Following a 91-83 road win over the New York Liberty on Wednesday night, the Chicago Sky find themselves at 5-2 on the season, in second place in the WNBA standings, and riding a four-game winning streak.
4️⃣ in a row.
Sky Stat Leaders:@Sloot22 – 25pts, 8reb, 2stl
Cheyenne Parker – 13pts, 7reb, 3stl@alliequigley – 13pts, 3reb, 1stl@diamonddoesit1 – 12pts, 8reb pic.twitter.com/xjMZbjaEFX— Chicago Sky (@wnbachicagosky) June 20, 2019
We know this roster is talented with a nice mix of savvy veterans and athletic and highly skilled newcomers. Seeing this team play well together is a special thing. The question is their ability to stay consistent. That has been the most significant question mark as of late for Chicago.
Here are the things the Chicago Sky have done exceptionally well during their win streak.
1. Opponents Are Scoring Less
When you break down the numbers from the first three games versus the current four-game streak, you see a major difference in the points the Sky were allowing. In the first three games of the season, they were allowing opponents an average of 90 points per game. In these last four wins, they're giving up just 73.3 points. That's a 17-point difference and a staggering number. Safe to say the Sky have done a FAR better job taking care of business on the defensive end of the floor. This is an athletic team with an ability to frustrate opponents when they commit to it.
Oddly enough, Chicago's offensive production totals have decreased on average but only slightly. To start the season, they were scoring 82 points per game. During this current streak, they're scoring 80.2 points per game. Right now they rank fifth for offensive totals per game.
We're going to guess @jlav42 REALLY didn't want that to go in… ???? pic.twitter.com/nVUZD1XsLO
— Chicago Sky (@wnbachicagosky) June 19, 2019
2. They're Finally Taking Care of the Ball
Turnovers have become synonymous with the Chicago Sky. For whatever reason, this has been a sore spot for this highly talented roster. But the good news? Those turnover numbers have dropped these last few games tremendously. The Sky were averaging 17.7 turnovers a game in their first four games. In their previous three, they've been able to drop that number drastically to 11.3 per game. That's a huge difference, and you have to credit the guard play and overall cohesiveness of this roster.
3. Taking Care of Business on the Glass
Rebounding becomes such a vital stat in terms of the success you can have in this league. As of right now, Chicago ranks in the top three in terms of rebounding numbers and efficiency. Out of their seven games, they have outrebounded their opponents in five of them. The only time they were manhandled on the glass was in their first game of the season versus the Minnesota Lynx where they were outrebounded 46-29. They hold a 10.25-plus rebound advantage against their opponents these last four wins.
4. Offensively, Who's Night Will it Be?
Perhaps my favorite thing about this Chicago team is their offensive weapons. You never know who is going to step up and have a career night. The starters are scoring, the bench is scoring, and it's very entertaining to see. We've seen this squad led offensively by Diamond DeShields, Allie Quigley, Courtney Vandersloot, and Cheyenne Parker.
We will find out if Chicago can keep this impressive win streak alive when they host the Indiana Fever this Friday, June 21 at 7:00 pm ET at Wintrust Arena. Fans can catch the action on WNBA League Pass.
