GAME HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE
● The Chicago Sky advanced to the second round of the 2021 WNBA Playoffs with a 17-point win over the Dallas Wings on Thursday at Wintrust. Under current Head Coach and General Manager James Wade, the team is 2-2 in the postseason.
● With 15 rebounds against the Wings, Sky forward Candace Parker moved up to fourth on the all-time playoff rebounds leaders list. Now, she sits behind Lisa Leslie (471), Rebekkah Brunson (563) and Tamika Catchings (598) on the leaderboard.
● Sky forward Kahleah Copper scored 23 points and led all scorers Thursday. She also finished an impressive 10 of 14 from the field.
● Parker made history in a variety of ways versus Dallas, as she became the seventh player in WNBA Playoffs history to reach at least 900 points scored in the postseason.
James Wade Postgame Media Availability | Sky vs. Wings – WNBA Playoffs 2021
Sky Players Postgame Media Availability – Sky vs. Wings | September 23, 2021
NEXT UP: With the win, the Chicago Sky will advance to play either the No. 3 seeded Minnesota Lynx or the No. 4 seeded Seattle Storm. Chicago’s seeding will be determined by the final score of the single elimination game between the Phoenix Mercury (5-seed) and the New York Liberty (8-seed), as the lower-ranked seed will play the Lynx while the higher seed will face the Mercury on Sunday, 26, 2021. More information regarding the Sky’s second round, single elimination game as part of the 2021 WNBA Playoffs will be released by the Chicago Sky Public Relations Department and by the WNBA in the near future.Copper/Parker Lead Sky Past Wings in Round 1 of Playoffs with 81-64 Win
KEY RUNS
● The Wings went on a 5-0 run – after falling behind by four points – to the Sky early in the first quarter.
● Midway through the first quarter, the Sky went on a 11-0 run to take a 19-9 lead with just over three minutes to play in the opening quarter.
● In the second quarter, Chicago went on a 9-0 run to extend its double-digit lead over the Wings by 21 points. Then, with just under six minutes remaining, Dallas went on a 9-0 run to cut into the Sky’s lead.
● To kick off the third quarter, the Wings went on a 5-0 run to make it a 10-point game, in favor of the Sky, with 7:49 left in the quarter.
● With 3:16 left to play in the third quarter, the Wings went on a 6-0 run and cut Chicago’s lead to four points. The Sky quickly responded with a 4-0 run of its own as the final minutes of the third quarter dwindled.
KEY STATS
● In the first quarter, Sky forward Kahleah Copper finished with 12 points (6 of 7 from the field) while Parker recorded 7 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists to help the Sky take a 25-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.
● In tonight’s win, Parker and Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot became the first pair of teammates to each score at least 10 points, grab at least 8 rebounds and dish out at least five assists in the same playoff game.
● Chicago led by as many as 21 points on Thursday, but Dallas slowly crawled its way back and nearly tied the game in the second half.
● While there were zero times that the score was tied tonight, there were six lead changes, with most of these occurring early during the game before the Sky’s offense erupted and held its lead.
● Chicago outscored Dallas in every quarter except the third quarter (Dallas notched 21 points in comparison to Chicago’s 11 points).
CHICAGO NOTES
● The Sky took a 44-29 lead into the locker room after the game’s first two quarters of play, with Copper (14 points in the first half) leading all scorers. As a team, Chicago also out-scored Dallas 28-8 in points in the paint in the first half.
● Parker’s final statline Thursday is just the second 10/15/7/3 game in WNBA Playoffs history. The first came from Tamika Catchings in 2007 (14/20/7/3 vs. CON).
● Four Sky players scored in double figures on Thursday, with Copper (23 points), Vandersloot (17 points), guard Allie Quigley (15 points) and Parker (11 points) leading the way on offense for Chicago.
● The Bulls’ Coby White, DeMar DeRozan, Javonte Green and Patrick Williams were at Wintrust supporting the Sky on Thursday evening.