On the heels of Angel Reese’s historic performance and facing a struggling opponent, the Chicago Sky face a prime opportunity to begin a positive run.
Looking to post back-to-back victories for just the second time this season, the Sky (3-7) also can hand the Washington Mystics a fifth consecutive road loss on Tuesday night.
After losing three straight by an average margin of 21.3 points, Chicago won 78-66 Sunday at Connecticut. Reese posted 11 points, 13 rebounds and a career-high 11 assists to, at 23 years old, become the second-youngest WNBA player to record a triple-double. Caitlin Clark did it at 22.
Meanwhile, Hailey Van Lith scored 16 as the Sky owned a 36-2 advantage in bench points.
For Reese, averaging 10.4 points and a league-leading 11.9 boards to go along with 3.5 assists, her first triple-double is the highlight of a rather inconsistent — and often controversial — season for the Sky star.
Perhaps even a springboard toward better days for Chicago, which won its first game since losing floor leader Courtney Vandersloot to a season-ending knee injury.
“I was hungry for a win,” Reese told The Athletic. “We wanted this bad. Going home with the win feels good.”
Washington (4-7), meanwhile, has lost seven of nine since starting 2-0. The Mystics were held to a season-low 56 points in Sunday’s 33-point home loss to Atlanta. They shot a mere 29.5 percent from the field, including 3-of-17 from 3-point range, while the Dream drained 18 3-pointers.
“There’s some film we’re gonna have to watch and try to learn,” said Mystics coach Sydney Johnson. “We didn’t put our best foot forward, but (Atlanta) played really well.”
Sonia Citron had a team-high 10 points for the Mystics, whose only road win came May 18. Washington’s Brittney Sykes averages a team-high 19.4 points, but has been held to single digits in two of the last three games.
The Mystics won the final three of four meetings with Chicago last season.
This will be the final game for each team in the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup.
–Field Level Media
