The Windy City was headed for a storm. Chicago was in the sky after their first win against the Minnesota Lynx since 2023, as they went hard at Sky with playful online trolling towards the Lynx, referencing an old quote from Courtney Williams. Minnesota did not take that trolling kindly, as they were back to winning ways, and Chicago went back to struggling in the rematch. 

Angel Reese continued her red-hot streak, powering the Sky with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists, marking her 15th double-double of the season and her ninth in a row. Rachel Banham chipped in 15 points along with two rebounds and two assists. But the Lynx simply had more firepower, led by a near-30-point explosion from Napheesa Collier, who poured in 29. It seemed like both teams were back to default settings after that blip. The Sky offense is struggling, paired with a return to form for the Lynx. And it does not get any easier for the Sky going forward as they next face the tall and hunky Atlanta Dream.

The Dream is also down as they let slip a 19-point lead against the New York Liberty. The first quarter was owned by the Dream, limiting the Liberty to just 13 while scoring 26. Since then, they dropped off, and you can’t afford that against the defending champions, even if they are in a bad patch right now, as they continued to eat away at that lead. The Liberty just proved too much for the Dream as their pacy style overwhelmed the bigs of Atlanta. Their next challenge is slightly different as they face a very similar team to themselves. Let’s get to the Injury report for both teams:

Chicago Sky vs Atlanta Dream: Injury Report

That loss stung a little extra for the Sky as their last game’s star, Ariel Atkins, exited after 15 minutes of action with a leg injury. Later, Michaela Onyenwere went down hard in transition and stayed on the floor for a moment before being helped off. Coach Marsh provided brief updates after the game.

“I think Michaela is fine. No concussion. Ariel is still being evaluated,” Marsh said.

Atkins and Onyenwere are considered game-day decisions for the Sky, but considering the sentiment, Onyenwere is likely to participate. Atkins remains uncertain. The Sky is already without veteran Courtney Vandersloot, who underwent ACL surgery in June.

Its not better for the Atlanta Dream as Rhyne Howard remains out with her knee injury.Howard fell in the second quarter of the Fever game while going for a rebound attempt. Trainers assisted her off the floor and into the locker room as she struggled to put weight on her left leg.She is sidelined for the remainder of July.

Predicted Lineups:

Chicago Sky:

Kia Nurse

Michaela Onyenwere

Angel Reese

Kamilla Cardoso

Rachel Banham

Atlanta Dream:

Brionna Jones

Brittney Griner

Allisha Gray

Jordin Canada

Maya Caldwell

Chicago Sky vs Atlanta Dream: Match Preview And Prediction

Both teams are coming off a loss and are down key players. But Dream will be missing Howard a lot more than Sky’s injuries, where they will likely have both players back soon. Howard is the team’s second-best scorer and assister, along with being an All-Star. On top of that, she became the fastest player in WNBA history to tally 300 career three-pointers, and Howard tied the single-game WNBA record by hitting nine three-pointers in a 36-point performance last month against none other than the Chicago Sky. The team is already the ninth-best team when it comes to outside shooting, and Howard was the high-volume three-point shooter, the threat from outside. Naz Hamilton replaced Howard in their previous game, shooting 3-6 from the three-point line, and they will hope she continues a similar form as they will need that against the Sky, who dominate the paint. 

Chicago also has similar problems with Ariel Atkins being out, as she played a similar role for the Sky, being one of the primary scorers while also being a credible outside threat. With her being out, that role falls to Rachel Benham, who has been decent ever since being included in the lineup, scoring 8.2 points while getting 2.3 assists per game. Cardoso will need to bounce back after a tough outing, while Reese can’t afford a breather, as her superhuman efforts are the lifeline keeping the Sky in the fight.

The Dream plays a similar game, trying to dominate the inside with the bigs Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones. The difference comes with their ability to shoot from the outside, which outclasses Sky’s ability. However, their ability in the paint hasn’t been as expected, as they fall behind the Sky in many aspects. Griner is having a career-low season in almost every metric. Brionna Jones has been ferocious, but she alone can’t go up against the Skyscrapers of the Sky. Angel Reese and Co. will hit that paint hard while the Dream will try and get them from the outside. This cat and mouse match up will make this an interesting matchup, but the Dream is heavily favoured to win this with a 64.5% chance on the ESPN predictor. The Sky have a very good chance if they succeed in outmatching the Dream around the rim, but their defense would have to be tight, too. Too much depends on the bigs for them to get a win in this one, so the expectation is that Dream will go past Reese and Co.