Everything is at stake for the Chicago Sky when they meet the Connecticut Sun on Thursday in the regular-season finale for both teams in Uncasville, Conn.
The Sun (27-12) have clinched one of the top four playoff spots, but the Sky (13-26) are one of three teams battling for the eighth and final postseason bid.
To get into the playoffs, the Sky not only need to beat the Sun — whom they are 0-3 against this season — but they also need the Atlanta Dream and Washington Mystics to lose. Atlanta visits the New York Liberty on Thursday, while the Mystics host the Indiana Fever.
The second half of the WNBA season has not been kind to the Sky. At the break for the All-Star Game and Summer Olympics, they had a 10-14 record. Since then, Chicago is 3-12 and is currently struggling through a four-game losing streak — a stretch that includes losses to both Washington and Atlanta.
Chicago fell 86-70 in Atlanta on Tuesday despite 22 points from Rachel Banham and a double-double from Isabelle Harrison. It was another game in which the Sky missed star rookie Angel Reese, who was shut down at the start of this month for the remainder of the season with a wrist injury.
The Sky also played without Chennedy Carter, a late addition to the injury report with a foot ailment. Rookie Kamilla Cardoso missed the game with a shoulder injury.
“Everybody’s availability will be critical,” Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon said. “A lot of our team is sitting on the sideline.”
Meanwhile, the Sun have lost back-to-back games and could use a tally in the win column to help build momentum for the postseason. Connecticut fell at home to Minnesota on Tuesday when Lynx guard Bridget Carleton hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3.4 seconds left.
The loss dropped the Sun to a No. 3 seed in the playoff standings, one game ahead of the Las Vegas Aces.
“I don’t think it matters if we’re No. 1 or No. 12; I think everyone always has the same opinion about us,” Sun forward Alyssa Thomas said. “If you actually watch the game and watch what we’re doing, we’re a tough team for a reason. If you’ve watched us over the years, you see what we’ve done in the playoffs, and nothing changes for us.”
–Field Level Media
