Quick Three: Sky 94 Wings 83
Chicago picks up another win thanks to a gritty team performance led, once again, by Ariel Atkins.
After securing their first win on Thursday night, the Sky had a strong opportunity to add a second victory tonight—especially after it was confirmed that Paige Bueckers would miss her first WNBA game due to a concussion. Despite a less-than-ideal offensive performance, Chicago scrapped their way to a hard-fought win and now head into a week-long break with their first winning streak of the season. Let’s dive into what made this victory possible, even in spite of the sometimes sputtering offense.
1. Sky’s Efforts on the Glass Inspire Gritty Victory
A strong fourth quarter—more on that in a bit—lifted the Sky’s team shooting numbers into respectable territory (41/29/81 splits), but this was far from a polished offensive performance. Four of the Sky’s five starters combined for just 13 made field goals, leaving Ariel Atkins—again, more on her shortly—to carry a heavy load. Still, where both the starters and bench made their mark was on the glass. The final rebounding margin, a solid but not staggering 39–32 edge over Dallas, doesn’t fully capture the Sky’s comprehensive control of the boards throughout the night.
It started, as you might expect, with the Sky’s size advantage—NaLyssa Smith, despite delivering a brilliant performance, gives up three inches to Kamilla Cardoso before the ball is even tipped. But the rebounding effort didn’t end there. Cardoso’s frontcourt partner, Angel Reese, added nine more boards and became the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 200 offensive rebounds. Even the last player off the bench, Hailey Van Lith, chipped in with four rebounds in ten solid minutes. In all, eight of the ten Sky players who saw the floor grabbed multiple boards. That across-the-roster commitment—especially the guards’ willingness to chase down loose balls and make second efforts—was central to the Sky’s overall success on the glass.
Last season, the Sky’s success on the glass often fueled their best performances, and that may be the case again this year. If so, expect the guards to remain a big part of that formula--especially against shorthanded or struggling teams like Dallas. Cardoso and Reese command so much attention as rebounders that—even when they don’t come down with the board themselves—they disrupt the opposition’s ability to secure it cleanly. In those "dirty" scenarios, the willingness of the guards on this team to go to the basketball--and sacrifice their body in the process--definitely offers the Sky a chance to set themselves apart.
2. Nearly Flawless 4th Quarter Shot Profile Lifts Offense
As mentioned above, this was—at least statistically speaking—an ugly offensive performance for the Sky through three quarters. In fairness, there's an argument to be made that they continued progressing in terms of offensive process, but the results (read: makes) simply weren’t there in the first 30 minutes. Then, in the fourth quarter, everything started to fall into place—fueling a 28-point frame that capped off a second-straight 90-point effort. And while the most obvious difference was shots falling, it’s no secret that—for a coach like Tyler Marsh, who draws heavily from modern basketball influences—getting those shots from a profile like this is beyond ideal:
Made shots in the paint—where the Sky had shot just 15-of-35 (42.9%) through the first three quarters—provided a solid foundation, but it was the improved perimeter shooting (40% from three) that both complemented and benefited from those interior looks. After hitting only 4-of-18 threes through three quarters, the late surge from beyond the arc offered a much-needed boost. If you’re following along—or watched the game—you get the picture: Chicago hit shots in the final quarter. And as I noted after their opening loss to the Fever, the Sky—like every other team in the W and NBA—are adjusting to a modern style where, now more than ever (though it’s always been true to some degree), games are decided by who can make shots. So, if you're looking for a simple explanation of how a 7-point lead ballooned to as many as 16 late in the fourth, that’s it.
Still, there’s real value in seeing a team take—and make—the right types of shots when it matters most. For Marsh’s, or any other, offensive system, to succeed, it requires a level of discipline from the players. And with a roster built around young bigs who score primarily inside and a more capable shooting group than last year, this team is well-suited for a refined shot profile like the one above. To beat top-tier opponents (Dallas, with these absences, isn’t one), the Sky will need far more consistency executing on that profile over 40 minutes—especially in the paint. But their ability to flip the switch late and generate efficient looks when the game was on the line is a promising sign.
3. Ariel Atkins Continues to Deliver
Like in Thursday’s win, Atkins delivered exactly what the Sky needed tonight. Offensively, she was efficient from the floor (8/14), including a strong performance from deep (4/8), drew eight free throws (double her season average), and added three assists. Defensively, Atkins was outstanding—recording four steals and two defensive rebounds while playing a key role in limiting Arike Ogunbowale (5/16 FG), who clearly felt the impact of Bueckers’ absence and struggled to find the dominant rhythm she had for periods of the Wings’ last two games.
Don’t get me wrong, Atkins’ strong play doesn’t mean that the Sky’s move to acquire her makes much more sense in the context of their overall performances this season. This team still looks at least one year away from being a serious threat in the postseason. Regardless, I think it’s important to detach a pair of concepts as it relates to Atkins’ performance this season as early into the year as possible. On one hand, the move to bring in Atkins—with such a high cost—likely won’t make sense no matter how well she plays if the Sky, as a team, continue to sit behind the majority of the pack in the WNBA.
On the other, Atkins is adding the value she was meant to. Love or hate the price tag paid to acquire her; the choice to acquire Atkins was made with a game like tonight in mind. Throw in almost any rookie—save for, perhaps, a healthy Bueckers—and the Sky lose tonight’s game. When the offense, as a whole, was struggling earlier in the game, Atkins’ critical buckets and feel for when Chicago needed her were vital. With a younger, less-experienced player, it would be unrealistic to expect such a dependable showing throughout the game. Thus, Atkins—tonight—helped the Sky win a game they otherwise wouldn’t have—doing exactly what she was brought to Chicago to do. Overall, Atkins deserves credit for her heightened level of play and aggressiveness over the last three games, and how that’s contributed heavily to lifting the Sky’s overall level.