‘Gut punch’: Parker’s absence stings, but Aces defeat Sky

Candace Parker was playing through pain.

The two-time WNBA MVP was almost midway through her 16th season, and Aces coach Becky Hammon could relate. She also spent 16 years in the league and said athletes get used tocompartmentalizing pain and playing through discomfort.

So everyone — the Aces, Parker, Hammon — was surprised when scans indicated the two-time WNBA champion had suffered a fracture in her left foot.

“It was a collective gut punch,” Hammon said. “She’s a big part of us. You can’t replace Candace Parker. You just can’t.”

Parker, the Aces’ prized offseason free-agent acquisition, is out indefinitely after successful left foot surgery Monday. Hammon said there is no timetable for her return.

In a statement on her social media channels late Monday, Parker said she had been playing on the fractured foot all season.

“After consulting with doctors, the only option for me to be healthy again and avoid further injury was to elect for surgery,” Parker wrote. “I’ll rehab and work my way towards being healthy as soon as possible. For my teammates; for my circle; for my family; for myself.”

Without Parker, the Aces rolled to a 107-95 victory over the Sky on Tuesday in Chicago. All-Star guard Kelsey Plum led the team with 27 points, reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson added 24 points on 64.3 percent shooting, and All-Star guard Chelsea Gray had 22 points, nine assists, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

The Aces (22-2) have won six consecutive games, all without Parker. However, the team also lost reserve forward Alysha Clark, who was a team-best plus-16 in 17 minutes, when she exited late in the third quarter after being hit in the face by an inadvertent elbow from Sky forward Alanna Smith. Clark did not return to the game.

All-Star guard Kahleah Copper scored a career-high 37 points on 66.7 percent shooting to lead the Sky (9-14).

‘Going to be missed’

Parker was averaging 9.0 points and 5.4 rebounds, both career lows, through her first 18 games with the Aces. Hammon and other players consistently said Parker’s contributions went far beyond the box score.

Her tactical knowledge, communication skills and experience, along with her on-court abilities, added new dimensions to the team.

Hammon said she hopes to keep Parker around the team once she becomes more mobile. Gray, who played five seasons with Parker with the Los Angeles Sparks, said the Aces have been in fairly constant contact with Parker since the injury. She said they want to provide her with whatever she needs.

“Her leadership and her voice is going to be missed right now,” Gray said.

Hammon and Gray said the team will try to replace Parker by committee. Center Kiah Stokes, who started during the Aces’ entire 2022 championship playoff run, slots seamlessly into the starting lineup and has established chemistry with the core four of Gray, Wilson, Plum and Jackie Young.

Behind Stokes, the Aces have some options. Hammon said Clark lets the team go small with Wilson as the lone post player.

Hammon is also considering giving more minutes to second-year guard Kierstan Bell and center Cayla George because she doesn’t want to run a short rotation for the entire second half of the season.

“I wouldn’t want to go to war with anyone else other than them,” Wilson said. “I think we’re fully equipped to handle what we have in front of us. We know Candace is going to be there for us no matter what.”

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.