Quick Three: Aces 90 Sky 71
Chicago's skid slides to 7 as Wilson delivers *another* performance for the ages in Vegas' third win over the Sky in 2024.
The Sky lost again on Tuesday, and their latest defeat followed the script of many that came before. A slow start proved fatal, turnovers were a big part of the reason the start was so slow, foul trouble kept key players off the court, and long cold stretches on the offensive end meant any remote chance to win evaporated while the scoreboard was frozen. Even then, it felt different. In part, because the Sky were fairly beaten by the world’s best player, but, also, because Chicago has blown past the point where many (even most) teams would’ve quit and still felt like they had a chance to claw back in at certain points tonight. Let’s dive into what made tonight’s A’ja performance special (even by her standards), and try to explore some positives in spite of another loss.
1. A’ja Wilson is the MVP for a reason.
In large part, I felt Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso did a good job on Wilson in tonight’s game. They couldn’t replicate their 6 combined blocks from the 8/25 meeting with the two-time MVP, but the pressure they applied when Wilson had the ball was sufficient to at least make her think twice about a shot in most cases. The problem is that A’ja can (and will) score even when she’s thought twice (or thrice, or more). At times, the coverage was tight, and she still found a way to hit shots. At others, Cardoso and Reese could have been tighter but would risk being beaten on the dribble with another step towards the perimeter. Simply put, there is no formula to stopping Wilson in the mid-range (never mind on the block) and keeping her to 10/19 FG is probably the best you can hope to do on most nights.
It wasn’t just the how she got her points tonight that was important; it was the when. Time and time again in tonight’s game, Chicago closed the deficit with a strong run only to see Wilson go to work in the mid-range. Her impact at the defensive end, too, was timely. Take this sequence late in the third quarter soon after Chicago had cut the deficit from 19 to as few as 11:
And just like that, the Aces’ lead stabilized ever so slightly, and Wilson’s teammates had a much-needed chance to regroup and catch their breath—with the run that followed forcing Chicago to produce one of their own just to claw back within 10. That perpetual cycle of fluctuating between 10-20 points down but never getting closer doomed the Sky tonight, and it was Wilson who killed run after run that might’ve made things closer with her play at both ends.
2. This Chicago team’s character is unquestioned.
The scoreboard slipped away a little bit at the end—meaning the Sky lost by almost 20. Yet, this is a game they should’ve lost by 30 or more if we’re being completely honest. Without Chennedy Carter and with Cardoso in and out of foul trouble all night, Chicago had no business competing with an Aces team that—even in their lackadaisical current state—has the firepower needed to blow away an opponent that’s down a couple of key pieces. Yet, for most of the second half, the Sky’s efforts kept them within 10-15 points—with Wilson’s aforementioned efforts keeping them at an arm’s length and refusing them a number of chances to close the gap. Now, there’s no prize in losing games close, and Teresa Weatherspoon definitely isn’t one for participation trophies. Yet, there’s something to be taken from the way this team has fought night after night (the Indiana loss, perhaps, aside) to keep games close even with the obvious disadvantages in roster construction and availability they have in comparison to the teams they’re playing night in and night out.
I don’t think that character and determination is going to earn them a spot in the WNBA playoffs (thought the Dream lost again tonight) in ‘24, but Weatherspoon wasn’t lying when she said her team doesn’t have a towel to throw in. Whenever the Sky are able to get back into the playoffs (or even contend for a WNBA title), the same perseverance some of the team key players are demonstrating in the here and now will be vital in many a key postseason moment. Without their top scorer for four consecutive games, there’s been plenty of opportunities for this Sky team to implode and, even after that tough performance against the Fever, there’s been no lack of effort from the top to the bottom of the roster. Again, all are aware that results are the name of the game in this business, but you don’t consistently win games (or championships) without the right characters in your team and that character shines through more in these down moments than the championship winning ones.
3. Cardoso’s offensive IQ continues to show.
There was never much of a question that Cardoso could read the game well at the defensive end. From the day she carved out a role in Columbia, she showed clear understanding of what was needed to get stops; the only question was if she could get her body to match with her mind’s intentions. In her senior year, the physical and mental abilities started to come together, and that’s why she was the third pick in April’s draft. But, at the offensive end, the skill and IQ she’s shown over the last few weeks is something I, for one, didn’t expect. Passing out of the post is one thing; we saw it at South Carolina, and the Gamecocks’ guards will be the first to tell you about her abilities in that department. But, the way she’s manipulating professional defenses in space with and without the ball at the offensive end right now is something totally different.
Maybe, this was there in flashes (I can’t claim to be an SEC Network subscriber—apologies) in college, but there’s no reason why you’d ask a 6’7” center to do these types of things. So, the fact that she can work the defense like this so early in her development is a great sign of what more Cardoso can look to add to her overall offensive game moving forward. The first play shows her operating in an area where I think she’ll become a fixture of the Chicago offense moving forward. As her confidence grows shooting from the mid-range, she’ll have a whole extra set of options, but she’s enough of a threat now to attract the defense’s attention. As it collapses in on her, all she needs to do is unload the ball, and Onyenwere (who was strong again with 16 on 6/10 FG) is a perfect target. The show to receive the ball is more important though. When the pressure is on the perimeter players to get rid of the ball, it’s important for everyone to move and get open, but no other target will be as valuable as someone with Cardoso’s size in that position. The cut off the ball for the Brianna Turner assist was brilliant in a different way, and she’s used those same skills (and her motor) to navigate traffic extremely well on the break as of late. If the Sky were still creating the amount of transition looks they created before the Olympic break now, Cardoso would be profiting from many of those, and her offensive numbers would be even stronger as a result. Whatever the case in the short-term, these are long-term skills that should only improve with more time and professional development.
Bonus. Brianna Turner should’ve played more in 2024.
This isn’t really a criticism of Weatherspoon’s rotations as I understand the reasons why Turner hasn’t played more. Reese and Cardoso are the team’s building blocks moving forward, and Isabelle Harrison provides a better contrast in style (thanks to her offensive skillset) off the bench than Turner (a defense first player like the two rookies) does. Even then, a performance like tonight’s serves an important reminder of why Turner has started so many games in this league. She’s very consistent defensively, can offer impact on the glass, and has the intelligence needed to chip in offensively even if she’s not a big scorer. I don’t see Turner being back in Chicago in 2025, but someone will be very happy with the impact she can bring—especially with her market value likely down due to her limited role this season.