Tag: Chicago Sky

Photo Courtesy of Lorie Shaull

2019 WNBA Playoffs: Chicago Sky vs Las Vegas Aces Preview

After an exciting first round on Wednesday, the WNBA playoffs are back. The second round is set to begin as the Los Angeles Sparks host the Seattle Storm. Then, the Las Vegas Aces host the Chicago Sky.

Like the first round, the second round is single elimination. If the fourth seed Aces win this game, they advance to the Semifinals to play the Washington Mystics. Or, if the fifth seed Sky wins, they will have to wait on the first game today between the Storm and the Sparks to decide their opponent since it is all based on seeding each round.

The Mystics and the Connecticut Sun earned a double-bye after becoming the top two seeds of the league.

The Sky advanced to the second round after a 29-point win over the Pheonix Mercury. Diamond DeShields led the Sky as she finished the game with 25 points. She was one of five players to score in double-figures as starters Stefanie Dolson and Astou Ndour scored 16 points each and Allie Quigley had 15. Cheyenne Parker had 11 points off the bench.

The Sky beat the Mercury as Phoenix dealt with injuries. Their guard Diana Taurasi missed the game due to a hamstring injury. She missed this game and only played six games all season. Then, the Mercury lost another critical player, as Brittney Griner left the game after knocking knees with Quigley in the second quarter. She would return to the game but she was limited in her minutes. The Mercury battled injuries while the Sky played their game. Now, they face a tough opponent in the Aces.

The Aces are a team to watch in the playoffs. They landed at the fourth seed after going 21-13 in the regular season.

Unlike the Sky, the Aces have not played in a week. The Aces received a first-round bye. In the WNBA playoffs, the third and fourth seed receive first-round byes and wait for opponents until the second round. With the Sky’s win, the Aces have their second-round opponent.

In the regular season, the Aces won the season series 2-1. Their first win was a 90-82 win in July and the other in August.

Photo by Lorie Shaull

In their wins, Aces star A’Ja Wilson played in both games. When the Aces lost, Wilson was battling an injury. So, Wilson who is averaging 16.5 points per game, will be a factor in whether the Aces advance or not.

For the Aces, their key players in Liz Cambage who leads the team with 8.2 rebounds per game, Kayla McBride and Wilson have a total of three playoff games combined. They are the team of youth and talent that are inexperienced, but that nativity can play in their favor.

The Sky are riding high off their win in the first round. DeShields played well, and they won by 27-points. Their offense ran smoothly in that game, and if they do the same in this game, there have a good chance at winning.

The Aces and Sky game should be a good one. The Aces barely nudged out the Sky for the higher seed and home court advantage. The Sky could have some revenge tonight and have this game show who is truly the better team. This will be a tight close game, possibly the best playoff game so far in 2019.

You can watch this game today at 5 pm ET on ESPN 2 after the Storm vs Sparks game.

Photo Courtesy of Lorie Shaull

2019 WNBA Playoffs: Phoenix Mercury vs Chicago Sky Preview

The 2019 WNBA Playoffs have officially begun! Today is the first day of what will be an exciting playoffs. The festivities start with a game between the Phoenix Mercury and the Chicago Sky.

The 2019 playoffs begin today (Sept.11) and will potentially go on until Oct.10. Today’s games will be single elimination, which means either the Sky or Mercury will go home, and the later game, between the Storm or Lynx will have one of them go home as well. So, this is a must-win situation for these four teams.

The first game of the playoffs is the matchup between the Mercury and Sky. The Sky are the fifth seed of the playoffs as they finished the regular season with a record of 20-14. The Mercury are the eighth seed as they finished the season 15-19.

In the regular season, the Sky won their season series against the Mercury 3-0. In their first matchup, they beat the Mercury 82-75 in Chicago. Then, in August, the Sky beat the Mercury 94-86. Their final matchup took place this month, as the Sky beat the Mercury in a blowout win. They beat them 105-78.

All-Star Diamond Deshields has had a standout year for the Sky as she led the team in scoring with 16.2 points. Deshields played well throughout the season and had help from other players such as Allie Quigley, who averaged 13.8 points and shot 39 percent from deep. If Chicago plays like they did in the regular season, there is a good chance that they advance to the next round. However, we cannot count out the Mercury.

While the Mercury lost their last four games in the season, they are still a threat. They are led by veteran players Brittney Griner and DeWanna Bonner, both of which were on the Mercury’s Championship team in 2014. Griner was the league leader in scoring with 20.7 points. Bonner wasn’t too far behind as she was fifth in scoring with 17.2 points. Even though Griner averaged 20 points in the Seattle series this season and Bonner averaged 19.3 points both will have to put up even more points in this game if the Mercury want to pull out the win.

  • The Phoenix Mercury are ready to go (Photo Courtesy of Lorie Shaull)

While the Mercury have dealt with injuries (such as Diana Taurasi, who is doubtful in this game), they are not a team to take lightly. If they play well, they can give the Sky a challenge.

The WNBA playoffs are already off to a good start. These two teams want to win and have what it takes to get to the next round and anything can happen in postseason.

Tip-off is set for 8:00 pm ET over on ESPN 2.