Chicago City Wire

The Chicago Sky will face the Golden State Valkyries at Wintrust Arena on Friday night, seeking their first win against the expansion team. This marks the third and final regular-season meeting between the two teams. The previous two games were closely contested, each decided by seven points or fewer.

Golden State enters the matchup with a 17-15 record in its inaugural WNBA season and is currently on a three-game winning streak. In their last encounter, the Valkyries defeated Chicago 73-66, overcoming a late push by the Sky.

Northwestern alumna Veronica Burton has been a key contributor for Golden State, recently recording 30 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in a win over Washington. Against Chicago earlier this month, Burton had 18 points, four rebounds, and seven assists. Janelle Salaün added 16 points and nine rebounds while Carla Leite contributed 11 points in that game. Iliana Rupert also provided scoring off the bench with four three-pointers for a total of 14 points.

Chicago will have to prepare for Cecilia Zandalasini and Tiffany Hayes, both of whom missed the previous matchup due to injury. Zandalasini scored 20 points with seven rebounds and four assists in her latest game. Hayes, who was named Sixth Woman of the Year in 2024 and has twelve years of league experience, is averaging 12.2 points and three assists per game.

In their most recent loss to Golden State on August 1st, four Sky players reached double figures. Cardoso recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds; Williams led with 15 points, eight rebounds, and three assists; Rachel Banham had 14 points along with five rebounds and seven assists; Kia Nurse added ten points and seven assists. The Sky shot just over 42% from the field but struggled from beyond the arc at just over 27%.

Chicago outscored Golden State on fast breaks in that contest but committed more turnovers on average (16.9 per game) compared to Golden State’s (14.8). Despite dropping their last three games, including a close contest against Connecticut where they rallied from a significant deficit to come within four points late in the game, Chicago has shown resilience.

Inside play remains crucial for Chicago’s chances as Williams and Cardoso continue to provide strong performances in the paint. Cardoso is averaging fourteen points per game in August while Williams has posted all three of her season double-doubles this month alone. In their last meeting against Golden State, Chicago held a ten-point advantage scoring inside.

The teams are expected to match up evenly again as both look for advantages heading into Friday’s matchup at Wintrust Arena.