Jewell Loyd reaches 6,000 points as Aces extend winning streak to 15 games

LAS VEGAS (AP) – Jewell Loyd became the 16th player to reach 6,000 points, scoring 15 Tuesday night to help extend the Aces’ winning streak to 15 games with a 92-61 victory over the Chicago Sky that put Las Vegas in contention for the second seed in the WNBA playoffs.

The Aces (29-14) will clinch that seed and home-court advantage through at least the semifinals if they win at Los Angeles on Thursday or Atlanta (29-14) loses at Connecticut on Wednesday. Las Vegas owns the tiebreaker over the Dream.

Las Vegas’ franchise-record winning streak tied the 1998 Houston Comets for third longest. The 2001 Los Angeles Sparks own the record at 18 games and the 2014 Phoenix Mercury won 16 in a row.

Jackie Young also scored 15 points, one of six Aces players in double figures.

Cheyenne Parker-Tyus made her Las Vegas debut with eight points in eight minutes. Parker-Tyus, who gave birth to her second child July 1, signed with the Aces after spending the previous 10 seasons with the Sky and Atlanta Dream.

Kamilla Cardoso had 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Sky (10-33), who close their season by hosting defending champion New York on Thursday. Michaela Onyenwere also scored 13 points.

Chicago’s Angel Reese didn’t play for the second game in a row. She was suspended for the first half of Sunday’s game at Las Vegas for making comments that were deemed “detrimental to the team” in which she questioned the Sky’s talent in an interview with the Chicago Tribune.

But Reese also didn’t play the second half of that game because of a back injury, according to the team. She also did not play in this game for the same reason.

The Aces blew open the game late in the third quarter, going on an 11-point run to take a 57-38 lead.