CHICAGO -- Despite a shaky start, the Las Vegas Aces picked up a thrilling 77-75 win over the Chicago Sky on Sunday. MVP candidate A'ja Wilson put it away with a buzzer-beater at the last second to steer the Aces back in the right direction.
Per usual, Wilson led the way for the Aces with 20 points and 18 rebounds -- her 18th double-double of the season. It wasn't her most productive game offensively as she went 8-for-28 from the field, but all of that is forgiven as she helped her team break a two-game losing streak.
Kelsey Plum was another a top contributor for Las Vegas with 18 points. She was also key on the final play as she set a solid screen on Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese to open the paint for Wilson. Chelsea Gray flirted with a triple-double with 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists -- including one on Wilson's game-winner.
The biggest issue for the Aces this season has been depth, so one of the biggest surprises Sunday was former Iowa star Megan Gustafson stepping up with her first double-digit scoring game of 2024. Gustafson cracked the starting lineup and registered a productive 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting, including three 3-pointers.
The Aces led by as many as 13 points, but the Sky went on a 12-2 run late in the game. A 3-pointer by Chennedy Carter with 38 seconds left then cut Chicago's deficit to three. Gray tried to put it away for Las Vegas with 12 seconds left, but she missed her shot and the Aces were sweating for a few more seconds. Carter entered the game shooting 17% from beyond the arc all season, but she she hit another 3-pointer to tie the game with a second left on the clock. Wilson then iced it for the Aces.
After Sunday's memorable affair, Las Vegas improved to 18-11 while the Sky dropped to 11-18.
While they didn't get the win, it wasn't a bad night for the Sky. Carter registered a game-high 25 points, and Reese made history with 11 points and 22 rebounds, becoming the first WNBA player to register three consecutive 20-rebound games.
Here are some key takeaways from the game:
Wilson plays hero
A'ja Wilson did not have her most efficient outing on Sunday afternoon, but she stepped up when it mattered most.
After the Sky tied the game on a Chennedy Carter 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds remaining, the Aces had a chance to win it on the final possession. That's just what they did thanks to Wilson, who caught a pass from Chelsea Gray and flipped in a game-winner off the glass.
Wilson shot 8-of-28 from the field (28.6%), which was the worst shooting performance of her career in games where she took at least 20 field goals. As frustrating as it was at times for Wilson, especially early on, the end result makes it much easier to overlook a poor shooting night.
Though it took more shots than usual, Wilson still finished with 20 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks to continue her MVP-caliber campaign.
"In that moment I was just trying to do my job," Wilson said. "I didn't put the basketball in the hoop well all game. I was very frustrated, but my teammates were the ones that just kept uplifting me to keep shooting the basketball. In that moment I was like, 'This is what we're supposed to do' ... I was so glad we were able to deliver and be on the winning side."
Reese makes history again
Late in the fourth quarter, as the Sky were just beginning their comeback, Angel Reese had a possession where she grabbed four offensive rebounds before drawing a foul. If you need one sequence to sum up Reese's rookie season, that was it.
Reese finished with 11 points, 22 rebounds and two blocks on 4-of-16 from the field, and in the process became the first player in WNBA history to grab at least 20 rebounds in three consecutive games. No one else has ever even done that two games in a row.
For the season, Reese is now averaging a league-leading 12.9 rebounds per game, which would be the highest single-season average ever. Her dominance on the boards also has her on track to set the single-season records for both offensive and total rebounds.
"Angel's just down there battling, trying to get some foul calls, playing hard, playing strong," Chennedy Carter said. "Those are things we need. 20 rebounds, like she had an incredible game no matter if she finished at the rim. She's doing the things that we need her to do in order for us to be successful."
Gustafson provides a boost
Shortly before the game, the Aces announced that Megan Gustafson would join the starting lineup alongside the core four of A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young. The Aces have been struggling to find a consistent fifth contributor all season long, and head coach Becky Hammon finally turned to Gustafson.
This is Gustafson's sixth season in the league, and coming into Sunday she had started just five times, none of which came with the Aces. Hammon's decision turned out to be a brilliant one.
The veteran center battled hard inside against the Sky's physical frontcourt of Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, and, more importantly, stepped out and provided some much-needed spacing. Gustafson made a career-high three 3-pointers en route to 13 points and four rebounds.
"I took a total of two 3s my entire college career, made one of them, so 50%, but I basically completely had to reinvent my game," Gustafson said. "Just being able to create from the perimeter, being able to have a face-up game, whatever it is, I gotta be versatile. That's what I was told when I got to the league and I wanted to stick around, so I went to work."
Over her last three games, Gustafson is 5-of-10 from behind the arc. If she can continue shooting the ball well, she'll earn a lot of playing time down the stretch for an Aces team that desperately needs a floor-spacing big.
