It has been a difficult first season for Tyler Marsh in his debut as head coach of the Chicago Sky. The Sky have already been eliminated from postseason play, though they still have eight games remaining in 2025.
Chicago enters Monday’s game against the Las Vegas Aces with a 9-27 record, tied with Connecticut for 11th place in the 13-team WNBA.
In her second professional season, Angel Reese has dealt with a string of injuries, but Monday offers her a chance to delay the celebration of an opponent. The Aces can clinch a postseason spot with a win in Chicago. Reese and her teammates will look to play spoiler against a team that controls its playoff fate.
Monday's WNBA playoff clinching scenarios:
— ESPN Women's Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) August 25, 2025
With a win tonight at Chicago, the Las Vegas Aces would become the second team to clinch a spot in the playoffs, per the WNBA.
The Las Vegas Aces arrive in Chicago riding a 10-game winning streak. Las Vegas has posted a 10-9 record on the road this season. The last time the Aces lost was a 111-58 home defeat to the Minnesota Lynx on Aug. 2, a result that now feels far removed given their current form.
Monday’s matchup will highlight A'ja Wilson of the Aces going head to head with Reese. Wilson is coming off a dominant performance with 36 points and 13 rebounds in a win over the Washington Mystics. It marked her 19th double-double of the season. She is averaging 23.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while shooting just over 49 percent from the field. Chelsea Gray has also been impactful with 10.9 points and 5.2 assists per contest.
Reese has shown flashes of her potential as well. She scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in an upset win last week against the New York Liberty. That snapped a five-game losing streak for Chicago. On Saturday, however, the Sky fell at home to Connecticut despite 11 points and 11 rebounds from Reese in 31 minutes of play.
When Las Vegas secures its playoff berth, it will mark the team’s seventh straight postseason appearance. The franchise moved to Las Vegas in 2018 and missed the playoffs that year with a 14-20 record. Since then, the Aces have finished above .500 every season and have captured nine postseason series victories, including back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023.
For Reese and the Sky, this marks a second consecutive season without a postseason appearance. Chicago finished ninth last year at 13-27, the lone season under head coach Teresa Weatherspoon. Now with Marsh at the helm, the Sky continue their rebuild while Reese waits for her first chance at playoff basketball.
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