The Chicago Sky came to Target Center looking to put a stop to their current losing streak. They did not. What they did do was put up quite a fight against the Minnesota Lynx, who were looking to bounce back from their previous loss to the Dallas Wings. The Lynx managed to bounce just high enough to win, but it was not without a strong effort from Chicago.
Angel Reese came to Sylvia Fowles‘s house and broke her 2018 404 rebound record, amassing 418 to date. Reese also scored 17 points. Kamilla Cardoso is simply a scoring tower, and Chicago is adept at getting her the ball. Cardoso scored a career-high 22 points and added 9 rebounds. Michaela Onyenwere scored 15, adding some pop to the Sky.
Chicago outrebounded Minnesota 38-24, scored 42 points in the paint against Minnesota’s 26, and scored 16 second-chance points compared to Minnesota’s 8. Minnesota turned Chicago over 21 times and scored 27 points off turnovers compared to Minnesota giving up 10 points off of 10 turnovers.
A Highly Competitive Second Half in Minnesota
Minnesota came out looking strong in the first quarter, but from there on they had to fight tooth and nail to maintain their lead. By halftime, the Lynx had increased their lead by one to lead 39-32 at the break. Both teams paced each other in the third quarter, and Minnesota added one more point to their lead. In the fourth, Chicago opened with a 9-2 run to tie the game at 62-62, and that’s when Courtney Williams took over.
Williams scored 10 of her 22 points in the fourth, essentially winning Minnesota’s game. The Lynx got 17 points from Kayla McBride and 15 from Napheesa Collier, who struggled at times to find the bottom of the hoop. With Alanna Smith out with an ankle injury, both Myisha Hines-Allen and Dorka Juhász worked in tandem to pick up the slack. Hines-Allen is becoming a good addition to the roster, adding experience and tenacity, while Juhász continues to improve on her rookie season with strong performances.
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) September 1, 2024
Of course, the Sky were without Chennedy Carter, their dynamic guard who went from the bench to being a starter. Is it possible that there would have been a different outcome had Carter played? Quite possibly. Carter brings a much different energy to the floor and has strong scoring ability. Had the Lynx had Smith, they might have been able to stop both Cardoso and Reese a little more at the rim.
A couple of big ifs, and very likely the scenario we’ll see when Chicago returns to the Target Center on September 13. It is safe to say that both teams will be looking to improve on this game and with Carter and Smith back in the lineups, that will help both sides.
What’s Next For Minnesota and Chicago?
Minnesota hits the road to face Indiana on September 6, and Chicago heads to Las Vegas on Tuesday. The Sky will have played three home games before returning to Minnesota, while the Lynx will have played three road games before the next meeting at Target Center. At this point in the season, everyone is fatigued, so it will be interesting to see who can work around that. We’re in the home stretch. It’s going to be an exciting finish.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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