Chicago City Wire

The Chicago Sky will face the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday, July 6 at 6 p.m. CT in the first of four matchups scheduled for this month. The Lynx, who reached the Finals last season, currently lead the WNBA with a 15-2 record after starting the season with nine consecutive wins.

Minnesota's success is attributed to their veteran lineup, returning eight players from last year, including all five starters. Napheesa Collier, a 2025 All-Star Captain and 2024 Defensive Player of the Year, leads the team. She averages 24.6 points per game on 52.5% shooting and contributes 8.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

The Lynx rank second in league offense with an average of 85.7 points per game and lead in assists with 23.9 per game. Kayla McBride has been significant since her return, averaging 15.4 points and shooting 41.4% from three-point range.

Courtney Williams and Alanna Smith have been crucial on both ends of the court for Minnesota this season. Williams averages 12.8 points, while Smith leads in blocks with an average of 2.5 per game.

Chicago Sky is coming off a week’s rest and ended June strong with Angel Reese as a key player, averaging impressive stats in recent games. Chicago aims to dominate rebounding and paint scoring against Minnesota's weaknesses observed in their losses to Seattle and Indiana.

Reese and Elizabeth Williams are pivotal for Chicago inside the paint; Williams contributed significantly in their last game with nine rebounds.

Ariel Atkins, Rachel Banham, and Kia Nurse have also been essential offensively for Chicago recently, contributing over half of their team's points in recent games.

In previous encounters during preseason play, both teams won one game each against each other. Overall, Chicago trails Minnesota in their series history by a margin of 18-27.

Chicago's strategy may involve capitalizing on turnovers since Minnesota has shown vulnerability here during their losses this season by allowing opponents to score off turnovers more frequently than usual.

The Sky will aim to leverage this aspect as they prepare to face the Lynx on Sunday evening.