Sun begin title chase against Chicago Sky
The Connecticut Sun lost consecutive games to the Chicago Sky in June, part of a three-game skid and the only losing streak of the season for the WNBA’s best team.
The Sun would beat the Sky later that month, and the teams have not seen each other since.
But as they meet in a best-of-five WNBA semifinal series that begins Tuesday night, both teams look completely different.
The Sun have not only added the league’s best player in Jonquel Jones since last playing the Sky, but Connecticut is also playing its best basketball in franchise history following a 14-game winning streak to end the regular season.
Meanwhile, the sixthseeded Sky also adjusted their lineup and are playing well after advancing with a win over No. 3 seed Minnesota on Sunday.
“It’s a unique matchup because we just haven’t played each other at full strength,” Sun coach Curt Miller said. “It feels like a completely different matchup. They pose a lot of challenges.”
Tuesday’s game will only be Miller’s second coaching against the Sky this season. He was not at the two losses in Chicago on June 17 and 19 because he was back home in Pennsylvania caring for his sick mother.
Also missing from Connecticut’s regular-season series against the Sky was Jones, the 2021 AP Player of the Year. Jones did not play for the Sun during the regular-season series with the Sky due to her overseas commitment.
Since playing her first game with the Sun in a 90-71 victory over Washington on June 29, Jones has led the Sun in points (19.4), rebounds (11.2), and blocks (1.3) per game. Jones was the WNBA’s regular-season leader in rebounds after finishing September averaging 12.0 per game.
Additionally, and to the team’s pleasant surprise, the
Sun will also debut All-Star forward Alyssa Thomas against the Sky on Tuesday. Thomas, who suffered an Achilles injury in January, wasn’t initially expected to play this season but the Sun’s “engine” managed to get back to playing live games during the final week of the regular season.
And just as the Sun will look different, the Sky also have adjusted their roster and play since the last time the teams met.
Chicago’s starting five now features Allie Quigley and UConn alumna Azurá Stevens instead of fellow Husky Stefanie Dolson and Diamond DeShields. Dolson and DeShields started all three games against the Sun in the regular season.
The Sky ended the regular season with a 16-16 record, earning the No. 6 seed in the playoff bracket. On Aug. 29, the team recorded its best win in franchise history with a 32point victory over the Storm in Seattle. It was also the Storm’s worst regular-season home loss in history.
Chicago is also playing with a new level of intensity after winning its first- and second-round single-elimination playoff matchups against No. 7 Dallas (81-64) and No. 3 Minnesota (8976).
This week’s series against the Sun is the Sky’s third trip in franchise history to the semifinal round of the playoffs. The last time Chicago advanced out of the semifinals was in 2014,
when the Sky lost the WNBA finals to Phoenix.
“I think with Chicago, when you can’t vote for yourself, Chicago was my preseason favorite,” Miller said. “They have all the pieces you need to win a championship. They are dynamic offensively; they’re playing their best basketball right now.”
The last time Connecticut met Chicago in the playoffs was in 2020 in the “Wubble,” when Connecticut beat the Sky in the first round.
Sky scouting report:
This season, Chicago added former Tennessee and Los Angeles Sparks standout and 2016 WNBA champion Candace Parker to its roster. Parker, an Illinois native, spent 13 seasons with the Sparks and was a five-time All-Star. In 23 games for the Sky this season, Parker has averaged 13.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.
Sun vs. Sky semifinal schedule (*if necessary):
Game 1: Tuesday at Mohegan Sun at 8 p.m. on ESPN2
Game 2: Thursday at Mohegan Sun at 8 p.m. on ESPN2
Game 3: Sunday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago at 1 p.m. on ABC
*Game 4: Wednesday, Oct. 6 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago at TBD on ESPN
*Game 5: Friday, Oct. 8 at Mohegan Sun at TBD on ESPN2