A'ja Wilson Game-Winner Wows Fans as Aces Beat Sky Despite Angel Reese's 22 Rebounds
Joseph Zucker@@JosephZucker
Featured Columnist IVAugust 25, 2024
A buzzer-beater by A'ja Wilson handed the Las Vegas Aces a 77-75 win over the Chicago Sky on Sunday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
Wilson had a funny reaction to the play afterwards:
The incredible play came after Chennedy Carter capped off a frenetic comeback by the Sky by hitting a three-pointer with 1.1 seconds on the clock.
That was too much time on the clock for Wilson.
Aces head coach Becky Hammon drew up the perfect play to get the 6'4" forward a scoring opportunity under the basket, and she made the most of it.
Wilson, who finished with 20 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks, is in the midst of another historic season. On Sunday, she found another way to leave fans Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and others stunned.
jamaicangirldessii @Desire_1516Aja Wilson u a dog I have no words 🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️..<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WNBA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WNBA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WNBATwitter?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WNBATwitter</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Skytown?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Skytown</a> <a href="https://t.co/BWCoV6Nk2X">pic.twitter.com/BWCoV6Nk2X</a>
Things weren't looking good for the two-time reigning WNBA champions early on. They were up just 32-30 at halftime and too much of their offense revolved around their two-time WNBA MVP. Wilson had attempted 20 shots through the first two quarters.
Jasmine Harper @harperxxwritesThe Las Vegas Aces need to give A'ja Wilson help IMMEDIATELY. There's only so much that 22 can do without support from her teammates.<br><br>The chemistry between players is definitely off on the court. A'ja's playing in a league of her own and her teammates aren't rising with her.
Neither team could gain any separation in the third with the score tied 52-52. The Aces seemed to have things firmly in hand when their lead swelled to double digits midway through the final frame. The Sky didn't throw in the towel, though, and kept fighting to nearly force overtime.
Angel Reese put together another monster performance in a losing effort. She hauled in 20-plus rebounds (22) for the third straight game and added 11 points for her 22nd double-double of the season. That ties Tina Charles' record for the most double-doubles by a rookie.
Few, if any, players love doing the dirty work under the basket than the first-round draft pick.
Zena Keita @itszenakeitaI need people to understand how impressive it is that, even as the league's leading offensive rebounder, as the entire league is scouting to keep her OFF the boards, Angel Reese still, STILL finds herself in position to offensive rebound and DOES! Several times a game!<br><br>Wow.
In terms of the outcome, this was one the Aces really needed. Las Vegas had dropped four of its last five, and Hammon is still trying to figure out her best lineup amid the team's recent slide.
Coming up short against the eighth-place Sky would've been a cause for concern.
Instead, the Aces are still just a half-game out of the fourth seed and have a golden opportunity to maintain this momentum with winnable contests against the Dallas Wings and Atlanta Dream ahead.