At the beginning of this game, it looked like it would be a decent back-and-forth battle that wouldn't be determined until the final buzzer. However, the Los Angeles Sparks came out ready to roll in the third quarter and finished it with a 10-point lead. The Chicago Sky struggled to get anything to fall and seemed to just fall flat in those final minutes. A fourth-quarter turnaround would lead to the Sky finishing on top 90-86.
The neverending first half back-and-forth
A 14-9 lead in the first quarter made it seem like the Sky wouldn't be stopped in this game. The Sparks couldn't get a bucket no matter how hard they tried, while Chicago played some bully ball in the paint. Kamilla Cardoso deserves most of the credit for the paint points in the first.
Despite this decent lead, the quarter would end with the Sky only up by one. A Dearica Hamby two would actually give LA a lead for a moment before it was tied up again by Cardoso's free throws. From here, the two teams would exchange blows consistently with jumpers and layups going in from both ends of the court.
The second quarter was much the same as the first. The only difference here is it finished with the Sparks up by four. On the Chicago end, there wasn't much scoring being done. It was brick after brick and a missed layup here and there that caused the Sparks to charge in for the lead. Crystal Dangerfield and Kia Nurse, who both hit two dagger threes, pushed LA on top.
Cardoso and Angel Reese's double-double game
Chicago's two paint protectors both came through in this game with double-doubles. Cardoso finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds to help lead her team. She had some key free throws late in the fourth that helped keep them in the lead. The center also had two blocks and a steal. She was 6-9 from the field and 3-4 from the charity stripe.
Reese typically gets herself double-doubles in almost every game. She ended the night with 14 points and 11 rebounds. However, once again, looking more closely at her stats makes the double-double seem a bit sad. She was 4-13 from the field and 6-8 from the line. This has become a constant for Reese. She throws a ball up, gets the offensive rebound, and makes her second attempt. We'd like to see more from her in the future and a better offensive arsenal later down the line.
Chicago Sky bright spots
The lead scorer in this was Lindsay Allen, who came away with 16 points, six assists, and four rebounds. She was hot from the field, going 7-11, and consistently dangerous with the ball. Fellow starter Rachel Banham also had a good night with 14 points and a block. The duo helped deliver the win alongside the star rookies.
A great sign for this team is that every player contributed to the win. There wasn't a single zero in the scoring column giving them some hope for future games. They're coming off a tough loss to the Phoenix Mercury, so a win was good to see. They'll need to continue this moving forward if they want to protect their playoff spot.
The Sky will be facing off against Phoenix once again tomorrow. The key to winning this game will be shutting Brittney Griner down in the paint and keeping a close eye on Kahleah Collier. Collier is a deadly player. Once she gets by you, there's a good chance she'll get a bucket. Let's see if Chicago can continue to win moving forward.