Liberty-Sky Preview
It is a race familiar to the Chicago Sky -- trying to land one of the top two spots to gain a double bye into the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs. Looking to stay in the thick of that chase, the Sky face the last-place New York Liberty on Tuesday night.
Chicago (10-4) has made no secret of its title-or-bust attitude after finishing fifth in 2019 and losing in heartbreaking fashion to Las Vegas in the quarterfinals. The compressed schedule may actually work in the Sky's favor as they are one game behind front-running Seattle with eight to play but also in a five-team scrap for those two valuable berths.
James Wade's team has won four straight, and the Sky are making the most of a soft patch of schedule in which they are playing all four of their season matchups against the Liberty (1-12) and the Indiana Fever. Chicago completed a sweep of the first two meetings and is coming off an 87-76 victory over Indiana on Saturday.
Kahleah Cooper scored a career-high 26 points while Courtney Vandersloot added 23 and nine assists for the Sky, who led wire-to-wire thanks to a 24-7 first-quarter burst. Allie Quigley added 15 points as Chicago forced 21 turnovers on the defensive side.
Cooper, who is averaging 15.1 points while shooting 40.5 percent from 3-point range and 51.8 percent overall, has become a vital player for the Sky as Diamond DeShields continues to deal with thigh and knee injuries that have limited her minutes.
"I've been consistent," Cooper told the Chicago Sun-Times. "I always have more to give, always. I think I could be better defensively, and the offense will come, but I'm cool with where I am. I can always get in and out. I'll get better every day."
Vandersloot, well on her way to leading the WNBA in assists for the fourth straight year, has averaged 17.8 points and 9.8 assists while shooting 63 percent (29 for 46) during the four-game winning streak.
New York's season-long struggles continued with an 82-65 defeat to Connecticut on Saturday that extended its losing streak to seven games. The best news for the Liberty came off the court with their announcement that No. 1 pick Sabrina Ionescu would not require surgery on her sprained ankle.
Ionescu, who remains sidelined indefinitely, averaged 18.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in two-plus games before suffering the injury July 31.
Kia Nurse scored 17 points in Saturday's loss, while rookie Jazmine Jones added 11 off the bench. With Ionescu sidelined, Jones has been New York's most productive rookie, with the No. 12 overall pick averaging 10.6 points and 2.2 assists.
"She can play the 1 or the 2, and it's awesome," guard Layshia Clarendon said of Jones. "She's just a fireball, she comes in and she's fearless. She can read pick-and-roll and she can play out in transition, so knowing you're going to have that consistency in her off the bench the last couple of games has been really good for us."
Azura Stevens scored 18 of her season-high 25 points in the first half while Vandersloot chipped in 19 and 10 assists to power Chicago to a 101-85 win over New York last Thursday. Quigley also had 19 points as the Sky went 11 of 23 from 3-point range.
