Womens Hoops

WNBA: Chicago Sky overwhelmed by Connecticut Sun in paint, on boards

Chicago Sky v Connecticut Sun - Game Four

For much of 2022, the Chicago Sky have had a habit of making things close. Fourteen of their 36 regular-season games were decided by five points or fewer (Chicago went 9-5 in those games) and they’ve tacked on two more nail-biters in their ongoing semifinals series against the Connecticut Sun, losing Game 1 of the series 68-63 and winning Game 3 76-72.

Tuesday’s Game 4, however, was not nearly as competitive, and the Sky found themselves in a position they’ve rarely been put in: on the wrong side of a blowout. Facing playoff elimination on their home court, the Sun blitzed the Sky from the opening tip, leading by as many as 27 points in a crucial 104-81 victory.

The Sky haven’t had many games like this since winning it all in 2021. Even in defeat, Chicago has been tenacious; the Sky’s average margin of defeat in their 13 losses this season has been seven points, according to Across the Timeline. The team’s fourth-quarter magic (8.9 points per 100 possessions better than its opponents β€” best in the WNBA) has turned several would-be blowout losses into either improbable victories or close, β€œmoral” defeats.

There was no such outcome on Tuesday. While the Sky’s side of the box score doesn’t seem downright atrocious β€” 47.6 percent shooting, six players in double-digit scoring, 15 turnovers to Connecticut’s 14 β€” they were dominated on the boards by the physical and ferocious Sun, allowing 39 rebounds to just 23 of their own.

Combine the significant rebounding margin with a WNBA playoff-record 66 points in the paint and you get a result that’s firmly in favor of one team β€” and that team wasn’t Chicago.

Emma Meesseman was a bright spot for Chicago in Game 4, shooting 7-of-13 from the field and recording a team-high six assists.
Photo by Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images

The Sky will now return home for a winner-take-all Game 5 with a trip to the WNBA Finals on the line β€” a situation Chicago head coach James Wade is disappointed his team finds itself in.

β€œThe game is played in between the lines. It really doesn’t matter where we play at,” Wade told reporters after Game 4. β€œIt’s always more comfortable for us to play at home, but we can’t lean on that as a comfort. We have to come out and play our brand of basketball no matter where we play.”

That brand of basketball β€”…

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