CHENNEDY CARTER, SKY STUN ACES IN VEGAS
Chennedy Carter scored eight of her game-high 34 points in a 1:11 stretch late in the fourth quarter Tuesday night and the visiting Chicago Sky surprised the Las Vegas Aces 93-85.
Marina Mabrey added 15 points for Chicago (10-14), while Angel Reese chipped in 13 points and 10 rebounds for her 16th double-double in 17 games. The Sky snapped a seven-game losing streak against Las Vegas by making nearly 49 percent of their field goals and earning a 35-26 advantage on the boards.
A’ja Wilson scored 28 points and grabbed 14 points for the Aces (16-8), who lost for just the second time in 12 games. Tiffany Hayes came off the bench to add 19 points and Jackie Young tallied 17, but Kelsey Plum was held to eight points on 4-of-17 shooting.
Las Vegas erased a 21-point second-quarter deficit and took a 79-78 lead on two foul shots by Wilson with 3:34 remaining in the game. But Carter’s driving layup just 11 seconds later started a game-ending 15-6 run by the Sky.
Reese sealed the outcome by tipping home a missed shot for an 88-81 lead with 1:32 left, then she canned a pair of foul shots in the final minute.
A game that many assumed would be another Las Vegas win looked like anything but for most of the first three quarters as Chicago flew of the gate. The Sky led by double figures just over three minutes into the game and owned a 25-12 advantage after 10 minutes.
They pushed the margin as high as 42-21 with 4:07 left in the half when Isabelle Harrison converted a layup off Dana Evans’ feed. The Aces finally found traction, ending the half with a 16-2 run to pull within seven at intermission.
Chicago increased the cushion to 69-56 late in the third quarter when Mabrey drove for a three-point play, but Las Vegas rattled off seven straight points to end the period. Plum’s floater just before time expired drew it within 69-63.
SABRINA IONESCU GOES FOR 30 AS LIBERTY EARN THIRD WIN OVER SUN
Sabrina Ionescu scored 30 points to fuel the host New York Liberty to an 82-74 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday.
Ionescu made 7 of 14 shots from the floor — including a season high-tying six from 3-point range — and all 10 attempts from the free-throw line. Her point total fell one short of her season high, set in New York’s 93-80 win over Los Angeles on June 20.
Courtney Vandersloot scored 10 points as the Liberty (21-4) overcame the absence of star Breanna Stewart (hamstring) and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (knee surgery) to record their fourth straight victory.
Kennedy Burke had nine points and four steals and Leonie Fiebich added nine points and five rebounds to help New York improve to 12-1 at home this season. The Liberty have won all three meetings thus far against the Sun and hold a 2 1/2-game lead over Connecticut (18-6) for the best record in the WNBA.
New York held a decisive advantage from 3-point range. The Liberty made 11 of 27 shots from beyond the arc, while the Sun sank just 2 of 18 attempts.
Connecticut’s Brionna Jones scored 17 points and Alyssa Thomas collected 16 points, eight rebounds and five assists before sitting out much of the second half for an undisclosed reason. DiJonai Carrington scored 13 points for the Sun and Tyasha Harris had 11.
Jones made a layup to forge a 63-63 tie entering the third-quarter intermission before Ionescu drained her sixth 3-pointer to regain the lead for New York. Kayla Thornton also connected from beyond the arc and Burke and Ivana Dojkic each had a layup as the Liberty extended their advantage to 73-65.
Connecticut scored four quick points to halve the deficit before Jonquel Jones responded with a three-point play and an 18-foot jumper. Thornton added a basket to provide insurance for the Liberty.
Ionescu bolted out of the blocks by draining a pair of 3-pointers to stake New York to a 16-6 lead. She converted a four-point play to push the Liberty’s advantage to 28-19 before finishing with 12 points in the first quarter.
Connecticut trailed 42-32 before igniting a 10-3 run to end the second quarter.
SEATTLE’S NNEKA OGWUMIKE MAKES TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO LOS ANGELES
Nneka Ogwumike’s sensational performance with 23 points and 10 rebounds in her return to Los Angeles powered the Seattle Storm to an 89-83 defeat of the host Sparks on Tuesday.
Ogwumike, who played in Los Angeles from her rookie season in 2012 through 2023, also recorded six steals and four assists as the Storm won their third consecutive game. She started Tuesday’s matinee matchup slowly with misses on her first three field-goal attempts — including one blocked by the Sparks’ Dearica Hamby.
But her 15 second-half points fueled the Storm (17-8) as they gained some separation in what was a tightly contested game throughout.
Los Angeles (6-18) has lost three of its last four games after ending an eight-game losing skid on July 5. The Sparks got season-highs of 24 points and 15 rebounds from Azura Stevens in just her fourth game back from offseason left-arm surgery. Rae Burrell scored 18 points off the bench, and rookie Rickea Jackson, with 16 points, scored in double figures in six of the Sparks’ last seven contests.
However, Los Angeles could not withstand the combination of Ogwumike and Jewell Loyd for Seattle. Loyd had game highs of seven assists and 30 points, including 12 points in the fourth quarter.
Her performance in the final period helped the Storm go on a difference-making, 11-0 run after a Stevens 3-pointer had given the Sparks a 73-71 lead with 6:29 remaining.
Jordan Horston added 14 points and eight rebounds for Seattle, which heads into the Olympics break with wins in four of its last five games. Skylar Diggins-Smith made up for a 2-of-12 day shooting from the floor with five assists and three steals.
Hamby scored 15 points for Los Angeles to go with nine rebounds and three assists. Aari McDonald scored eight points and passed for four assists, but she committed a team-high four turnovers in the loss.
BRITTNEY GRINER, KAHLEAH COPPER POWER MERCURY PAST MYSTICS
Brittney Griner collected 23 points and seven rebounds to fuel the Phoenix Mercury to a 96-87 road win over the Washington Mystics on Tuesday.
Kahleah Copper supplied 22 points and seven rebounds and Diana Taurasi added 18 points for the Mercury (13-12), who snapped a two-game skid.
Natasha Cloud paired 12 points with 10 assists for Phoenix and finished one rebound shy of a triple-double in her first game in Washington since leaving in free agency.
Myisha Hines-Allen’s 18 points and 12 rebounds led the Mystics (6-19), who lost their second straight game. Julie Vanloo scored 17 points, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough had 15 and Ariel Atkins added 14.
The Mercury scored the final 13 points of the third quarter to enter the fourth up with a 71-63 lead.
Washington led 57-49 with 7:12 left in the third after Vanloo’s third 3-pointer of the half capped an 8-0 Mystics run. Phoenix chipped away until Copper’s three-point play pushed the Mercury ahead 64-63 with 1:34 left. Sophie Cunningham supplied six points over Phoenix’s run, including her 3-pointer that sparked the surge at the 2:44 mark.
Washington closed to 74-72 in the fourth quarter on Stefanie Dolson’s trey with 7:45 to play before the visitors pulled away. Copper scored the game’s next six points to power an 8-0 Mercury run, which Cloud capped with a layup that made it 82-72 with 5:09 left.
Phoenix engineered one final spurt after the Mystics pulled within 89-85 at the 2:16 mark. Copper hit a jumper on the Mercury’s next possession and Cunningham followed with a 3-pointer to make it 94-85 with 1:16 to play.
Phoenix made 18 free throws compared to Washington’s 11 and held a 23-10 advantage in points off turnovers.
The Mystics ended the second quarter on a 14-5 run to lead 46-44 at halftime.
Griner led all scorers with 15 points in the opening half, while Taurasi made 3-of-3 treys and scored 12 points. Atkins netted nine to lead Washington.
Both teams relied on their frontcourt scoring throughout the first quarter. Griner scored nine points in the post for the Mercury, while forward Aaliyah Edwards netted six for the Mystics. Washington closed the period on a 12-3 run to lead 19-17.