Kelsey Plum scored 25 points and Jackie Young added 22 as the Las Vegas Aces took over the top spot in the WNBA with an 89-78 victory over the visiting Chicago Sky on Thursday night.
A’ja Wilson and Riquna Williams added 12 points apiece for the Aces, who share the same record (25-10) as the Sky but hold the tiebreaker by virtue of winning two of the three regular-season meetings.
Kahleah Copper matched her career best of 28 points for Chicago. Candace Parker recorded 15 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, and Emma Meesseman added 14 points for the Sky.
Las Vegas can wrap up the No. 1 seed for the playoffs when it hosts the Seattle Storm on Sunday. Chicago visits the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday.
The Aces played without two-time All-Star Dearica Hamby, who sustained a bone contusion in her right knee in Tuesday’s victory over Atlanta and will be sidelined two-to-four weeks.
Las Vegas shot 46.3 percent from the field, including 9 of 21 from 3-point range. Plum was 4 of 5 from 3-point range and Wilson had four steals.
The Sky made 46.2 percent of their shots and were 3 of 21 from behind the arc.
Young scored 16 straight Las Vegas points during the third quarter right after Chicago ripped off the first eight points of the period to move within 47-41 with 8:23 left.
The Sky later trailed 55-48 before Young scored the first eight points of an 11-0 burst. Young hit two free throws, converted a three-point play and buried a 3-pointer to give Las Vegas a 15-point lead, and Williams followed with a trey to end the run and make it 66-48 with 2:52 left.
Chicago trailed by 17 entering the final minute but scored seven straight to trail 71-61. Copper nailed a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the stanza.
The Sky were down 83-74 after a basket by Courtney Vandersloot with 2:24 left. But Plum and Chelsea Gray scored baskets to make it a 13-point margin with 1:13 remaining as Las Vegas closed it out.
Plum scored 18 first-half points as Las Vegas led 47-33 at the break.
The Aces led by as many as 14 points in the opening quarter before Rebekah Gardner drained a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to cut Chicago’s deficit to 27-16.
Wilson’s steal and layup increased Las Vegas’ lead to 34-18 with 7:17 left in the first half en route to the 14-point halftime advantage.
–Field Level Media
