At 10-18, the Chicago Sky are long shots to make a WNBA playoff run. But the addition of DiJonai Carrington to the active roster promises to at least make them more competitive.
Carrington returned Thursday night after missing the first 27 games after surgery to repair a foot she injured in last year’s playoffs with Minnesota. Her nine points and tough defense helped Chicago rally past Connecticut 94-88.
Carrington and the Sky seek another win Saturday afternoon when they host the Las Vegas Aces in the teams’ third and final clash of the year.
Coach Tyler Marsh had Carrington on restricted minutes, saving 10 of them for the fourth quarter. That’s when Chicago outscored Connecticut 33-22 to erase a five-point deficit. Carrington contributed a key blocked shot and a dagger 3-pointer down the stretch.
“Once you’re out there,” Carrington said, “I got a little groove and I stopped thinking and just started playing instinctively and I think that’s the best way to play.”
The Sky also got 18 of Kamilla Cardoso’s 26 points in the fourth quarter. Cardoso is averaging a career-high 14.5 points and canning 59.0% of her field-goal attempts.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas (20-8) comes into town off an entertaining 104-99 win Thursday night against visiting New York. A’ja Wilson stuffed the stat sheet with 33 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Jackie Young added 29 points and nine helpers.
Coach Becky Hammon lauded her team’s competitive spirit.
“Resilience is part of any championship team,” she said. “We talk about trying to be consistent in what we do, especially defensively. There are moments in the game that get hard. You always have to have that toughness and the bounce-back factor.”
Wilson is averaging 26.4 points and 9.7 rebounds, putting her in position to win a third straight Most Valuable Player award and her fifth in seven years.
The Aces are shooting for a season sweep of Chicago after posting 107-99 and 98-90 wins in a home-and-home series on June 28 and July 3, respectively.
–Field Level Media
