The Las Vegas Aces officially punched their ticket to the playoffs with a 79-74 win over Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky on Monday.
Reese performed well on the defensive end, logging 17 boards, three steals and a block, but she couldn’t get much going offensively, scoring just 10 points on 3-of-10 from the field. It was still enough to get her 20th double-double of the season, helping Reese make WNBA history:
Ariel Atkins led the way for Chicago offensively, putting up 30 points, but it wasn’t enough to best the Aces, who were led by Jackie Young’s 22 points and A’ja Wilson’s 18. It represented the 11th straight win for Las Vegas as the squad continues to climb the standings.
While the Sky came up short, there was still plenty to celebrate as the franchise honored Candace Parker by retiring her jersey. Earlier this season, Parker had her jersey retired by the Los Angeles Sparks as well.
After spending the first 13 seasons of her career with the Sparks, Parker, who grew up in Chicago, signed with her hometown team ahead of the 2021 season. While her time with the Sky was short, it was productive as she led her team to their first WNBA title in franchise history.
Parker rounded out her career with the Aces, where she also won a title in 2023.
The Aces improved to 25-14 with the win, joining the Minnesota Lynx as the only other team to have clinched a playoff spot. The Sky, who have already been eliminated from playoff contention, dropped to 9-28 with the loss.