Chicago Sky Schedule Preview: July 31 - August 5
Chicago Sky Schedule Preview: July 31 - August 5
Written by Eric Nemchock (@nemchocke) on 31 July 2018
Written by Eric Nemchock
(@nemchocke) on 31 July 2018
After taking care of business in Phoenix, Chicago and its 3-point champion look to make a late-season push.
After taking care of business in Phoenix, Chicago and its 3-point champion look to make a late-season push.
The Sky headed into the All-Star break on a high note, taking advantage of a short-handed Mercury team in Phoenix. The game featured yet another Brittney Griner ejection, along with a stellar performance from rookie Diamond DeShields, who matched her career-high of 25 points.
It was then off to Minneapolis for Sky sharpshooter Allie Quigley. She put forth a breathtaking performance in the All-Star game's halftime 3-point shootout, snapping the net again and again en route to a record score of 29 and her second straight 3-point contest victory.
But now it's back to business. Chicago will need Quigley to keep firing this week as they take on two of the more physically imposing teams in the W.
Tuesday, July 31: at Dallas Wings (7 pm CT)
The Sky put together maybe their best overall performance of the season the last time they played the Wings, scoring a ridiculous 128.1 points per 100 possessions while point guard Courtney Vandersloot recorded a triple-double.
After swapping Aerial Powers for Tayler Hill, this Wings team looks a little different, but their philosophy remains the same: get the ball inside to Liz Cambage and batter opponents with countless free throw attempts. Part of the reason the Sky beat the Wings in their last meeting was that Stefanie Dolson pulled Cambage out of the paint just enough to allow for dribble penetration by Chicago guards, and they'll no doubt try to do that again here.
Pace of play will also be important. The Wings were in a poor spot schedule-wise when the Sky dropped 114 points on them; regardless, the tempo of this game will almost certainly be fast, and it will be about which team can get just enough stops in transition. Expect a shootout here.
Friday, August 3: at Atlanta Dream (6 pm CT)
There's no hotter team in the WNBA than Atlanta. They've won eight straight games (and nine of their last ten), leaning on one of the league's best defenses and the most balanced offensive attack we've seen from them in some time.
To combat this, the Sky will need a steady diet of Quigley 3-pointers, as well as disciplined transition defense. It's no secret that Angel McCoughtry, Tiffany Hayes, and Brittney Sykes want to push the ball and get to the free throw line, but stopping them from doing that is another story entirely; Chicago will need to execute well in the halfcourt to limit these opportunities for the Dream.
The Sky headed into the All-Star break on a high note, taking advantage of a short-handed Mercury team in Phoenix. The game featured yet another Brittney Griner ejection, along with a stellar performance from rookie Diamond DeShields, who matched her career-high of 25 points.
It was then off to Minneapolis for Sky sharpshooter Allie Quigley. She put forth a breathtaking performance in the All-Star game's halftime 3-point shootout, snapping the net again and again en route to a record score of 29 and her second straight 3-point contest victory.
But now it's back to business. Chicago will need Quigley to keep firing this week as they take on two of the more physically imposing teams in the W.
Tuesday, July 31: at Dallas Wings (7 pm CT)
The Sky put together maybe their best overall performance of the season the last time they played the Wings, scoring a ridiculous 128.1 points per 100 possessions while point guard Courtney Vandersloot recorded a triple-double.
After swapping Aerial Powers for Tayler Hill, this Wings team looks a little different, but their philosophy remains the same: get the ball inside to Liz Cambage and batter opponents with countless free throw attempts. Part of the reason the Sky beat the Wings in their last meeting was that Stefanie Dolson pulled Cambage out of the paint just enough to allow for dribble penetration by Chicago guards, and they'll no doubt try to do that again here.
Pace of play will also be important. The Wings were in a poor spot schedule-wise when the Sky dropped 114 points on them; regardless, the tempo of this game will almost certainly be fast, and it will be about which team can get just enough stops in transition. Expect a shootout here.
Friday, August 3: at Atlanta Dream (6 pm CT)
There's no hotter team in the WNBA than Atlanta. They've won eight straight games (and nine of their last ten), leaning on one of the league's best defenses and the most balanced offensive attack we've seen from them in some time.
To combat this, the Sky will need a steady diet of Quigley 3-pointers, as well as disciplined transition defense. It's no secret that Angel McCoughtry, Tiffany Hayes, and Brittney Sykes want to push the ball and get to the free throw line, but stopping them from doing that is another story entirely; Chicago will need to execute well in the halfcourt to limit these opportunities for the Dream.