A’ja Wilson hit the game-winning shot in Sunday last second 77-75 win over the Chicago Sky. Being able to step up in the clutch is how Wilson erased a tough 8-for-28 shooting night, compliments of the imposing defense of the Twin Towers, led by the shot-blocking prowess of 6-foot-7 Kamilla Cardoso.
Twin Towers Give A’ja Wilson Fits
Cardoso and Reese hounded Wilson the entire game, and the rookie out of Dawn Staley’s South Carolina machine recorded five blocks against the league No. 1-ranked offense, which is also one of the league’s most versatile units.
The Aces had a total of six players competing during the break at the Paris Olympics.
A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young return to Las Vegas after their triumph with Team USA, while Megan Gustafson competed for Spain.
Fifth-place Las Vegas (18-11) also retains Tiffany Hayes, who represented Azerbaijan at the 3-on-3 competition.
Wilson is the MVP leader for a reason, but if you’re the Chicago Sky and head coach Teresa Weatherspoon, who spent the No. 3 overall pick on Cardoso and then went and got Reese at No. 7, optimism must be through the roof.
They are the main reason Chicago, despite its record, is such a tough draw for any team. The Sky lead the WNBA in rebounding at 37.6 per game and held Vegas to 77 points, 11.9 points below the two-time defending champions’ season average.
Cardoso is a rookie who missed the beginning of the season due to injury. She still hasn’t found her groove offensively, but she’s averaging nine points and 7.9 rebounds per game, while blocking a shot per game.
She stepped up to the challenge of facing an all-time great and had a block party on Sunday. She gave everyone a glimpse into the future and what a motivated Cardoso is capable of and the absolute terror she can be on the league’s best offensive players who challenge her.
Weatherspoon was asked about how proud she was of Cardoso’s development.
“Incredibly proud of her growth, her desire, her want to, her demand for the basketball and what she’s doing for us defensively,” T-Spoon said.
Kamilla Cardoso Should Be Getting More Shots Than Angel Reese
As this WNBA season progresses, it’s clear that Cardoso is probably a more polished offensive player around the rim than Reese, which also suggests that she should be getting more shots.
As the team continues to be built, you will see Cardoso elevate to a more prominent part of the offense, although she will never be the centerpiece because, similar to the NBA, the WNBA is still a game driven by stars who play on the perimeter for the most part.
Related: Can Chicago Sky Draft Picks Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese Be WNBA Version Of ‘Twin Towers’?
If Cardoso (who shot 4-for-10) had the 16 shots that Reese took while missing 12 of them from close range, maybe the Sky win the game. After all, Reese isn’t even shooting 40 percent from the field, and the majority of her shots are taken in the paint.
Cardoso is shooting 50.8 percent from the field this season, so simple math tells you she’s a better bet to take the shot than Reese. Eventually, Cardoso is going to figure this out, so Weatherspoon definitely has some work to do with 10 games left in the season and Atlanta on the Sky’s tail for the eighth and final playoff slot.
