Oh, how different things might’ve looked for Chicago had they landed Brittney Sykes instead. Imagine this: in exchange for their prized No. 3 pick in 2025, a 2027 second-rounder, and a 2027 first-round swap with the Mystics, the Sky walk away with not just a veteran, but The Veteran Firestarter. Ariel Atkins is good, but she’s not all that. Sure, 7 assists and 10 points are an undeniable contribution. But when Brittney drops 32 on the other side, no one from Angel Reese’s squad even comes close.

Those stats are unmatchable, but it’s something deeper that makes Slim a perfect fit for the sky. Angel Reese isn’t the type to click with everyone, especially not with rivals. But with Sykes, there is mutual respect, a real connection. And for a team being built around Angel, that kind of alignment is gold. Why do I say that? A postgame clip went viral on X (formerly Twitter), where Reese found Brittney and hugged her like they had just won something together. To be able to do that after facing a brutally close loss, it speaks volumes.

However, that affectionate display is not all either. The audience got a glimpse of courtside cinema from the two. They somehow managed to pull a Titanic pose, right in the middle of all the hardwood chaos. Reese, just like Jack, was holding Sykes steady. Her arms were all out, eyes up, and the whole scene was dripping with irony. Because somehow, just like Rose, Brittney survived. Chicago, watching from the sidelines, was left to wonder if maybe they let the wrong one drift away.

Seems like all of that happened naturally. Not at all staged, forced, or thought through. It was just two players caught in a moment. And the proof is that Angel Reese herself took it to X with the kind of bewildered honesty only she can pull off. She wrote, “I’m actually so dead cause what were we doing here?????”. She even tagged Sykes with a laughing emoji; her energy there said it all. Reese was absolutely clueless about how it came to be.

Which is fine, really. As long as she has a clue of how Chicago managed to blow up a 12-point lead in the first half. The Sky were up 44-32 at the break, only to get ambushed in the third quarter. Sykes was the one who set the tone. She scored the first four points, and then it was all Mystics. Before Chicago could even react, Washington erupted on an 18-4 blitz. That flipped the script completely. That third quarter was a takeover; it had a 24-12 beatdown that included a 20-4 stretch so dominant that it left the Sky spinning. For a side looking to climb up the table, meltdowns such as this one cannot happen, something Angel Reese was brutally honest about in her post-match interview.

Angel Reese’s realization and acceptance

Angel Reese didn’t make up any excuses after the game. She straight-up owned her mistakes. “For me, seven turnovers just can’t happen,” she said in the post-game press conference. “I mean, I know I’m trying to make good plays and I’m looking for the right pass and I’m trying to believe my guards… I got to be better, and that’s on me. I’m going to take that for the turnovers.” Gotta respect the accountability, but here’s the thing, this isn’t just a one-game problem.

The Sky are coughing up 16.6 turnovers a night this season, and Reese is leading the charge with 3.6 per game, up from 2.2 last year. Why the jump? Well, Chicago has got her playing more point-forward. It means that she’s handling the ball way more, and yes, that comes with some growing pains. Still, let’s not act like she didn’t ball out otherwise. Her 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists on 7-of-13 shooting is a solid night by any standard.

But here’s the cold truth: if the Sky keep turning it over like this, especially in crunch time, all those stats won’t mean a thing. Meanwhile, Brittney Sykes went off for Washington, torching Chicago with 32 points on 13-of-24 shooting. And while Kamilla Cardoso did her part with 18 and 10, it wasn’t enough. The Mystics snapped their three-game losing streak, moving to 5-7, while the Sky are stuck in a rut at 3-8. Angel Reese is holding it down, but somebody else has to step up, and fast, before this season slips away completely.