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It’s (almost) over. The Chicago Sky are just one game away from ending one of their more tumultuous and turbulent seasons in recent memory.
Chicago slipped to 10-33 with a dominant victory by the Las Vegas Aces on Tuesday, which further cemented its worst winning percentage since the Sky’s inaugural season in 2006. It couldn’t surpass its 2024 record even with four extra chances tacked onto the end of this year’s run, and will continue its descent after its recent peak towards the tail end of the James Wade era.
Chicago will take on the New York Liberty in its final home game on Thursday. The Libs locked in their fifth-straight trip to the playoffs after another stellar season featuring the All-Star duo of Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu and some savvy moves to strengthen their championship-caliber roster. Emma Meesseman, a familiar face from the Wade-led Sky, hit the ground running after signing with the champs in July. Natasha Cloud, who New York acquired from the Connecticut Sun last March, has made her mark as a starting guard on one of the best passing teams in the WNBA.
Just as they have in recent games, the Sky’s bigs will need to make the biggest difference in keeping pace with a star-studded and proven New York roster.
The Liberty are littered with big talent, including a former MVP in center Jonquel Jones. The five-time All-Star led the Libs with 25 points in Chicago’s most recent win over New York as she battled with Sky center Kamilla Cardoso down low and hit a flurry of long-range shots. Cardoso still kept pace with 22 of her own in one of her better all-around performances of the season.
Chicago won the battle on the interior in part through their starting big duo’s tenacity in gaining favorable leverage and bagging a board or two when it mattered most. It notched 52 points in the paint, including 28 from its two starters, compared to New York’s 26. Cardoso and forward Angel Reese combined for 25 rebounds, just a few short of what the Liberty earned as a whole, as they paved the path to one of the Sky’s better rebounding performances of the year.
With both Reese and Elizabeth Williams listed as questionable for Thursday’s game, it could be challenging to keep New York’s bigs at bay. It will be up to Cardoso and Chicago’s remaining options to keep that same pace and energy when they suit up for one final time this season.
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,fit(1200,675),quality(65)&w=350&resize=350,250&ssl=1 "Sabrina Ionescu, Top Liberty vs. Sky Players to Watch – Sept. 11")
