Chicago Sky 105 Phoenix Mercury 76
The Chicago Sky advanced to the second round of the playoffs after beating the Phoenix Mercury 105-76 in the first round. Chicago jumped out to a 20-16 first-quarter lead behind guard Diamond DeShields’ eight points. While the Mercury rallied to keep the game close at halftime, the Sky opened up the third quarter with an unanswered 12 points to take control of the game. Chicago went on to outscore the Phoenix 29-19 in the third quarter to take a 73-60 lead heading into the final period of play. In the fourth quarter, Chicago closed out the game with a 32-16 scoring advantage and the win to move them to the second round. The margin of victory was the fourth-largest in a playoff game and the biggest ever for the Sky as a team. Five years ago, Phoenix had a 29-point win over Chicago in game two of the finals.
Seattle Storm 84 Minnesota Lynx 74
The Seattle Storm will advance to the second round of the WNBA Playoffs after defeating the Minnesota Lynx 84-74. Storm guard Jordin Canada balled out, tallying 26 points and dishing out four assists. Fellow guard Jewell Loyd added 22 points of her own, going 3-4 from downtown. With Loyd and Canada firing on all cylinders, the No. 6 Storm got a perfect performance out of their backcourt to the tune of 48 combined points. Seattles’ offensively dominant guards showed their defensive prowess as well, shutting down Minnesota’s backcourt. Lynx starting guards Odyssey Sims and Danielle Robinson could only score one point between the two of them the entire game. Center Mercedes Russell contributed 13 points for Seattle, having a day in the paint for the Storm. The Lynx went nine straight possessions without scoring with six minutes left in the fourth quarter. Following the loss, they are eliminated from the playoffs. The Seattle Storm are the defending WNBA champions and will face off in the second round against the third-seeded Los Angeles Sparks.
Seattle Storm vs. Los Angeles Sparks Preview
The Sparks were able to fight off all the adversity by ending the regular season on a 14-game home winning streak, a 7-2 overall run to earn the No. 3 seed with a 22-12 record which also came with a bye into the second round. The Sparks led the season series 3-1, defeating the Storm 92-85 in the first game, 83-75 in the third game, and 102-68 in the fourth game. The Storm won game two of the season series 84-62.
Chicago Sky vs. Las Vegas Aces
The Chicago Sky advanced to the second round of the playoffs with a 105-76 victory over the No. 8 Phoenix Mercury. In the victory, DeShields posted a playoff career-high 25 points and point guard Courtney Vandersloot dished out 11 assists. The Sparks earned a first-round bye by virtue of being the No. 3 seed. The Aces won the season series 2-1, winning the first game 90-82. In the second game of the season series, Chicago beat the Aces 87-84 and in the third game, the Aces won 100-85.
