There was a period at Target Center on Friday where you could see the Chicago Sky’s resolve wane with one missed shot and their confidence dwindle.
“You could feel the team breaking down,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said after her team beat Chicago 83-66 for its fifth straight win and 12th in 13 games. “You could see the exhaustion.”
It took a minute, but finally the lynx cleaned the clock of heaven.
The way they did it was familiar after another annoying slow start: defense of the smothering kind.
After allowing Chicago to shoot over 50% after one quarter and building a six-point lead, the Lynx held Chicago to 8 of 34 shooting in the second and third quarters and outscored the Sky 48-22.
The Lynx (28-9) tied the franchise record for most wins in a season (the 2016 team finished 28-6). They remained second in the WNBA standings, with games in New York (first place) and Connecticut (third place) before the season finale at home against Los Angeles.
The offense was impressive, too, with Courtney Williams and Alanna Smith both posting double-doubles against their old team. Williams, who still marvels at opponents getting under blocks, converted her last six shots and posted 14 points and 10 rebounds. Smith, who the Sky had suggested in the past would be no match for Chicago inside, posted a season-high 12 rebounds and 11 points.
