Aces secure WNBA playoff spot with a 79-74 victory over the Sky

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CHICAGO (AP) — Jackie Young had 22 points and seven assists, A’ja Wilson added 18 points and nine rebounds, and the Las Vegas Aces secured a WNBA playoff spot with a 79-74 victory over the Chicago Sky on Monday night.

Las Vegas (25-14) won its 11th straight game to become the second team to clinch a playoff spot this season.

Chelsea Gray had 14 points and seven assists, and NaLyssa Smith scored 10 points for the Aces.

Ariel Atkins led Chicago (9-28) with a season-high 30 points, and Kamilla Cardoso had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Angel Reese added 10 points and 17 rebounds for her league-leading 20th double-double this season. Reese also passed Tina Charles (45) for the most double-doubles through a player’s first two seasons in WNBA history.

Young scored Las Vegas’ final 12 points of the first half, capped by a 3-pointer with 0.2 seconds left for a 44-32 lead. She finished the half with 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range.

Reese made a fast-break layup with 2:37 left in the fourth to give Chicago a 74-73 lead, its first since it was up 7-5.

Gray sank a 3-pointer for a 76-74 lead and Wilson made a jumper from the corner of the free-throw line on their next possession for a four-point advantage

Chicago honored Candace Parker at halftime by raising her retired No. 3 jersey to the rafters of Wintrust Arena, alongside the team’s 2021 championship banner she helped the Sky win. Earlier this summer, Parker had her jersey retired in Los Angeles, where she helped win a championship in 2016.

She's the second WNBA player to have her number retired by two different teams. Lindsay Whalen had her jersey retired by both Connecticut and Minnesota.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba