 points down to upend Connecticut Tuesday evening, 71-64. The Aces are now 3 games back of the Sun and Minnesota with 8 to play.
| W | L | GB | |
| New York * | 27 | 6 | — |
| Connecticut * | 24 | 9 | 3.0 |
| Minnesota * | 24 | 9 | 3.0 |
| Las Vegas * | 21 | 12 | 6.0 |
| Seattle * | 20 | 13 | 7.0 |
| Indiana* | 17 | 16 | 10.0 |
| Phoenix* | 17 | 17 | 10.5 |
| Chicago | 11 | 22 | 16.0 |
| Atlanta | 11 | 22 | 16.0 |
| Washington | 10 | 23 | 17.0 |
| Dallas | 9 | 24 | 18.0 |
| Los Angeles | 7 | 25 | 19.5 |
| * Clinched Playoff Berth | |||
First Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 17, Chicago 13)
A pair of runs, 7-0 and 9-0, helped give the Aces a 17-6 lead with 3:18 to play in the quarter, however, the Sky scored the final 7 points of the period. Both teams shot 33.3% from the field and 20% from 3-point range, but the Aces were 5 of 6 from the line and the Sky received no trips to the charity stripe. Young scored 5 for the Aces and Isabelle Harrison had 4 for Chicago.
Second Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 47, Chicago 31)
The Aces scored the first 13 points of the second quarter and their lead never again dipped below double digits. Gray, Hayes and Wilson scored 7 apiece for the Aces. Onyenwere had a high of 10 for the visitors. The Aces hit 12 of 18 of their shots from the field, including 4 of 7 from 3-point, and Chicago netted 6 of 11 of their field goal attempts and 2 of 4 from distance. The Aces scored 7 points off 5 Sky turnovers and had no miscues of their own.
Third Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 68, Chicago 51)
Chicago sliced into the Aces lead, 51-39, early in the third quarter. Las Vegas responded with a 9-2 run, expanding the lead to 60-41 with 6:21 to play in the frame. Chicago scored the next 8 points, but Las Vegas outscored the Sky 8-2 to end the quarter. The Aces shot 7 of 13 from the field and the Sky hit 6 of their 17 field goal attempts. Wilson and Young scored 6 points each and Reese tallied 6 for Chicago.
Fourth Quarter Highlights (Las Vegas 90, Chicago 71)
The Sky closed the gap to 10 points with four minutes to play, but that’s as close as they came. Wilson scored 15 points in the final frame, while Dana Evans clocked in for 8 for Chicago.
KEY STATS
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The ACLU is currently tracking 527 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the United States, up from 515 at the start of the 2024 WNBA season.
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The Aces, who dished out 25 assists, shot 32 of 61 from the field and 8 of 24 from 3-point range, while the Sky made 25 of 60 (.417) overall and 7 of 18 (.389) from distance.
The Aces edged the Sky on the glass, 31-29.
Las Vegas outscored Chicago 36-28 points in the paint and 12-8 on the fast break.
The Aces flipped the Sky’s 18 turnovers into 19 points and gave up 13 points on their own 13 miscues.
GAME NOTES
A’ja Wilson Section
Wilson (30 points) extended her streak of consecutive double-digit scoring efforts to 46 games—the longest active streak in the league, and the 14th longest in WNBA history. Should she extend her streak for another 4 games, she will become the first player in league history with multiple double-digit scoring streaks of 50 or more games.
Wilson scored 30 or more points for the 24th time, which ties Maya Moore for the 6th most in WNBA history. Jewell Loyd is 5th with 25 and Diana Taurasi leads with 54.
Wilson now has 73 games with 20+ points and 10+ rebounds, which ranks 3rd in WNBA history. Sylvia Fowles is No. 2 with 77 and Tina Charles tops the chart with 100.
Wilson’s 14 rebounds give her 2,034 for her career which are the 29th most in WNBA history. Next up on the list is Chasity Melvin in 28th place with 2,117 boards.
Wilson’s 30 points give her 909 for the year which are the 4th most in the history of the league in a single season. Jewell Loyd is No. 1 on the list with 939 points scored in 2023.
Wilson now has 4,670 points in her career, which are the 34th most in WNBA history. Skylar Diggins-Smith is next on the list with 4,692 points.
Wilson’s 14 rebounds give her 398 for the year which are tied with Tina Charles (2010) for the 4th most in the history of the league in a single-season.
Wilson’s 3 blocked shots give her 89 for the year which are tied with her 2023 output for the 12th most in the history of the WNBA in a single season. Only 2 players have ever blocked 100 or more shots in a season—Brittney Grier (3 times) and Margo Dydek (4 times)
Wilson’s 3 blocks and 2 steals give her 151 “stocks” (steals plus blocks) for the year, which are tied with Brittney Griner (2014) for the most in the history of the WNBA in a single season.
Wilson’s double-double was the 97th of her career, moving her past Tamika Catchings into 6th place on the WNBA’s career double-doubles chart. Nneka Oguwmike is next on the list with 109.
Rest of the Team Section
Chelsea Gray handed out 10 assists to give her 1,601 for her career—the 8th most in WNBA history. Candace Parker is 7th on the list with 1,634 dimes.
Tiffany Hayes scored 20 points to give her 4,557 for her career, moving her closer to Penny Taylor in 35th place on the list with 4,606.
The Aces were without the services of Kelsey Plum (right ankle). the Sky were missing Chennedy Carter (health and safety protocols) and Elizabeth Williams (knee).
NEXT UP
The Aces travel east for a four-game road swing beginning with a Friday, Sept. 6, meeting with the Connecticut Sun. Tip-off is slated for 4:30 pm PT, and the game is being broadcast nationally on ION.