The Chicago Sky (4-6) went 1-2 on the week and now sit at 1-3 in Commissioner’s Cup games and 8th in the WNBA standings after a quick stretch of three games in five days. 

The Sky also are without Elizabeth Williams after she suffered a torn meniscus in the Washington Mystics game before halftime. Her timeline for a return is still to be determined.

Day of firsts in loss to Atlanta

With the loss of Elizabeth Williams, the No. 3 overall draft pick in Kamilla Cardoso made her first WNBA start in the 89-80 loss to the Atlanta Dream on June 8. She finished with 15 points and 5 rebounds in her first pro start.

“I was just trying to stay to myself and go out there and do what I do,” Cardoso said after the loss. “I’ve been watching E-Will for long enough, and I knew that I saw all the good things she did. I just tried to go out there in the game and apply everything that she normally does.”

Not having Williams showed drastically in the loss to Atlanta. Although the Sky found a way to get within single digits in the final minutes, they struggled in crashing the defensive glass, being outrebounded 13-4 in the opening quarter. 

The Dream created an 18-point lead that made it difficult for the Sky to find their momentum from the start of the game. The Sky’s 21 turnovers gave the Dream the opportunity to turn that into 26 points. Those 21 turnovers are the most Chicago has had since the May 28 loss to the Seattle Storm. 

“We just threw the ball away, just throwing the ball away,” head coach Teresa Weatherspoon said after the game. “To be smart, we talk about value possessions. Value the ball. Get as many shots as we possibly can. 

“When you see 21 turnovers there and 26 points, that’s the game. We can value possessions and go get shots, whether we make or miss. At least we’re getting shots up. Turn it over? You don’t get any shots up and they converted.”

Reese’s homecoming win in Washington

In Angel Reese’s first trip back home, the Sky found a way to pick up the 79-71 win over the Washington Mystics on June 6. Reese finished with another double-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high 5 steals. Her stat line made her the first rookie to put up 15+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ steals since Candace Parker did it in 2008.

“I wasn’t that efficient, but being able to just get the win is all that’s important,” Reese said after the game. “I think so many players stepped up tonight: Izzy, Chennedy, Lindsay, being able to know when your name is called and having teammates that will have your back through anything. 

“I love my team, I love being here in Chicago. Obviously being able to come home and have a turnout how we did tonight was great, and just going back home with the win is always good going into it.” 

It was the bench’s night to shine with Chennedy Carter leading the way with a game-high 25 points along with Isabelle Harrison’s season-high 14 points, her first double-digit scoring game in a Sky uniform. What Atlanta did to Chicago is what the Sky did to the Mystics, creating 20 points off Washington’s 24 turnovers.

“Being able to have Izzy coming back and watching her rehab every day. She’s a vet,” Reese said. “I told her ‘Remind people. Remind people who are. I ain’t forgot who you are.’ I’ve watched you when I was in college and being able to see you even when we were at Tennessee. 

“I love a comeback story. Being able to see Izzy come back out there, Chennedy’s story, and Lindsay coming out there too, I think it’s just our team has so many stories with us. I think we carry that on our shoulders and come out every day and fight.”

Losing energy late against New York

The Sky have struggled as of late to string a full four quarters together, and it continued in their 88-75 loss to the New York Liberty on June 4. The Sky found ways to stay competitive in the second and third quarters but were outscored 23-9 in the final 10 minutes. 

“You just understand who you’re playing, like you got 2 MVPs. Sabrina [Ionescu] is one of the best shooters in the world,” Marina Mabrey said after the loss. “You know you can’t melt down against them. At the end of the day, we melted down in the 4th quarter. Anytime you’re going to play a team like this, you can’t win like that. It’s composure.”

That lack of poise showed in the final two minutes of the game when Reese was given a double technical and ejected from the game. The second technical foul was later rescinded after a review by the WNBA.

The Sky have struggled from the arc, shooting under 30% from the 3-point line since the June 1 loss to the Indiana Fever. That showed again in the Liberty loss, shooting just 2-for-7 (28.6%); however, the Sky believe that the production at the line will come with time as the team continues to play and gel together to build chemistry on the court.

“We’ll be fine,” Weatherspoon said after the game. “We’ve got to get our reps up in what we do in the execution of our offense, getting those open looks, catch-and-shoots that we’re very, very good at. We have some incredible shooters on this team, and we’ll get better every single game.”

Stats and Notes

• Reese is the third player in WNBA history with 10+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ steals in back-to-back games vs. ATL
• Reese is the third rookie all time with 13+ points, 13+ rebounds and 5+ steals in a game, joining Tamika Catchings and Candace Parker vs. ATL