The Guru’s WNBA Roundup: Chicago Surprises 1st-Place Minnesota While A’ja Wilson Returns After Brief Sideline From Wrist Injury as Las Vegas Nips Golden State

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

It got a little closer at the top and bottom of the nine-team for eight spots playoff race in the two WNBA games played Saturday afternoon.

The leadoff affair saw 10th place Chicago (7-13) surprise league-leading Minnesota 87-81 as Ariel Atkins scored 27 points while second-year pros Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese each had a double-double before a Windy City crowd of 9,025 at Wintrust Arena as the Lynx (18-4) were reduced to 3 games over idle Phoenix (14-6) and 3.5 over defending champion New York (13-6) which will host 5th place Atlanta (12-8) Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

In the other game, a high-scoring thriller, reigning MVP Angel Wilson returned from a two-game absence with a wrist injury to score 34 points while Jackie Young scored 30 to lead Las Vegas (10-11) to a 104-102 win over visiting and expansion Golden State (10-10) before a crowd of 10,070 at Michelob ULTRA Arena enabling the 9th place Aces to move within a half-game of a three-way 6th place tie among the losing Valkyries, Washington and Indiana.

Two other Sunday games will see Indiana host 12th-place Dallas (6-15) at 1 p.m. on ABC and ESPN+ while Washington will visit 4th place Seattle (13-8) at 6 p.m. and down below last place Connecticut (3-17) at the same time visits 11th place Los Angeles (6-14) ahead of returning back East on Tuesday to host Indiana in Boston at 8 p.m. on ESPN at the TD Garden, home of the NBA Boston Celtics.

Minnesota, which became the third WNBA franchise on Friday to reach 500 wins and last week with the NBA brother Timberwolves welcomed the first new owners of both squads, arrived in Chicago to finish playing a two-week+ stretch of 10 games in 16 days counting Monday’s game remaining in Chicago.

That includes hosting the Commissioner’s Cup won by Indiana and two back-to-back contests within seven days and Saturday made it the first time this season the Lynx lost two of three games.

Minnesota in last season’s finals was bested by New York at the end in overtime of a decisive fifth game played in Brooklyn.

In Saturday’s game, Chicago’s Reese had 19 points and 11 boards, her eighth straight double-double and 14th of the season while Cardoso scored 17 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.

Rachel Banham hit three makes from deep and collected 12 points for the Sky.

Late in the game Courtney Williams got the Lynx off two points from the line within a bucket at 75-73 but Cardoso answered with two of her own free throws and then Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve, the former La Salle star out of South Jersey, was charged with a technical foul.

Banham scored the penalty shot and then Michaela Onyenwere scored from the baseline to make it 80-73 at the five-minute mark.

Favored MVP candidate Napheesa Collier scored a long-range shot to get Minnesota closer at 82-79 with 2:42 left but Atkins got two right back and maintained control the rest of the way.

The Sky have won two straight for the second time this season and the win was the first against teams .500 or better in 11 games.

Collier, whose Lynx record of 54 straight made from the line was snapped missing the first of two late in the third, scored 26 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dealt five assists, and collected three steals and grabbed three blocks, while Kayla McBride added 17 and Williams scored 13.

On Wednesday Chicago hosts Atlanta while Minnesota hosts Phoenix and then Reeve will coach Collier’s squad while New York’s Sandy Brondello will handle Caitlin Clark’s team in Saturday’s All-Star game at Indiana at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.

ESPN will air the Skills and 3-Point Contests on Friday night.

Las Vegas Nips Golden State

Besides scoring big by Wilson and Young, the latter also scored the last ten points for the winning Aces edging the Valkyries.

Tied 94-all with 1:49 left in regulation, Young connected on the next five possessions, putting Las Vegas up with a mid-range shot and then drove for a layup to make it 98-94.

She then scored a pair of free throws on the next three possessions to clinch the win.

A 3-pointer with 17 seconds remaining from Cecilia Zandalasini and another from deep from Tiffany Hayes cut the deficit to 102-100.

But Young nailed two more from the line before Golden State’s Kayla Thornton got the game’s final score on a long field goal inside the arc.

The Aces thrived on the line making 30-of-35 attempts with Young connecting on all 11 of her attempts.

Wilson was 12-16 from the field on her return and 9-12 from the line with 16 boards. Jewell Loyd added 15 points.

The Valkyries had all five starters score.

Hayes and Janelle Salaun each scored 16, former Harvard star Temi Fagbenle scored 13, Veronica Burton added 11 and Thornton had 10 points while reserve Zandalasini scored 12.

Being Golden State’s first visit to ‘Vegas, the trip marked the return of coach Natalie Nakase, a former UCLA star and Aces aide to Becky Hammon on the dual 2022 and 2023 WNBA champions.

The visitors had won 5-of-8 prior to Saturday while Las Vegas, which fell to New York in a semifinal series last season, had lost 3-of-4.

The Vakyries host Phoenix Monday while the Aces visit Dallas Wednesday.