3 takeaways: Wilson, Aces power past Sky for 3rd straight win
As soon as the final buzzer sounded, Aces coach Becky Hammon and Chicago Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon engaged in a long embrace in front of the scorer’s table.
On the court, A’ja Wilson and Angel Reese mirrored their coaches, hugging and smiling as they exchanged words.
The Aces’ 95-83 win over the Sky on Thursday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago was exactly as advertised.
Hammon and Weatherspoon, who were once teammates in the WNBA, can now say they’ve competed against each other as head coaches. Reese, a high-profile rookie, has officially faced one of her mentors on the court.
Wilson scored 31 points to lead the Aces (9-6), the back-to-back defending champions, to their third consecutive win. The performance extended her WNBA record-smashing streak of games with at least 20 points to 20. It was also Wilson’s 12th game with more than 25 points this season, which is as many as she had all of last year.
Kelsey Plum had 22 points, and Jackie Young added 21 for the Aces.
Marina Mabrey led the Sky (6-10) with 21 points. Reese had 18 points and 11 rebounds for her ninth consecutive double-double, matching Candace Parker (2015) for the most consecutive double-doubles in WNBA history.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
1. Wilson leadership
Wilson leads the league in points (27.8) and rebounds (11.6) per game, but she’s also a crucial authority in the Aces’ locker room.
The team has not lost since Wilson broke down in tears after a home loss to the New York Liberty on June 15. Her remarks mentioned trying to pull greatness out of the Aces and taking accountability for the team’s issues on defense.
Wilson said Thursday her previous comments weren’t necessarily something she would have told her teammates directly, even though they were words the squad “needed to hear.”
Young seconded Wilson’s statement, adding that the two-time MVP’s communication can be pivotal.
“She’s the leader of this team,” Young said. “Whenever she has something to say, you listen. We know that she’s gonna speak up.”
2. ‘Take a punch’
After outscoring the Sky 25-14 in the second quarter, the Aces found themselves on the wrong end of a 7-0 run to start the third.
The burst forced Hammon to call a full timeout. She later said the Aces responded well to the Sky’s adjustments by amping up their defense and being more precise offensively.
According to Hammon, that’s the core of the team’s identity this season: the ability to respond.
“We’ll still have these lapses. But the good thing is, is we can regain we can take a punch and then resume who we’re supposed to be,” she said.
The Aces started the season without injured point guard Chelsea Gray. Her absence, along with illnesses that hit Young and Plum, were hardships the team had to work through, Hammon said.
In her third game back, Gray made her first start of the season Thursday, recording eight points, six rebounds and five assists.
3. Iowa ties
It’s starting to feel like all WNBA roads lead back to Iowa.
Hammon spoke in a joint pregame press conference Thursday with Weatherspoon about the “skilled” and entertaining rookie class that came into the league after a historically popular women’s college basketball season.
Hammon noted that while fans tuned in to watch the rivalry between Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark and Louisiana State’s Reese, they also ended up watching the Aces’ new rookie, former Hawkeye Kate Martin. Now, they’re all on the big stage.
“They’re super fun to watch, and they jaw at each other,” Hammon said, adding that while Reese’s trash talk is often discussed, “no one talks more crap than Caitlin.”
As usual, Martin offered an important spark off the bench. The Aces trailed 25-21 after the first quarter, then Martin came off the bench to open the second and immediately scored a corner 3-pointer. Suddenly the momentum shifted, Kiah Stokes snatched a defensive rebound, and Gray hit two free throws to give the Aces a 30-29 advantage.
They never trailed again.
Stokes blocked a season-high six shots Thursday. She grew up in Marion, Iowa, and her dad, Greg Stokes, is a Hawkeye legend who became a second-round NBA draft pick after a successful career.
The Aces next play at the Washington Mystics at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Contact Callie Lawson-Freeman at clawsonfreeman@reviewjournal.