Takeaways from the final Sky-Fever matchup of the 2024 WNBA season

CHICAGO – It was not a good night for the Chicago Sky‘s defense, in front of a star-studded crowd no less.

The Indiana Fever, riding a hot streak into Chicago since the end of the Olympic break, made the Sky pay by surging to a lead and pulling their starters midway through the fourth.

There was plenty of attention on the game, too. Basketball hall of farmer Shaq, WNBA legend Sue Bird, women’s soccer legend Megan Rapino, Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, Bears running back D’Andre Swift and the Bulls’ first-round pick Matas Buzelis were all in attendance for the sell out crowd.

Here are our takeaways from the Sky’s 100-81 loss to the Fever.

The Sky’s defense struggled

The Fever are red hot right now. Clark is working in unison with NaLyssa Smith, Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull and are 5-1 since the end of the Olympic break.

They went through the Sky‘s defense easily.

Indiana were shooting over 50 percent from the floor when they took out their starters. The Fever made 13 3-pointers, too.

That was too much for the Sky, who have been struggling as a team offensively and could not keep up.

It was the first time the Sky allowed 100 points this season to an opposing team.

The Sky improved their turnovers, only giving up 13 turnovers Friday night. However, on those turnovers the Fever scored 25 points. That’s a massive hole to dig out of.

“Defense is a will and a want to,” Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon. “The hardest thing to play in the game is to defense, and you do so in control without fouling.”

Before the Olympic break ended, the Sky were always going to look different because of the Marina Mabrey trade.

Mabrey’s exit meant the Sky would then look to another player for some scoring efforts. Enter: Onyenwere.

She’s scored 15 points or more in the last three games for the Sky as a player that’s emerged as an offensive threat. In those three games, she’s also hit six 3-pointers. That’s not an exorbitant number, but for the Sky this season that’s a massive boon for a team that shipped its best shooter away for draft picks.

This is a continuation for Onyenwere, who didn’t have a lot of minutes in the first half of the season but was still ready if her number was called.

“That’s kinda what you have to do as a pro, is kind of just like adapt to different kind of situations and different roles,” Onyenwere said on Aug. 9. “Knowing the plays, being able to execute the plays, being able to come here and know that even though I wasn’t playing, like I was locked in all the time, focused all the time.”

Now, the Sky need her as they try to develop offensive options for the future.

Nothing was different for Onyenwere, except the Sky needed her to step up. To her credit, she has.

“Everything for me kind of stays the same,” Onyenwere said. “It’s probably taking me up another level.”

These two teams are in two different eras

The Sky started out hot. They went on a 15-1 run in the first quarter and led 24-14.

At the 4:11 mark of the first quarter, the Fever went on a 29-8 run to close the first half.

This isn’t a shocking development, though. The Fever are just in a much better place than the Sky are as a franchise.

Not only does Indiana have its own rookie phenom in Clark, but they also have Kelsey Mitchell, Erica Wheeler, NaLyssa Smith, Aliyah Boston and Lexie Hull. That’s a core that will remain in Indianapolis.

The Sky, however, will continue to be rebuilding.

Putting Reese on a team like Indiana would be different. There are already multiple WNBA All-Stars and shooters that make a more complete team.

This isn’t a knock against the Sky. They chose the rebuilding path before the season started. Indiana has been rebuilding for the past two years.

Case in point: Onyenwere missed a layup and was given a technical foul after Clark scored on the other end. The Fever are just more composed.

The Sky can get there. It’s just not right now. The tension is just elevated a bit more as the Sky are in striking distance of a playoff spot.