The will take on Eastern Conference rivals on Wednesday, a crucial game for the team's tenuous Playoff hopes. But the Sky will do so without leading scorer Chennedy Carter, . Chicago abruptly canceled Tuesday's practice with multiple players feeling sick, and general manager Jeff Pagliocca told the that the team is testing for COVID-19.
“We’re testing for COVID-19 and speaking with our doctors to hear what they would suggest progression-wise,” Pagliocca said, adding that he believes Chicago will have enough players for Wednesday's game. Despite these numerous absences, Carter was the only Sky player listed on the team's game status report, with the game continuing as scheduled on Wednesday. The Sky began this massive homestand on a devastating note against , allowing to catch a sideline out-of-bounds entry underneath the rim as the presumptive MVP winner banked home a buzzer-beater to down Chicago 77-75.
Carter nearly emerged as a hero, nailing two 3-pointers in the final minute to cap off a heroic 15-2 run, but the Sky are now losers of three straight and spiraling away from playoff contention. "It's just tough when you play the way our young ladies played today," Weatherspoon told reporters during her post-game press conference. "The stick seems to be short.
For me, as their coach, it hurts to see them play so hard and not come out with a victory, especially at home. The crowd was electric. It was beautiful to play this type of crowd, the atmosphere.
" Chicago now sits at just 11-18 on the season, on pace for its worst season in over half a decade, and hangs onto the eighth and final playoff spot by just a game. and the actually did Angel Reese and company a solid on Monday evening, holding off the Dream 84-79 to temporarily preserve Chicago's postseason spot. Through much of the season, a matchup with the Mystics would be seen as the perfect "get-right game," with the capital city club hovering just two games above the WNBA basement.
However, after nearly making unsightly history with a 0-12 start, the Mystics began to look more and have recently begun translating this promise into wins, arriving in Chicago on the heels of two consecutive victories against Seattle and Los Angeles. The Sky will wrap up their three-game home stand on Friday with yet another blockbuster matchup against Clark and the Fever before hitting the road to face the WNBA's second-best player Napheesa Collier and the . With just 11 games remaining in the regular season, Chicago will play its final game from Wintrust Arena on September 15 against and the .
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