Studs and Duds From Sky's Loss to Aces
The Chicago Sky fell to the high-flying Las Vegas Aces for the second time in a row on Tuesday with a 92-61 blowout loss in Las Vegas. Six Aces finished in double digits as they took the regular-season sweep in commanding fashion. Kamilla Cardoso and Michaela Onyenwere walked away with 13 points apiece. Onyenwere muscled her way to her third game in a row with double-digit points as she fearlessly drove against Las Vegas's interior defense. The Sky were still limited to 26 points in the paint, far below their season average and a surprising point of worry after showing some consistency from the inside in an otherwise sputtering season.
Stud: Kamilla Cardoso
Cardoso, who proved to be a recent bright spot during a more turbulent part of the Sky's run, logged her 13th double-double of the season as she still found some ways to control the boards with routine rebounds. She added three assists and two blocks on her way to being selected as the Sky's Player of the Game. The former top-3 pick has been on a roll as of late even after a pair of poor shooting nights, which can be a much-needed spark of hope in what has been nothing short of a tumultuous end to the Sky's latest campaign.
Dud: The Sky without star power
Tuesday's loss, more than ever, proved the Sky need their young captain much more than they care to admit.
Chicago fell to 1-12 without Angel Reese in its latest loss, with its one and only victory coming against the Washington Mystics more than a month ago. The Sky scored just under an average of 66 points per game in those 13 matchups, including as few as 49 in a July loss to the Atlanta Dream. Chicago looked like a completely different team when Reese returned in August, showing just how much of a difference she can make for a Sky team in need of a real direction.
Tuesday's loss was no different, as the Windy City squad hit just about 33% of its tries from the floor and logged as many turnovers as assists. Guard Rachel Banham, who the Sky have entrusted to be a lead guard this season, went 0-7 from the field and the arc as the Sky continued to try to rely on the 32-year-old's shooting off screens. The trio of Rebecca Allen, Kia Nurse and Maddy Westbeld combined for seven makes on 23 shots as they struggled to hit the mark even when they had the space to fire away.
Chicago will move on to face the New York Liberty, who have earned an even 5-5 split over their last 10 games, in its final regular season matchup of the year on Thursday. The Sky will cement their worst winning percentage since 2006 whether they pull off a miracle victory against the reigning champs or not, meaning they'll somehow continue their downward spiral after going 13-27 the season before. Chicago's path to success will start and end with Reese, who will continue to be a needed cornerstone alongside Cardoso far beyond the end of its 2025 regular season run.
Alex Sabri began contributing to the BIGPLAY Network in September 2025. He also contributes to Chicago Sky on SI and FanSided's High Post Hoops. The Purdue and Cleveland State graduate has over two years of journalism experience in collegiate and professional sports, as well as local journalism, and a few more years of sports blogging experience. Though he specializes in covering Ohio sports for BIGPLAY, his interests include the NBA, WNBA, NFL, Cleveland Guardians and college football and basketball.