Aces bounce back from 1st loss with victory over Sky
Becky Hammon had two options before the Aces’ 93-80 win over the Chicago Sky on Sunday.
The Aces coach watched her team lose its first game of the season Thursday, 94-77 to the Connecticut Sun. Her first option was to force her players to watch film of the entire game, clip after clip of their poor defense and dismal shooting.
Or, Hammon could just let it go.
“Sometimes, it’s best to just hit on two or three big points and then move on,” Hammon said, “not dwell too much on the past given the circumstances of the road trip.”
The Aces (8-1) responded, cruising against the Sky at Michelob Ultra Arena before an announced crowd of 9,786. Forward A’ja Wilson led all scorers with 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Point guard Chelsea Gray added 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting, and guard Kelsey Plum scored 16.
All five starters scored in double figures for the first time since the Aces’ season-opening win over the Seattle Storm.
“We still have a lot more things to work on,” Wilson said. “We’re slowly starting to gel and mesh together a lot more, but I don’t think we’ve played our best basketball yet.”
Guard Marina Mabrey led the Sky (5-5) with 20 points. Wing Kahleah Copper had 18 points and six assists, and reserve guard Dana Evans added 10 points and eight assists.
Here are three takeaways from the victory:
1. Parker’s big day
Candace Parker scored 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting, had seven assists, six rebounds and five steals against her former team in one of her best performances since joining the Aces this season.
Her passing was particularly sharp against her hometown team. Parker dissected the Sky’s defense from the high post, low post and especially on short rolls to the basket when Chicago blitzed or hedged on a screen.
Hammon said the short roll isn’t always there, as it depends on the opponent’s pick-and-roll coverage. She said Parker did a good job punishing the Sky defense.
“She’s a playmaker,” Hammon said.
2. Aces return rested
The Aces looked fatigued near the end of their road trip. They played four games in three cities in seven days, complicated by the difficulties of WNBA travel.
“It’s been especially good to get back to Vegas,” Parker said.
The Aces returned to Las Vegas on Friday and had Saturday off. They looked rejuvenated against the Sky, jumping to a nine-point first-quarter lead en route to a 17-point halftime lead.
“I was glad to see our team refreshed and ready to rock and roll,” Wilson said.
3. Defense responds
Hammon has harped on the Aces’ defense all season, and it delivered after struggling to guard the perimeter and the paint in the Connecticut loss.
The Aces turned 13 turnovers into 23 points, including 16 on the fast break, and had 10 steals. The Sky shot 33.3 percent on 3-pointers (7 of 21) and scored only 28 points in the paint.
Las Vegas also showed off its defensive flexibility, briefly switching to a box-and-one.
“The defense was active,” Hammon said. “It was more physical.”
Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.
