In Las Vegas on Sept. 13, the top-seeded and defending champion Aces had little problem with the number-eight seed Chicago Sky in the playoff opener for both, with Las Vegas prevailing 87-59, per ESPN.
On the same night, the third-seeded Connecticut Sun defeated the sixth-seeded Minnesota Lynx 90-60marking just the second time in WNBA postseason history in which two teams won by 20 or more points. (The other time was just last year, when the Aces won by 37 over the Phoenix Mercury, and the Sky rolled over the New York Liberty by 38.)
The Sky's 59 points were the fewest the Aces (who don't currently have former Sky player Candace Parker, who's out injured) have allowed this season.
"I don't think we were disciplined in our offense," said guard Kahleah Copper, the only Sky player who scored in double digits, with 15 points. "We let them disrupt us and kind of rattle us a little bit."
The Sky and Aces will clash again in Las Vegas on Sunday, Sept. 17, at 2 p.m. CT. The game will run on ABC and NBA TV Canada.
Andrew Davis