Chicago City Wire

The Chicago Sky will face the Seattle Storm for the second time this season at Wintrust Arena on Tuesday, August 19. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. CT.

In their previous meeting on July 14, Chicago lost to Seattle with a score of 57-95. Kamilla Cardoso and Rachel Banham led the Sky in that game, each scoring 13 points. Cardoso also recorded 13 rebounds and a steal, marking her fourth double-double of the season. She has since increased her double-double total to nine as she enters Tuesday’s matchup.

During the first meeting, Chicago was without Angel Reese due to a back injury and Ariel Atkins because of a leg injury. Both players have returned to action and currently lead the team in scoring. Reese averages 14.2 points per game and leads in rebounds with 12.6 per game, while Atkins contributes an average of 12.9 points per game.

For Seattle, Skylar Diggins was the top performer in July with 21 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. Nneka Ogwumike added ten points along with three rebounds and two steals, while Gabby Williams contributed ten points as well as notable numbers in assists (seven), rebounds (four), steals (three), and blocks (one). On the season, Ogwumike leads Seattle in both scoring at 18.2 points per game and rebounding at 7.3 per game.

Seattle recently acquired Brittney Sykes from Washington Mystics through a trade involving Alysha Clark, Zia Cooke, and a future draft pick on August 5. In her first five games with Seattle, Sykes has averaged 14.4 points—making her the team's third leading scorer—alongside averages of 3.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per contest.

The Storm hold a record of 17-17 as they seek to improve their playoff position heading into Tuesday’s contest.

Turnovers are expected to be significant in this matchup; Seattle leads the WNBA in steals at an average of 8.4 per game—Gabby Williams tops their roster with an average of 2.4 steals—and also ranks first in fast-break points at nearly thirteen per outing (12.7). The Storm are second only to Minnesota when it comes to generating points off turnovers (17.3 per game). By contrast, Chicago allows more opponent points off turnovers than any other team in the league (19.2).

Second-chance scoring may also influence Tuesday's outcome: While Seattle ranks near last for second-chance points (9.2), Chicago is fourth overall with an average of eleven such points each night thanks largely to its strength on offensive boards—the Sky pull down nearly ten offensive rebounds per contest (9.8), trailing only Dallas among all teams.