It was a must-win game for the Chicago Sky. Aiming to hold onto the eighth playoff spot, they took on their rival, the Indiana Fever, before a star-studded crowd that included Shaquille O’Neal, Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe. And, it was Barbie Night. The Fever, led by Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell and NaLyssa Smith, came in holding onto the seventh spot.
The Sky jumped out to a fast start, leading 21-9 in the opening four minutes. The tandem of Lindsay Allen and Michaela Onyenwere were instrumental as they pushed the tempo and scored in bunches. Onyenwere took over for starting guard Chennedy Carter, who was out due to COVID-19.
Then in the second quarter, the bench came in and things took a turn. The Fever began to take control of the game and the Sky’s largely struggling bench couldn’t keep up. The Sky were trying to stay competitive on the perimeter against the hot shooting exploits of Clark, Mitchell and Smith. Rachel Banham, Allen and Onyenwere were doing well from beyond the arc for Chicago, but the Sky’s bread-and-butter game in the post was struggling. Angel Reese was rebounding, but not scoring as much. Kamilla Cardoso wasn’t given the ball often enough in the paint.
The third quarter was not much better, as the Sky couldn’t get on a run, took bad shots, started to make sloppy passes and looked largely lethargic at both ends of the floor As a result, the Fever were surging, outscoring the Sky a combined 55-38 over the second and third quarters.
The end result was not only a loss for Chicago, but they also are now in a very precarious position of potentially relinquishing any playoff hopes, with the ninth-place Atlanta Dream (10-21) coming in right behind them. Every game is now a must-win for the Sky. They will have their work cut out for them as they head onto the road to take on two playoff teams in the Minnesota Lynx and Las Vegas Aces.
Despite the poor result, Chicago’s key players still enjoyed some positive moments:
Angel Reese
On the theme night in honor of her nickname, she became the WNBA’s all-time rookie leader in rebounding as she finished with her 23rd double-double on the season, with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Lindsay Allen
The veteran point guard had the highest field goal percentage on the team at 66.7 percent. She was perfect from the foul line and the 3-point line as she came away with 19 points, six assists and four rebounds.
Michaela Onyenwere
Replacing Carter in the starting lineup, Onyenwere provided a spark as she finished with a team-high 20 points, six rebounds and two assists. Her tandem with Allen did wonders to keep the Sky within contention. But, Onyenwere says none of it means anything without the ultimate prize, sharing after the game:
We didn’t win. That, for me, is the most important….Obviously with Chennedy out, she’s a great player, we miss her quite a bit. I just don’t care about the points, I just want to win.
Rachael Banham
The sharpshooter arriving from the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Marina Mabrey came off the bench and showed flashes of consistency on the perimeter. She finished with five 3-pointers for a total of 14 points, as well as four assists and four rebounds.
Kamilla Cardoso
Though she wasn’t given the ball much, Cardoso grinded it out going up against fellow South Carolina Gamecock Aliyah Boston. She garnered six points while also notching 10 rebounds.
Diamond DeShields
The veteran workhorse came in to provide some tough defense, in addition to scoring when presented with the opportunity. She finished with six points and two rebounds. DeShields was tossed out of the game in the final minutes after being called for an intentional foul against Caitlin Clark.
The Chicago Sky (11-20) will hit the road to take on the Minnesota Lynx (23-9) on Sunday, Sept. 1 at 3 p.m. ET.
