Home Team: Chicago Sky
Away Team: Washington Mystics
Location: Chicago, IL
When is Game Time? 8 p.m. CST
Where can I stream or watch on TV? ESPN3, WCIU, WNBA League Pass
The Chicago Sky return home to face Elena Delle Donne and the Washington Mystics in the second game of the home-and-home series Friday night. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. CT and the game can be seen on WCIU and WNBA League Pass.
DELLE DONNE RETURN
Friday’s matchup will be the fifth time these two teams have met since the blockbuster trade in January 2017 that sent Elena Delle Donne to Washington for Kahleah Copper, Stefanie Dolson, and the second overall pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft.
The Washington Mystics swept the season series last year and Delle Donne averaged just over 17 points per game against the Sky.
In Tuesday’s matchup, Delle Donne played 24 minutes and boasted 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and four blocks.
Another member of that trade, Copper averaged seven points per game against her former team in 2017. In Tuesday night’s showdown against the Mystics, she posted 13 points and four rebounds in 19 minutes of play.
TOUGH TUESDAY NIGHT
When these two teams met on Tuesday night at Capital One Arena, the Mystics blew past the Sky with a 88-60 win.
The Sky started out hot putting up 21 points in the first quarter. Unfortunately, midway through the second quarter, their play slowed down and the Mystics outscored the Sky 46-32 heading into halftime.
Play did not pick up much for the Sky after halftime as they were outscored 42-28 by the Mystics in the second half.
“We have some really talented basketball players, some very skilled players who did not hit some shots today,” said Sky General Manager and Head Coach Amber Stocks. “We have to stick to our plan and stay within our rhythm, stay within the flow of our offense, and work together to get our scorers to score.”
Sky starters struggled against the Mystics, only managing to score a combined 26 points.
Cheyenne Parker led all Chicago scorers with 18 points. She also pulled down nine rebounds in 27 minutes of play.
“I was just trying to stay aggressive and kind of get my teammates going by being the aggressor,” Parker said. “I went up after every [offensive rebound], so the points just kind of came from staying aggressive.”
SKY STARTERS BOUNCE BACK
Chicago Sky starters are averaging a combined 48.9 points in the month of June. Look for them to come out with a vengeance on Friday night after their efforts were minimized on Tuesday, combining for only 26 points.
“Our biggest thing is our energy, staying together, playing as a team, getting our flow together as a team and getting some points on the board,” Parker said.
Sky veteran guard Allie Quigley is averaging 14.8 points per game and is shooting 40.5 percent from beyond the arc, which is the eighth highest 3-point shooting percentage in the league.
Gabby Williams sits in good company atop the WNBA leaderboards with the likes of Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles, and Nneka Ogwumike. They are all tied for second averaging 1.6 steals per game.
Astou Ndour, a late joiner, who did not play with the team until June 1 seems to be getting more comfortable. In the last three games, Astou has averaged over six rebounds and two blocks per game.
UP NEXT
The Chicago Sky have a quick turnaround after Friday night’s game as they welcome Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury to Wintrust Arena on Sunday. Game is set to tip-off at 5 p.m. CT and tickets start as low as $13. To reserve your seat visit sky.wnba.com or call 866.SKY.WNBA.