Fans get final chance to see Aces before Olympics break
Who: Aces vs. Chicago Sky
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Michelob Ultra Arena
TV: Amazon Prime Video, SSSEN
Radio: KWWN (1100 AM, 100.9 FM)
About the Aces (16-7): Las Vegas has won four straight. The team’s most recent showing, an 89-77 comeback victory over the Washington Mystics, capped a three-game stretch on the road.
A’ja Wilson recorded 28 points and 17 rebounds — her third consecutive game with more than 20 points and 15 rebounds, a WNBA record. She leads the league in points (27.2) and blocks (2.8) per game and is the overwhelming MVP favorite. The Aces continue to benefit from the return of point guard Chelsea Gray, who missed the first 12 games with a lower left leg injury as the team went 6-6.
This is the Aces’ final game before the All-Star and Olympic break. More than half of the roster is headed to the Paris Games. The “Core Four” of Gray, Wilson, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young will play on Team USA. Center Megan Gustafson will play for Spain, and guard Tiffany Hayes will play in the 3×3 competition for Azerbaijan.
Plum and Young are each averaging 18 points. Hayes has been a spark off the bench and scored 17 points against the Mystics.
About the Sky (9-14): The Sky are the only team without an Olympian. Still, only five of their losses have been by double digits. Three were in the past four games.
Rookie star Angel Reese’s league-record double-double streak ended at 15 games after the Sky fell to the New York Liberty on Saturday. She is averaging 13.5 points and a league-leading 12 rebounds.
The Aces won the teams’ only meeting this season, 95-83 in Chicago.
Both teams are connected by plenty of shared history. Chicago is led by first year coach Teresa Weatherspoon, who was Aces coach Becky Hammon’s teammate during her early years in the WNBA.
Reese has looked to Wilson as a mentor since college. Sky center Kamilla Cardoso shares an alma mater with Wilson. They were coached at South Carolina by Dawn Staley.
Contact Callie Lawson-Freeman at clawsonfreeman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.