It came as a shock to everyone present inside the Wintrust Arena on July 12 when the Chicago Sky beat the league leaders, the Minnesota Lynx, 87-81. No one saw it coming, as the Lynx had entered the game with a massive 72.7% chance of winning. And if that wasn’t enough, how was a team stuck with a 6-14 record supposed to pull off this feat against one at 19-3? But as the nearly impossible task was achieved, Angel Reese had only a few words to say to make her point: “I think we’re the best young core in the league for sure, hands down.” What she didn’t know was only a game later, she’d be required to do damage control.

Just two days after the two teams’ clash, the Lynx bounced back. Coming down with a 91-78 win, the Lynx had Napheesa Collier contribute 29 points, five assists and three steals, with Courtney Williams adding 18 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Meanwhile, guard Ariel Atkins, who had led the charge in the previous game with 27 points, was forced to retire on Monday with a leg injury in the first half after scoring just two points.

Their loss only fueled the narrative that maybe the win was just a fluke for Sky. But the Chicago Sky superstar was adamant about the fact that it wasn’t the case.

Speaking in the post-game conference, Reese said, “I feel like it gives us a lot of confidence. They didn’t run any special sets. It was the fact of turnovers, not boxing out, not fouling, getting back on defense….We know we can beat the best. It wasn’t a fluke the other night.” Notably, the Sky had a 2-point lead heading into the second half, but with their backcourt depth already thin without Courtney Vandersloot, losing Atkins meant that the Sky had no control whatsoever.

Reese & Co. conceded 19 turnovers, which led to 15 points. That was huge for Sky. To make matters worse, Michaela Onyenwere had to leave the game with what many feared was a concussion at the time. So no, it wasn’t about the Lynx dominating the paint or outshooting the Sky. The real issue was Chicago’s ongoing struggle with turnovers. The Windy City franchise has conceded the most turnovers in the W this year.

In tonight’s game, the Sky held the Lynx to just 34 points in the paint and shot 48.3% from the field, which is surprisingly better than Minnesota’s 46.5%. So it is quite clear that the Sky can take on anyone, provided they have their full team fit.

Also, it definitely doesn’t hurt that Reese is in the form of her life, breaking records left, right, and center!

Angel Reese continues to perform at a high level

Angel got 22 points on 9-14 shooting from the field while also grabbing 10 rebounds. This meant that she would go on to record her 9th consecutive double-double. Funny enough, no one in the league has recorded more double-doubles this season than Reese has during this stretch alone. But that’s not where it all stops.

Over her last 8 games, the Bayou Barbie is averaging 19.1 points, 14.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. And the best part? She is shooting 52.7% from the field. And according to Real Sports, she ranks top 5 in the entire WNBA this month in both points and rebounds.

The Sky have a chance to turn their season around as long as Reese continues to perform at this elite level. Whether this hot streak continues remains to be seen, but the fans are absolutely loving what she’s doing right now. What do you think? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.