Aces hold off Sky to clinch 11th straight win and playoff spot

On Monday night, the Aces (24-14) extended their post All-Star win streak to 11 with a win against the Chicago Sky (9-27) on the road.

The Aces started the first half in turnover trouble; they turned the ball over three times within the first few minutes of the first quarter. At the 5:43 mark, the Aces led the Sky 12-9.

In the first quarter, Chelsea Gray set a franchise record for the most three-pointers made, which moves her into 5^th in franchise history. To close out the first quarter, Megan Gustafson took a three-pointer in the corner to give the Aces a 20-14 lead over the Sky.

To close out the first half, Jackie Young took the Aces on her shoulders. She hit a jumper in the closing second to give the Aces a 44-32 lead to go into halftime.

In the second half, the Aces came out with the momentum. A’ja Wilson immediately scored in the inside to add to the Aces lead.

The Sky went a run to cut a 14-point lead by the Aces down to just a 4-point lead with under 3 minutes left in the third quarter.

Chelsea Gray put up a big three-pointer to give the Aces a 60-56 lead to head into the fourth quarter.

Dana Evans continued to stay aggressive inside the paint to keep the Aces afloat. With 5:54 remaining in the game, Michaela Onyenwere hit a three-pointer to pull Chicago to within one of the Aces.

With under 1:30 remaining, Chelsea Gray and A’ja Wilson put the team on their back to give the Aces a 78-74 lead.

The Aces hold off Chicago, 79-74 to earn not only their 11^th straight win but clinching a playoff spot.

“Going to try to regroup some energy to try to put a better game together for Atlanta,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said in the post-game presser.

Hammon continued, “We have to continue to improve while we’re winning.”

The Aces meet the Atlanta Dream to complete their three-game road trip at the Gateway Center Arena on Wednesday, August 27 at 4:30pm PT.

The game will be televised locally on Vegas 34 and will be available for streaming on WNBA League Pass and NBA TV.