Sky's latest loss in four-game skid threatens to derail playoff berth
The Mystics stood to gain nothing with a victory Wednesday night.
Their spot in the draft lottery is all but secured as they sit more than two games out of the playoff picture, and they stand to lose another lottery pick if the Dream pass the Sky for the eighth and final playoff spot.
But they played like a team with everything on the line. Meanwhile, the Sky — who narrowly lead the Dream for that eighth spot — failed for the third consecutive game to execute late.
Their 74-70 loss to the Mystics was by far their worst during this four-game skid because of whom they lost to and how they handed the game over.
“Grow up,” Diamond DeShields said when asked about what’s needed from the team to improve in late-game situations.
DeShields elaborated, saying that executing in clutch moments requires some experience. The Sky’s previous two games — one was lost because of a foul committed in the final seconds and the other on a buzzer-beater by two-time MVP A’ja Wilson — weren’t experience enough.
The Sky committed seven turnovers in the fourth quarter and a season-high 23 overall, which the Mystics converted into 21 points.
“We have to go back and see why those turnovers are happening,” coach Teresa Weatherspoon said. “It was lack of movement, lack of getting open, allowing them to push us out of where we want to run our offense.”
Weatherspoon called the game against the 10th-place Mystics a must-win. Without leading scorer Chennedy Carter — who was out because of health and safety protocols — it proved to be too tall of a task. With only 10 games left in the regular season, the Sky are fighting for their playoff lives.
A 15-4 third-quarter run helped give the Sky a four-point lead going into the fourth, but they were outscored 20-12 in the final 10 minutes.
Michaela Onyenwere led the Sky with 15 points, and DeShields added 12. The Sky’s rookie bigs Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso accounted for 25 of the team’s 36 rebounds.
“There are many areas to grow from when you’re in these moments,” Weatherspoon said. “These are big moments to grow from.
‘‘Film tells you a lot, especially what we do defensively and those miscues that I always talk about. How we can’t have those. How we have to have every board that comes off the glass. In crucial moments, you have to do all the little things right.”
Sky players and Weatherspoon wore masks throughout the day, including on the bench and after the game with the media. The team abruptly canceled practice Tuesday after multiple players became ill.
When asked if Carter would be ready to go Friday, Weatherspoon said, “She’ll be fine.”
The Sky’s schedule over the next 1½ weeks is unforgiving. A game against the Fever — who are 7-2 in their last nine games against teams with a winning record — awaits them Friday. After that, they’ll play the Lynx and Aces on the road.
With a sixth consecutive postseason appearance at stake, the reality for the Sky is that while other teams are coming together, they appear to be coming apart — winning only one game since returning from the Olympic break.
“For us, it’s all about perspective,” DeShields said. “A lot of that you don’t get without experience. We’re learning a lot of hard lessons right now.
‘‘My hope is that we can get a grasp on it now and continue to make a playoff push because we really do have a special group.”