As the Las Vegas Aces eye WNBA history, Candace Parker likely won’t be available to help, or play in Chicago for the first time since leaving the Sky.
The Aces aim to set a league record with their sixth straight victory of at least 15 points on Tuesday night, against a Sky club looking to avoid its fourth consecutive home defeat.
With Saturday’s 98-81 victory at Minnesota, Las Vegas (21-2) matched a WNBA record with five consecutive wins of at least 15 points. The Aces have averaged a winning margin of 20.4 points during that run. According to ESPN, their plus-357 total-point differential so far this season is tops in league history during any 23-game span.
All-Star A’ja Wilson had 35 points with 14 rebounds against the Lynx. She’s averaged 24.6 points and 10.8 boards during a five-game stretch while mostly playing at center for the injured Parker (ankle), who has missed the last five contests.
“I’ve been playing in this position my whole career,” Wilson said. “It’s not a big adjustment for me.”
She likely will be doing so again Tuesday without Parker, who played the last two seasons for the Sky and helped them win the 2021 WNBA title. However, Chicago (9-13) still faces a huge challenge while looking to maintain momentum after snapping its four-game overall slide with Saturday’s 90-75 victory at Seattle.
All-Star Kahleah Copper matched a career high with 29 points for the Sky, who reached the 90-point mark for the first time in eight games. Copper, meanwhile, has averaged 22.4 points in her last five.
“She’s aggressive, and she’s also leading us,” interim Sky coach and general manager Emre Vatansever said.
“She’s a big part of everything we do.”
Marina Mabrey scored 20 and Copper added 18 in a 93-80 loss at Vegas last month for the Sky, who are 4-7 at home, where they’ve been outscored by an average margin of 12.3 points during that three-game slide.
–Field Level Media
