Quick Three: Liberty 91 Sky 76
Chicago fades after a strong first half as Ionescu's late explosion leads Liberty to league-leading 19th win of the season.
The Sky failed to back up their earlier win at Barclays Center on Thursday night but not without giving the Liberty a serious fight. With New York’s shooters out of sorts early and Teresa Weatherspoon’s offense seemingly finding all the right openings, Chicago raced out to a lead as big as 13 in the first half before the hosts slowly worked their way back into the game. Let’s dive into how New York came back and try to uncover what Chicago must do differently in Saturday’s rematch at Wintrust Arena—which closes the season series between the two teams.
1. Liberty ruthless off of Sky turnovers.
Chicago commits the fourth fewest turnovers in the WNBA at 12.7 per game, and they weren’t far off that mark with 13 turnovers tonight. Yet, the Liberty found a way to turn those limited turnovers into 21 points (Chicago’s opponents average just 14.4 PPG off TO)—establishing an 11-point edge in that statistic alone. That said, 15 of those 21 points off of turnovers came before halftime and the Sky held the lead midway through the third quarter; so, it’s probably not fair to chalk this up as the difference in the game. Late-game execution (including a 28-14 edge in the final frame for the Liberty), like during the last meeting on 6/4, was probably more influential on the outcome. Sabrina Ionescu hitting 8-10 shots after the half was probably more influential on the outcome. The Liberty’s 8 blocks (more on those in a second) were probably more influential on the outcome.
So, why does this go down as the first takeaway from tonight’s game? Because the points off of turnovers kept the Liberty alive when the Sky were driving home their advantage in the first half. With 6 minutes left in the second quarter, the Sky were leading 37-24, and had all the momentum on their side. Before the half, the Sky committed 5 turnovers and the Liberty finished on a 14-3 run that erased much of the good work Chicago had done to that point. If the Sky protect the ball better late in the second quarter (or even earlier in the half when they gifted the Liberty other scores), they might consolidate a bigger lead before the half. Instead of a back-and-forth battle in the third, the Sky might be managing an 8-10 point lead. When the Liberty run eventually came, the Sky might then be in a tight game late in the fourth—with the W there for the taking. With the way New York hit shots, the Sky might not have won anyways, but they likely robbed themselves of an opportunity to manage the game from the front for longer. It’s easy to oversimplify games down to late-game execution, and the Sky have had their fair share of those “clutch” situations (and struggles) this season. However, it’s important to take note of what happens earlier in the game and what types of situations you find yourself in as a result.
2. Liberty’s rim protection limits Reese.
Angel Reese extended her double-double streak to 15 games, but this won’t go down as one of the marquee performances of her standout rookie campaign. The Liberty front court duo of Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart protected their basket exceptionally (despite Chicago managing 56 [!!!] paint points) and held Reese to just 5/17 FG with a number of the 8 blocks the team registered coming against the rookie. And to a certain extent, the Sky have to expect this as they face teams for the third (and on Saturday the fourth) time this season. Reese has made big strides as an offensive player, but there’s still elements to her game which veterans can sniff out and limit—especially when the Sky are always trying to work the ball inside. With 15 of 17 shot attempts tonight taken from inside the restricted area, the chances to anticipate and block a shot are further heightened for intelligent defenders like Stewart and Jones.
At the same time, the Liberty duo deserve a ton of credit for their timing. If a portion of their blocks on Reese wind up as fouls and she’s hitting the ensuing free throws at her usual clip (75%), this performance might feel less dominant. The Sky might score even more in the paint, and the final score might be closer. That’s what makes Jones and Stewart so special; their ability to read the game and time their actions perfectly eliminates those ‘ifs.’ And to Reese’s credit, she didn’t lose confidence in her shot because of the strong defense. Early in the third, Jones blocked Reese twice in three trips, but the rookie still showed the willingness to go again—scoring via a cutting lay-up in the second of the three possessions. Of course, that confidence can become detrimental if Reese shoots through the Jones and Stewart shaped stop-sign for too long, but—at least as long as she’s a rookie learning the league—Weatherspoon likely prefers to see the continued belief in the face of adversity.
3. Harrison stands out on quiet bench night.
Excluding garbage time, Harrison was the only bench player to clear seven minutes—a somewhat surprising rotational choice on the second game of a rare back-to-back. We could speculate whether or not fatigue played a factor in the late offensive struggles, but it’s impossible to know. In any case, Harrison was certainly worthy of being the bench player that got the most run as she made the most of her 27 minutes by matching her season-high in field goals made (6) and registering her first double-double in a Sky uniform. In fact, the 12 boards that Harrison pulled down tonight were her most in a WNBA game since her 13-rebound performance against the Sun on August 18th, 2019.
Harrison’s return from a serious injury has been impressive, and tonight was perhaps her best performance yet with the Sky. When she gets the ball at the offensive end, she always looks like she’s already decided her next move, and that decisiveness resulted in great efficiency (6/10 FG). At the same time, her post bag is deep. Harrison’s mix of shot types and her solid touch allows her to score regardless of the defensive coverage she’s faced with, and that scoring was critical for the Sky as they tried to keep pace with New York in tonight’s third quarter. Her defensive work, while still not quite all the way back to pre-injury levels, is trending closer and closer over time, and her ability to maintain the Sky’s rim protection even when Kamilla Cardoso sits should only become more of an asset as she gains increasing comfort post-injury in the weeks ahead.