Winning a gold medal didn’t ease the frustration two-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson felt after she and the Las Vegas Aces dropped a game to the Chicago Sky on July 16. The former South Carolina Gamecocks standout didn’t mince her words in the postgame press conference after the home loss.
“When we look shitty on the defensive end, we’re gonna look like pure garbage on the offensive end,” Wilson told media. The defending champions trailed by as many as 21 points to the Chicago Sky, who are currently sitting in the eighth and final playoff spot with less than a month to go in the WNBA regular season.
Despite returning to Las Vegas with fellow gold medalists Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young, the Aces have not returned to their dominant winning ways from last season. They are 5-5 in their last 10 games and as for their less-than-stellar defense, they are currently ranked sixth in overall defensive rankings ahead of Chicago.
Offensively, the Aces are ranked second behind the league-leading New York Liberty. However, Wilson’s double-double average has not been enough to move the Aces into a top four spot. Plum and Young are the only other starters averaging double-digit scoring this season and Wilson leads Las Vegas with 2.1 offensive rebounds.
In July, the Sky led the Aces in rebounds, points in the paint and second chance points to hand Las Vegas their ninth loss of the season. Chennedy Carter led all scorers with a season-high 34 points for Chicago. Wilson led the Aces with 28 points and 14 rebounds. Comparatively, rookie Angel Reese averages 5.1 of her nearly 13 total rebounds per game on the offensive glass.
The two teams are set to meet once again on Sunday in Chicago on CBS. Let’s take a closer look at the viewing information for the game as well as the keys to watch.
Viewing information
Date: Aug. 25
Location: Wintrust Arena — Chicago
Time: Noon ET
TV: CBS | Stream: Paramount+
Odds: Aces -7.5
Keys to the game
Both the Aces and Sky are riding a two-game skid ahead of Sunday’s matchup. The Aces dropped an 87-74 road game to the Minnesota Lynx, while the Sky fell short of a comeback against the Connecticut Sun on Friday. Kamilla Cardoso scored a career-high 18 points in the 82-80 loss to the second-best team in the league. She will need to come up big again for the Sky if they hope to take the regular-season series against the Aces.
The Sky also need to get more poise and discipline from their backcourt. The Sky average 14 turnovers per game. The Aces can be lethal intransition, especially in a season where their defense is their weakest link. The more Chicago can set-up their offense, the better suited they will be to take down the Aces.
As for Las Vegas, three starters recorded 20 or more points in their 95-83 win over Chicago on June 27. It will take more than A’ja Wilson to defeat Cardoso, Reese, and company Sunday afternoon. Additionally, if either Kiah Stokes or Megan Gustafson can get hot offensively, that should free up more space for A’ja to play her game.
