Facing Dallas Wings, Chicago Sky aim to hold onto final play-off spot
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Jacy Sheldon of the Dallas Wings is defended by Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever in a WNBA match on Sept 1.
PHOTO: AFP
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LOS ANGELES – Two of the teams vying for the eighth and final spot in the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) play-offs meet on Sept 8 (Sept 9 morning, Singapore time) when the Chicago Sky welcome the Dallas Wings.
Sitting in 11th place and three games back of eighth-place Chicago, Dallas (9-25) cannot afford another loss.
They are aiming to bounce back following Sept 6, when they held a 16-point, third-quarter lead against the Atlanta Dream but suffered a 107-96 overtime defeat.
After shooting 67.6 per cent from the field in the first half, the Wings hit only 32.3 per cent of their shots in the second half – and there is much room for improvement in this aspect.
Despite a 24-point game by three-time WNBA champion Natasha Howard, the Dream stole the momentum halfway through the third and rode it into overtime, where they outscored the Wings 15-4. Dallas essentially lacked the physicality and control to repel the Atlanta onslaught.
“Back in the first half, we only had four turnovers. At the end of the game, we had 18,” Howard said.
“That’s one thing we have to focus on more and also rebounding because in overtime they had three possessions without putting a body on somebody.”
If rebounding issues persist for Dallas, it will be a tough trip, with Chicago (12-22) leading the league with 37.4 rebounds per game.
All-Star rookie Angel Reese leads the WNBA with 13.1 boards per contest, but the Sky announced on Sept 7 that she would miss the rest of the season with a wrist injury.
“What a year,” Reese wrote on X.
“Through it all, I have showed that I belong in this league, even when no one else believed. All I have ever wanted was to come into the W and make an impact. I can confidently say I have done that and will strive to keep doing so. I’m filled with emotions right now that I have a season-ending injury, but also filled with so much gratitude for what is next.”
The Sky ended their seven-game losing streak on Sept 6, thanks in part to the return of Chennedy Carter. The Chicago guard missed the previous four games with an illness.
Carter scored 15 points and flirted with a triple-double, finishing one rebound and three assists short in the 92-78 home win over the Los Angeles Sparks.
“I feel good,” she said. “It’s good to just get up and down and get my legs back under me and be out there with the girls. It was fun.”
Chicago hold their own post-season destiny, and a win puts the pressure on the three other sides challenging for a place in the play-offs. This season, they have won two of three games against Dallas, but the teams have not met since June 20.
Reese scored 16 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in that 83-72 Sky victory. Arike Ogunbowale, who leads the Wings with 22.6 points per game, scored a game-high 31 points in the loss.
Meanwhile, Skylar Diggins-Smith broke the Seattle Storm record for the most assists in a season in a 90-66 victory on Sept 7 against her former team, the Phoenix Mercury, in Seattle.
She tallied 11 assists to give her 227 in 2024. Sue Bird had the previous record of 221, achieved twice (in 2003 and 2018). Diggins-Smith also scored 12 points and had two steals.
The Storm (21-14) moved 1½ games behind the Las Vegas Aces (22-12) for the No. 4 seed in the play-offs.
Seattle have five regular-season games remaining, including the finale at Phoenix (17-19) on Sept 19.
The Mercury, presently at No. 7 in the standings, have lost two of the three meetings with the Storm this season. REUTERS
