Aces survive Sky to clinch spot in WNBA playoffs

The Aces are a completely different team than they were at the start of this season, and they still might not have reached their final form.

They survived the Chicago Sky for a 79-74 win Monday night at Wintrust Arena, which clinched their seventh-straight WNBA playoff berth and extended the league’s longest active win streak to 11 games.

Becoming the second team in the league to secure a spot in the postseason behind the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx is no small feat given where the Aces were: a three-game losing streak in June, followed by a historic 53-point loss to the Lynx on Aug. 2.

Guard Jackie Young led the Aces (25-14) with 22 points. Reigning league MVP A’ja Wilson added 18 points, and point guard Chelsea Gray scored 14.

Still, Aces coach Becky Hammon didn’t bite at a postgame opportunity to relish in her team’s momentum.

“I mean … it’s all good, right? Good for us,” she said in an initially deadpan response to a question about which facet of the win meant the most to her.

She was teeing herself up to be honest about her expectations.

“We’ve got to be able to still improve while we’re winning. That’s really important,” Hammon continued. “It’s easy to improve when you’re losing. But you’ve got to have that same edge and mental approach to your success.”

The Aces next play Wednesday at the Atlanta Dream, which sit a spot ahead of them at No. 2 in the standings.

Not all pretty

When guard Ariel Atkins scored six points as the Sky opened on a 7-3 run, it was clear the Aces were in for a battle.

“Back in early June, we probably would have lost this game. But I think it just shows our growth throughout the year and how we’re able to just come together as a team and grind out a win,” Young said. “They’re not all going to be pretty.”

Wilson didn’t score her first points until the final minute of the first quarter to put the Aces ahead by five, and they ended the period with a 20-14 lead. Young took over in the second quarter and scored 15 of the Aces’ 24 points in the period, including a buzzer-beating bucket to give the Aces a 44-32 halftime edge.

They led by 14 points early in the third quarter but were outscored 24-16 in the period and saw their lead cut to four points entering the final frame.

The fourth quarter got especially interesting when center Kamilla Cardoso was credited with a block on Wilson. Cardoso followed it up with a defensive rebound that created the possession for Michaela Onyenwere to make a 3-pointer that cut the Aces’ lead to 67-66 with nearly six minutes remaining.

Hammon likely missed the bucket as she received a technical foul for running out onto the court while arguing for the foul on Wilson from the previous possession.

With six uninterrupted points from Atkins, Cardoso and Angel Reese, the Sky pulled ahead at 74-73 with 2:12 left for their first lead since the first half.

“We didn’t get a good whistle tonight,” Hammon said. “The other team’s post players both shot more (free throws) than almost our whole team.”

The officiating didn’t prevent the Aces from pulling out the win, as Gray answered with a 3-pointer assisted by Wilson to give the Aces back the lead, with forward NaLyssa Smith following up on the other end with a massive block on Cardoso. A possession later, Wilson scored on a midrange jumper to seal the win.

Atkins finished with a season-high 30 points for the Sky (9-28), and Cardoso recorded 19 points and 10 rebounds.

The matchup pitted Hammon against former Aces assistant coach Tyler Marsh for the first time this season. Former Aces player Candace Parker was also honored at halftime with her second jersey retirement this year.

Her No. 3 jersey joined the 2021 championship banner that she helped the Sky win up in the rafters, and she also had her Sparks jersey retired earlier this season in Los Angeles, where she won a championship in 2016.

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.