rewrite this content and keep HTML tags (remove this from content : rewrite this content and keep HTML tags)
In sports, there is an old adage that no team is unbeatable. History has proven as much time and time again.
On Saturday, the Chicago Sky (7-13) fulfilled that maxim as they defeated the heavily-favored Minnesota Lynx (18-4) 87-81 before a raucous crowd at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
They did it by playing their absolute best basketball.
After a tightly-contested opening round, the Sky went on a 8-0 run near the end of the first quarter to take a 29-23 lead. They took good shots, valued the ball, crashed the boards, went after loose balls and locked in on defense. Ariel Atkins and Angel Reese were carrying much of the load.
In the second quarter, that same dynamic was at work. Atkins was scoring at will with her trademark running floaters. Reese was scoring inside, at the free throw line and from the mid-range. Not to be outdone, Kamilla Cardoso helped control the paint as she converted off the glass and was banging on the boards. In terms of shooting, Chicago got three 3-pointers from Rachel Banham. The Sky scored 28 points in second as they started to hit their stride, leading 57-44 at the half.
All signs pointed toward a Sky victory, maybe even by double figures. But after a solid Sky start to the third quarter, the Lynx came back with a vengeance. Kayla McBride was hitting 3-pointers. Former Sky player Courtney Williams hit some big mid-range jumpers. MVP candidate Napheesa Collier was giving it all she had with her unique blend of aggressiveness and flair.
At one point, the Sky led by as many as 15 points. But the Lynx went on a 19-8 run to end the third quarter and start the fourth, bringing the margin back to single digits. Eventually, the Sky’s lead was only two points. However, Chicago managed to go back to their original approach of patience and persistence, never giving up the lead.
In the end, the Sky secured their biggest victory of the season, behind outstanding afternoons from Atkins, Reese, Cardoso and Banham.
Ariel Atkins
She led all scorers with 27 points, while also grabbing three rebounds. In the second quarter, Atkins scored or assisted 12 of the Sky’s 28 points. She also shot 57.1 percent from the field for the game.
Angel Reese
On the day shirts emblazoned with her NBA 2K26 cover were given away, Reese didn’t let up. She was all over the floor, finishing with her eighth-consecutive double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
Towards the end of the game, a call went in the Sky’s favor and Reese and Atkins shared an embrace. Subsequently, Reese raised her arms up and down, urging on the ecstatic crowd.
After the game, Reese said it wasn’t a moment that solidified that they were going to win the game, but rather an expression of excitement, as well as appreciation for Atkins and what she brings to the team. She shared:
I was just super excited. My emotions get really high, and I was really pumped for Ariel. Because there’s a lot of chatter and talk….And she comes out every night and just puts her head down and grinds tough buckets…and she don’t say a word. She never speaks up. She don’t say much, but I’m always super excited for her, and she’s always been there for me, and been a great big sister to me, and just a great teammate, and somebody that you always want to have around in the locker room. Tip my hat off to to her because she was cooking.
Kamilla Cardoso
She finished with a double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds. Though she shot 41.9 percent from the field, Cardoso made up for it by shooting 77.8 percent from the free throw line, going 7-for-9.
Rachel Banham
Banham was the playmaker as she finished with 12 points and five assists. In addition to hitting three from beyond the arc, she grabbed three rebounds as well.
The Sky have now won four out of their last seven games dating back to June 24. In their recent losses against the Golden State Valkyries, Lynx and Washington Mystics, they lost by an average of four points. Their largest defeat was by five points to the Valkyries.
Their ability to contend with some top teams, while also winning decisively in other games, suggests this is a team that has found their groove after a slow start.
That’s a sentiment echoed by head coach Tyler Marsh, who emphasized after the game:
I think that it was a huge boost for us, in terms of just being able to again hold on to the lead, and to come out on the right side of it against a championship caliber team. And I think that you know that’s the mindset that we know that we’ve had, but it always feels better when you can kind of see it matriculate out in front of you. And so I think it’s huge moving forward at the end of the day.
We still got to come back on Monday and do it again. We can’t be complacent on what we did today, I think part of being a good team and establishing that culture is being able to replicate when you have nights like this consecutively. And so we’re going to give everything that we got, we adjust what is necessary and hopefully put forward the same type of effort on Monday.
