‘The right direction’: Aces beat Sky for 3rd straight win — PHOTOS
Throughout the Aces’ struggles this season, coach Becky Hammon has emphasized that the Aces just need to peak at the right time.
After their third straight win, a 90-71 victory over the Chicago Sky on Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena, Hammon said she still doesn’t think the Aces are there.
“I think we’re trending in the right direction. But I don’t know,” Hammon said. “Maybe it’s just my utter stubborn belief in these women. I just think we’re getting there, but I still know we got another gear.”
A’ja Wilson led the Aces (21-12) with 30 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks in her third game in the last four outings with at least 30 points. She now has the most games in WNBA history with at least 30 points and 10 rebounds.
Chelsea Gray added her own double-double of 13 points and 10 assists. Tiffany Hayes and Jackie Young also scored in double figures, adding 20 and 15 points, respectively.
Hayes filled Kelsey Plum’s place in the starting lineup, as the Aces guard was ruled out with a right ankle injury before tipoff.
Michaela Onyenwere had 15 points for the Sky (11-22), who were without leading scorer Chennedy Carter.
Four-time WNBA champion and three-time MVP Sheryl Swoopes was in attendance. She received a standing ovation when she was shown on the jumbotron.
Here are three takeaways from the Aces’ third consecutive win:
1. Tale of timeouts
Hammon and Sky coach Teresea Weatherspoon are former WNBA teammates and longtime friends, which means every matchup is a chess match. The Sky and Aces met for the first time this season in June, and Hammon was forced to call the first timeout despite saying she hoped Weatherspoon would have to.
Tuesday was a different story. Chicago rookie center Kamilla Cardoso scored the first points of the game with a layup in the first 30 seconds, but the Sky never led again.
Weatherspoon called the first timeout of the game after the Aces got off to a 13-6 lead midway through the first quarter. Within the first five minutes of play, all five Aces starters had scored.
Weatherspoon called another timeout when the Aces got off to a 6-0 run to start the second quarter, and the Aces outscored the Sky 30-18 in the period. As usual, the Aces hit a slump in the third, committing six turnovers in 10 minutes. But after an 8-0 run midway through the period, the Sky still trailed 68-51.
2. Building trust
Amid the Aces’ 6-6 start, Hammon said the team was losing Wilson’s trust because they were failing to meet her level of performance. Hammon said postgame that there was a point when the Aces came out of the Olympic break with a 1-2 record where she had to “tell it to them straight.”
“I told them that I feel like a lot of our frustration comes from being average,” Hammon said. “And now we’re building up a track record of being there for each other, and that’s really what I want to build on. The basketball stuff will happen.”
The Aces’ balanced showing Tuesday was a step in the right direction, as Wilson wasn’t the only significant performer. Hayes’ burst off the bench was highlighted by a shot clock-beating basket in the third quarter, a moment that gave the Aces some much-needed momentum.
With the widespread success from other starters, Wilson’s minutes seemed less strenuous, although she still played all but five minutes in the game.
“Definitely huge that (Wilson) can get those minutes to just rest, and we can go out there and do our thing, especially on the defensive end,” Hayes said. “We know she’s one of our biggest stoppers down there, biggest helpers. So it just shows the growth and us just rolling together.”
3. Plum’s status
Plum’s absence came after the Aces rested Jackie Young in a win over the Atlanta Dream last week. Hammon said after Tuesday’s game that the team was just being cautious because Plum tweaked her ankle during the Aces’ win over the Mercury.
“If I let her play, she probably would have played,” Hammon said. “Sometimes, you know, just like Jackie, you got to hold these players up and try to accumulate some energy and rest when we can.”
Contact Callie Lawson-Freeman at clawsonfreeman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.