After the Chicago Sky’s five-game winning streak ended Wednesday, they will look to start a new run of success Thursday when they face the team with the worst record in the WNBA.
Chicago will visit the Indiana Fever at Indianapolis after losing 81-78 to the Minnesota Lynx. The Sky (15-6) shot 39.7 percent from the field (31 of 78) and 30.3 percent on 3-point attempts (10 of 33).
“We usually shoot much better,” Sky guard Allie Quigley said. “Just one of those nights where it’s not going in and we just have to adjust a little bit earlier.”
Chicago only attempted seven free throws and committed 15 turnovers.
“We weren’t patient,” Sky coach James Wade said. “You saw the ball was a little stagnant. I thought when we moved it we got good stuff, but we just weren’t patient enough to do that the entire time.”
The Fever (5-18) will be looking to snap a five-game losing streak. They opened a four-game homestand on Tuesday with a 95-73 loss to the Seattle Storm. All of the defeats during the Fever’s slide have been decided by double digits.
“It’s the ability to compete for 40 minutes,” Fever coach Carlos Knox said of what has been lacking. “Defensive schemes and offensive sets, those types of things that come down to the wire, we need to stay more engaged the last 10-15 minutes of the game. We compete for a certain amount of time.”
Guard Kelsey Mitchell remains one of the lone bright spots for Indiana. She bounced back from a game in which she scored three points and committed six turnovers by scoring 21 points and making just one turnover Tuesday. Mitchell has averaged 18.6 points and has scored 20 or more points in 14 of 23 games.
“Kelsey is a dynamic player, a dynamic scorer,” Knox said. “Her work ethic is second to none. She’s always in the gym, she’s always engaged, watching film. It’s no question hands down that she’s an All-Star in this league.”
Despite the disparity in records, the teams have split the season series in two close games. Chicago won the first meeting 95-90 at home on May 24 and dropped the rematch 89-87 at Indianapolis on June 19.
