Smith erupts for 29, Gray comes up clutch; Aces see off Sky in OT

LAS VEGAS – The Aces showed in Friday’s 98-90 overtime win over the Chicago Sky what a luxury it is to have a former No. 2 WNBA Draft pick center to lean on when your superstar forward, former No. 1 selection, goes down.

It doesn’t hurt having arguably the greatest point guard in the history of the sport, either.

But in what was A’ja Wilson’s second straight game out with an ankle injury, NaLyssa Smith answered the bell in a tough matchup against the Sky’s double-big frontcourt of Kamilla Cardoso and Azura Stevens. 

Aggressive from the first jump, Smith poured in a season-high 29 points — one shy of her career best — to lead the hosts, delivering a dominant offensive effort reminiscent of her early days in the league when she averaged 15.5 points per game for the Indiana Fever as a sophomore.

Smith went 11-for-14 from the field and 7-for-10 at the free throw line — helping the Aces (15-5) dismantle a Sky defense that led the league in blocked shots coming into the game.

“We’re asking a lot of (Smith) right now, especially in A’ja’s absence,” head coach Becky Hammon said. “She’s probably running into more actions than she ever has, so it’s a little bit exhausting, but her just finding her spots, I thought she did a good job creating space against those bigger defenders and finding her angles. 

“I liked what she did on the defensive end, too. She had to really work hard on both ends, so she should sleep well tonight.”

Smith — who also had eight rebounds — put on display a variety of finishes, showing off her interior positional awareness and sharp post-footwork. A highlight was an isolation of Cardoso at the top of the key en route to a soft-touch bucket that gave the Aces a 92-88 cushion with 1:14 remaining in OT. 

“I was feeling it tonight,” Smith said of the play that put the icing on top of an outstanding individual performance. “I feel like anything that I was throwing up, I wanted it to go in. Also, kudos to Micah (Fraction), our player development coach. I have been working with him a lot lately, just trying to do different moves and be more effective in the post.”

Gray produced eight of her 18 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. Those included the game-tying 16-footer with 22 seconds left in regulation and a pair of clutch shots late in OT, which put the Aces’ 15th win of the year on ice. 

“It’s in her DNA,” Hammon said when asked about Gray’s clutch gene. “She likes the big moments. She’s one of the toughest and most clutch players I’ve ever seen. … I feel like people like her are just born with it.

“Pressure can either work for you or against you. She is somebody that the pressure works for her.” 

Gray added four rebounds and six assists to her line. Jewell Loyd came up with an important 19 points — including three triples, which saw her become just the ninth player in WNBA history to reach 700 made three-pointers. Jackie Young posted 14 points, six boards, and five dimes.

The Aces started the game strongly and built a double-digit advantage at the break. However, they saw it dwindle after the interval, resulting in the Sky taking their first lead of the night with 3:43 remaining in the fourth quarter — capitalizing on a three-pointer from Natasha Cloud followed by a layup from Skylar Diggins that made it 84-81. 

Diggins (19) and Cloud (15) combined for 34 points for the visitors. Cardoso added 16, but the Aces were able to shake the heavy blows and come back to gut out the win. 

Smith set the tone for Las Vegas early. She had 7 points in the first quarter on 3-for-3 shooting. She climbed to 15 at the half and tied her season-high with over three minutes to spare in the third. 

“I had my A’Twos on tonight, so I was just like ‘Make me A’ja Wilson’” Smith joked. “But for real, (on this team) it’s anybody’s night any given night. So, (it’s about) just stepping up and when I get the ball, trying to do something with it every single time.”

Chicago outscored the Aces 27-21 in the third quarter, but Vegas still led 70-64 going into the fourth. And though they ended up finding themselves in a sticky situation down the stretch, the way Smith and Gray had it going, they were never going to lose.

Befitting of the city they play in, though, Vegas needed a stroke of luck at the end of regulation. They survived a wide-open corner three-point attempt from Cloud that would have walked the game off for the Sky at the buzzer.

But once overtime hit, the winning habits kicked in for the defending WNBA champions — meaning that despite the turbulence, the landing was as smooth as butter. 

The victory was the 500th in franchise history.

“I like nice round numbers, so I like 500,” Hammon said. “This is one of those original franchises; the Utah Starzz, then San Antonio, we had good runs down in San Antonio, we pretty much made the playoffs every year and got to a finals, so we did a lot of winning. There were a lot of great moments. 

“But I think here in Vegas, with this group, it’s really just kind of elevated the franchise to a place that it has never been. … It’s fun to be a part of the early days but also, the present day, where I get the privilege of watching a lot of great brilliance out there coaching those guys.”