Chicago

Sky

The Sky’s starting center was dominant against the Sparks’ front court out-muscling Los Angeles’ Azurá Stevens on the block and out running Dearica Hamby to the rim on pick-and-roll lob passes. Cardoso cut well in the quarter court and 80% of her made field goals were assisted mostly via Rachel Banham and Ariel Atkins. Tuesday night’s win over the Sparks was Cardoso’s final game before she jets off to Chile for the AmeriCup to compete for the Brazilian National team until the second week in July. In her absence expect more minutes from center Elizabeth Williams in addition to Michael Onyenwere when Sky head coach Tyler Marsh opts to play Angel Reese as a small ball center.

A consistent presence in the Sky rotation, Williams had her most productive outing of the season on Sunday. The veteran center/forward played a season-high 22 minutes and shot 75 percent from the field. Williams was also responsible for three “stocks,” tying her previous high for most in a game this season. With the FIBA Women’s AmeriCup competition starting at the end of the upcoming week, the Sky will lose Kamilla Cardoso (7/5/3/0/1 in 21 minutes) due to her commitment to Brazil. That should free up additional opportunities for Williams, especially in the aftermath of her performance against Atlanta.

After watching his team commit 20 turnovers in Saturday’s blowout loss to the Mercury, Sky head coach Tyler Marsh made a change to the starting lineup. Banham was in on Sunday, with Kia Nurse (two rebounds and two assists in 12 minutes) moving to the bench. While the change did not result in a Sky victory, the team only committed nine turnovers on the day. Banham was not responsible for any, and her presence in the starting lineup appeared to benefit Ariel Atkins, who scored a season-high 29 points. While Chicago continues to bring Hailey Van Lith (two points, one assist and one steal in eight minutes) along slowly, Banham may be the best choice to start alongside Ariel Atkins. At least until Moriah Jefferson (leg; DNP-CD on Sunday despite being cleared) is allowed to play rotation minutes.

One day removed from recording a career-low two rebounds, Reese was back to her usual self on the backboards Sunday afternoon. Her 19 rebounds, 17 of which were of the defensive variety, were a season-high, and the second-year forward also recorded four “stocks.” While Reese shot below 30 percent from the field on Sunday, field goal percentage is not a scoring category in standard ESPN fantasy leagues. Her percentage for the season is close to the 39.1 percent clip she shot as a rookie; that’s an area where Reese will need to improve. However, between the rebounding, defense and improving playmaking, there’s also a lot to like about the Sky forward’s skill set.

After Atkins and her teammates struggled mightily with Phoenix’s defensive pressure on Saturday, committing 20 turnovers in a 21-point loss that was not as close as the margin would indicate, they were far better in Atlanta on Sunday. Atkins only committed two turnovers before fouling out, and a perfect day at the foul line boosted her point total. The 29 points were a season-high for the veteran guard, who was joined in the starting lineup by Rachel Banham. While the change did not result in a win for the Sky, it did help alleviate some of the pressure that has been on Atkins since Courtney Vandersloot went down with a torn ACL.

Initially questionable for Sunday’s game, Reese went through her pregame routine without issue and will play. She’ll occupy her usual place in the starting lineup as Chicago looks to rebound from Saturday’s blowout loss to the Mercury.

Reese was limited to 21 minutes in Saturday’s blowout loss to the Mercury. The flow of the game may not have been the only reason for the second-year forward’s workload, as a leg injury has cast some doubt on her availability for Sunday’s game against the Dream. If Reese cannot play, Michaela Onyenwere will be of added importance to the Sky, whether she starts or comes off the bench. Like Chicago, the Dream employs a starting lineup with two posts, Brionna Jones and Brittney Griner.

Atkins’ scoring came from all three levels on Saturday afternoon, hitting from beyond the arc, in her midrange and then even scoring on a put-back at the rim. Without both Courtney Vandersloot and Moriah Jefferson, who are both natural point guards, Atkins has also had to shoulder the load as the Sky’s main distributor from the guard spot in their starting lineup. On Saturday afternoon she had four assists that led to high percentage shots which were two open threes from the right wing, including one of them from Angel Reese, in addition to a couple of makes at the rim from Michaela Onyenwere and Elizabeth Williams.

Onyenwere played most of her minutes when the game was completely out of reach for the Sky. But even in those 16 garbage time minutes in the second half, Onyenwere played hard and scored 13 of her total 17 points in those moments. Does Onyenwere earn a higher spot on the Sky’s depth chart because of her versatility especially when Chicago continues to struggle spacing the floor? It’s possible although maybe Onyenewere will also earn more minutes from her consistent effort, something that was missing from the Sky during moments in the first half when they gave up 12 made Mercury three-pointers.

Chicago decided to establish Cardoso early in the first quarter and then again in the second getting her looks in single coverage on the block and then having her score at the rim on pick-and-roll actions. She was the most reliable source of offense for the Sky before the game got completely out of hand in the third quarter. She hit a 17-foot right corner jumper in the second quarter, which begs the question can Cardoso continue to grow when it comes to spacing the floor? The more and more she can stretch, even if it’s not out at the three-point line, will help the Sky get easier looks inside from other players.