The Chicago Sky desperately want to put this season behind them, for obvious reasons.
But first they have to finish 2025, and they might as well finish it on a good note. They began to do just that with a respectable double-digit victory over the Connecticut Sun, 88-64.
Amidst the swirl surrounding Angel Reese’s recent comments about the organization to the Chicago Tribune, when she said she expects the organization to select great players this the offseason, which some interpreted as a slight at her
current teammates, the Sky didn’t display any discontent amongst themselves on the floor.
Chicago came ready to play, holding onto the lead throughout the entirety of the game. For starters, they continue to get the best out of Kamilla Cardoso. After hitting the first three buckets of the game, she never relented. Cardoso was no match inside for the Sun, even going up against a venerable veteran in Tina Charles. Cardoso finished the game with 16 points, five rebounds and two assists, shooting 72.7 percent from the field.
As for Reese, she certainly came to play! At both ends of the floor, she gave it her all, finishing with yet another double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds. She played with the confidence that Sky fans hope to see as she continues to grow her game. The included two really good 3-point attempts, even though neither found the bottom of the net. After the game, Reese spoke about expanding her game, saying:
Just trying to get better and do whatever I can for the team. I haven’t taken a lot of 3s this year, just because a lot of people haven’t really left me that open. So that was the first two 3s I’ve taken probably in 15 games, just because people aren’t really leaving me open, and I have the advantage inside. So, just trying to continue to do whatever I can to just really help the team, and just dial in on that.
Her growth hasn’t gone unrecognized by head coach Tyler Marsh, who said of Reese:
I think she’s done a really good job of adjusting to really any position that we’ve put her in this year on both ends of the floor. I think that she’s been asked to do a ton this season, I think, offensively this year. And tonight she was in the same positions that you’ve seen her all year, whether it’s been initiating offense or handling ball screens, or setting off-ball screens, diving to the rim. She’s been all over the place, and she was all over the place today, in a good way, and she was active defensively. We had her in a ton of switches at times, had her in coverage at times. So she did whatever was asked of her today, and gave a really good effort and performance.
Reese and Cardoso combined for 34 of the Sky’s 86 points. Reese, however, will miss this Friday’s road matchup against the Indiana Fever due to a technical foul she received in the second quarter.
Elizabeth Williams also showed up and showed out from off the bench. She came away with 10 points and shot 71.4 percent from the field. Kia Nurse likewise came off the bench and provided some big 3-pointers. Two consecutive, to be exact, in the third quarter. All in all, Nurse finished the game with 12 points. Speaking of 3s, Rachel Banham finished the game with two triples as well, totaling 10 points and four assists.
It was encouraging to see the Sky dominate in the category they have long struggled with; altogether, they outscored the Sun from beyond the arc, going 46.7 percent compared to 31.3 percent. It wasn’t until the third quarter when the Sun finally connected from 3, courtesy of Saniya Rivers. Plus, the Sky were solid from the field overall, shooting 47.7 percent compared to the Sun’s 38.5 percent.
When it came to rebounding, it was a competitive battle but the Sky held the edge 33-32. They also pushed the tempo, outscoring Connecticut in fastbreak points, 12-8. Another notable statistic is that the Sky scored 22 points off turnovers, with the Sun managing only nine points off just 10 Chicago turnovers. That’s a major improvement for Chicago considering their struggles with turnovers all year long.
In all, the Sky blocked out the noise and focused on the task at hand. The end result: a coveted W.
