Studs and Duds From Chicago Sky’s Loss to Indiana Fever

The Chicago Sky took a 92-70 loss to the Indiana Fever on Saturday. Rachel Banham and Maddy Westbeld were the only two Sky players to break into double digits as they combined for 21 points. Kelsey Mitchell, who is averaging just under 20 points per game for the Fever, highlighted their high-scoring night with 26 points behind a barrage of long-range shots.

What were some of the biggest takeaways from Chicago’s loss to the Fever?

As always, Chicago’s bigs seemed to make a much-needed difference when it came to rebounding.

The Sky’s starting pair of Kamilla Cardoso and Elizabeth Williams combined for 21 rebounds, including eight on offense, as they continued to find themselves in the right place at the right time. Cardoso, a top-5 rebounder in the league as a whole, earned her 10th game with double-digit boards in 12 matchups. Westbeld notched six rebounds of her own, a near-season high for the second-round rookie, as she logged just under 22 minutes off the bench.

Rebounding continues to be a point of pride for the Sky, who are tied with the Golden State Valkyries in third place in the WNBA in rebounds per game. It will need to continue being a strong suit for the sputtering squad if they are to turn things around before the end of their 2025 campaign.

Four Fever players ended the night with double-digit points, including two players the Sky needed to keep an eye on in Mitchell and center Aliyah Boston. Mitchell added eight assists as she continuously found her teammates through quick passes. It would be the third time the Sky have allowed 90 points or more against the Fever and the 13th time this season, or seven more than the entirety of last year’s campaign.

Defense must become a priority for the Sky, who are narrowly ahead of the Connecticut Sun for the second-worst defensive rating in the WNBA. Things could only get tougher for the Windy City squad, who will face one of the league’s top offenses in the New York Liberty twice more before wrapping up the regular season.

It’s often said confidence is the key to success.

One might give credit to the Sky’s guards, who never seemed to lose confidence from the perimeter despite things not always going their way on Saturday. Banham, who has had a few notable scoring outings since becoming a full-time starter earlier this season, confidently tried to create on her own with pull-up shots from the left wing. Kia Nurse, who signed with the Sky just last February, fired a handful of quick shots of her own off quick passes to the corner and from off-ball movement.

Still, confident shots won’t always go in.

Nurse ended the night 0-4 from the arc and 1-7 from the floor. Though she hit three of her seven shots, Banham took a while and a few confident tries before she was able to get into her stride with two makes in the third quarter. Chicago still showed some signs of life from the arc after a recent cold streak, ending the night just over 34% from long range. Shooting consistency will be of utmost importance when they turn to a must-win game against the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday, who are in 11th place in the league in opponent 3-point percentage.

The Sky will move on to face the Sun at 6 p.m. CDT on Wednesday at Mohegan Sun Arena. The game will be broadcast on The U.

Make sure you bookmark the Chicago Sky on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more!