Basketball is a game of mistakes. You make wrong moves, and you pay. Saturday night, the Chicago Sky signed the check. For nearly 30 minutes, Kamilla Cardoso and the Sky looked unstoppable as they never allowed their hosts in Dallas to lead the entire night. However, within the last 35 seconds, everything changed, and the Sky’s dream to end their five-game losing streak ended. The culprit at the end? The same center who did just about anything to bring Chicago to the win column.

With Dallas trailing 86-92 in the final 35.7 seconds, rookie Sydney Taylor, who has become the Sky’s offensive machine, committed an off-ball foul. That was her sixth foul, and not only did she have to leave the floor for good, but gave Azzi Fudd a free throw. Within five seconds, Paige Bueckers made a free throw for an and-1 on Natasha Cloud. That effectively brings the score to 91-92.

Sky’s head coach called for a reset timeout, but Cardoso’s luck got worse from there.

With 30.6 seconds in the regulation, Cloud sent the ball inbound to Cardoso. But with Li Yueru pressuring her, she stepped into the backcourt and turned the ball over. The clock was down to 29.8 seconds, the Sky were still leading by one, but Cardoso committed her sixth foul while stopping Yueru from making a layup after Bueckers fell down. The Wings’ No. 28 made the two free throws with the clock stopped at 12.5 to end the game.

The Sky did not have either of their offensive powerhouses, Taylor and Cardoso, on the floor. Jacy Sheldon sent the ball to Skylar Diggins, but the latter collided with her defender and lost the ball. Sheldon saved it, but her jumper fell out. Azura Stevens grabbed two offensive rebounds to knock the ball back in, and then Cloud.

The ball refused to go in, and the Wings won.

That, in the very end, was why Cardoso could not hold her emotions anymore. The cameras turned towards the Brazilian with twelve seconds in the game, who sat on the bench, covering her face with a towel, probably repeating what had just happened.

What’s worse is that Stevens probably got fouled in those final few seconds while trying to rebound, but no referee called it. Head coach Marsh went to the referee after the buzzer, but did not get any help.

The entire sequence was not just frustrating, but that is exactly what happened in their last game against the New York Liberty. But the center believed that it happened because she turned the ball over on a crucial reset timeout and then fouled on an even more critical play. But in reality, she did everything to get her team a win.

Before she had to sit out, Kamilla Cardoso was doing almost everything she could to push Chicago to the finish line. The 6-foot-7 center scored a game-high and her season-best with 26 points, nine rebounds, and three assists.

These final seconds were so unexpected that even those on the floor were left stunned by how it unfolded.

“I don’t think I even have words. I cannot believe we just won that game,” Paige Bueckers told CBS Sports‘ Tiffany Blackmon in the sideline interview.

As the game ended, Cardoso could not hold her emotions and left for the tunnel with tears in her eyes. It didn’t take time for the fans to flood social media.

Fans rally around Kamilla Cardoso

Not surprisingly, the controversial ending left fans with plenty to say, especially about the refs.

One fan said, “That was a ghost call; she didn’t touch the other player… glasses, anyone???” while another added, “Refs suck in the WNBA. It makes games unwatchable sometimes.”

When Cardoso was fouled out, even the announcers mentioned that they did not see any contact. But nothing came of it.

Officiating has been a major talking point across the WNBA this season. After the league placed a greater emphasis on freedom of movement, foul calls have surged league-wide. Personal fouls have jumped from an average of 32.4 per game in 2025 to 41.8 through the first month of the 2026 season.

So Saturday’s matchup wasn’t much different as officials blew the whistle 47 times. That means there was more than one foul call every minute on average. However, while some fans were busy bashing the officiating, others chose to focus on what Cardoso accomplished before the game slipped away.

One fan wrote, “Wishing her a better season fr 😢🥺.” While another added, “Great Game by Kamilla.”

The Chicago Sky entered the 2026 WNBA season looking like one of the league’s most promising teams behind Rickea Jackson, who led them to three wins while averaging 18 points per game. But the narrative around this team quickly changed when Jackson suffered a season-ending ACL injury.

With her star teammate out, Kamilla Cardoso took on a bigger role and delivered one of her strongest performances of the season against Dallas. Now, results are yet to follow them as they sit 4-11 in the season; if Cardoso can build on what she showed against the Wings, Chicago may finally have a foundation to build around moving forward.

Meanwhile, one fan kept things simple and said. “Keep your head up, Milla!”

Ever since Cardoso entered the league, the Sky has only managed losing seasons. While things were about to turn this year, Angel Reese was traded to dent the team’s defense. While veterans like Diggins and Could came in, nothing much changed.

This loss will definitely sting for a while, but Kamilla Cardoso and the Sky have no time to dwell on the heartbreak. They return to action on June 22 against the Connecticut Sun, where they’ll look to regroup quickly and snap their recent slide.