Balance, defense carry Aces to Game 1 win over Chicago (2024)

By Danny Webster

Published Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 | 9 p.m.

Updated Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023 | 10:31 p.m.

There's 7:32 remaining in the second quarter. Chicago Sky guard Marina Mabrey drives to the basket from the left corner, an easy layup in sight.

A'ja Wilson recovers in time to block the shot. The loose ball lands in forward Ruthy Hebard's hands, and she goes for the putback.

Wilson, in position, blocks another shot. That's when the Aces get into transition.

Point guard Chelsea Gray, in midair fires an alley-oop to Wilson, who misses the first attempt, but grabs the rebound and puts it back.

That's the play that best exemplifies what the Aces mean when they say they want to play out of their defense, turning those momentum plays into baskets the other end. It was a big reason why the Aces won the WNBA championship last year.

Their title defense is off to a great start.

The Aces had five players score in double figures, led by Gray's 20 points, to push the defending WNBA champions to an 87-59 win over the Sky in Game 1 of their first-round series at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday.

It was one of many sequences that helped the Aces to a lead as high as 32 points at one point to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-3 series. They had 27 fast break points and held the Sky to 33% shooting.

"We want to run. This is what we do for a living," Wilson said. "When we have any opportunity to get the basketball when we get a stop and go, it’s just something that’s in our blood."

Game 2 is on Sunday (noon, ABC), where the Aces will return to Michelob Ultra Arena after a two-game stint at T-Mobile Arena in front of the largest crowds in franchise history. The Aces set a postseason attendance record of 12,927 in Game 1.

Gray, the reigning Finals MVP, also had seven assists. Jackie Young had 18 points and six assists, and Wilson had 14 points and four blocks for the Aces, who finished 34-6 in the regular season and earned the top seed in the playoffs for the second straight year.

"Any time after a rebound, any of us could be pushing," Gray said. "Whether we’re going to a pick-and-roll, going downhill or getting into the paint, we did a good job."

It's no surprise that the Aces can control the pace defensively. They were the second-best scoring defense in the league during the regular season, anchored by Wilson as the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

Sequences like that are why there's a strong case for her to go back-to-back, along with winning a second straight MVP.

But the Aces feel they left some meat on the bone offensively, particularly in the second half. They opened the game making 11 of their first 17 shots (64.7%) and ended the first half shooting 53.8% through 20 minutes.

Though they had just 17 points in the third, the Aces held the Sky to 10 points coming out of halftime with the game well decided. Las Vegas finished with 87 points despite just 17 trips to the free-throw line and going 7 of 22 from 3-point range.

And yet they feel it can be better.

"I thought our offense was just OK tonight, to be honest," coach Becky Hammon said. "I think we have another level we can get to."

The Aces showed that level numerous times. When you eclipse the 100-point mark 11 times and reach 90 points in more than half your games, it takes a special unit to slow down this offense.

Chicago showed glimpses of that on Aug. 24 when it held the Aces to 37 first-half points and led by as many as 16. But the Aces erupted for 57 points in the second half and won 94-87.

Part of that defensive effort came with slowing down Chicago's three-guard attack of Mabrey, Kahleah Copper and Courtney Williams. Las Vegas held the three to a combined 34.3% shooting (12 of 35), with Copper scoring a team-high 15 points on 5 of 14 from the floor.

"Their guards are a handful and I thought our guards played great defense, our bigs played great defense," Hammon said. "It takes a whole team to guard that trio."

That rotation defense was not just because of Wilson's rejections. Center Kiah Stokes led the way with 14 rebounds in 23 minutes, while Alysha Clark scored 13 points in 23 minutes off the bench and was a plus-18 while on the floor.

Those two will be vital to the Aces' hopes of repeating as champions, especially should they get past this round and face teams with bigger post players like the Dallas Wings or the New York Liberty.

But the Aces stressed after Sunday's season finale against Phoenix that it's a one-game-at-a-time mentality from here on out. They're not focusing on the potential of going to Chicago for a win-or-go-home Game 3.

So long as they have the confidence of playing out of their defense, they feel they'll be fine.

"Offensive side, yeah, that’s going to come. We have a lot of threats there," Wilson said. "But if we get stops and we can play out of that, that’s beautiful basketball by the Aces."

Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [emailprotected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.