ARLINGTON, Texas — Ariel Atkins delivered an impressive performance, scoring 26 points to lead the Chicago Sky to a 94-83 victory over the understrength Dallas Wings on Saturday night. This triumph marks the Sky’s second victory against the Wings in just three days.
The game saw Dallas without their highly anticipated rookie, Paige Bueckers, who was sidelined due to WNBA’s concussion protocol. The Wings confirmed Bueckers’ absence following their 97-92 defeat against Chicago on Thursday night, as she needed to recover from the concussion protocol issues. Bueckers, known for her standout collegiate career at UConn, was the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s WNBA draft.
Aiding Atkins in scoring for Chicago was Angel Reese, who contributed 14 points in addition to her nine rebounds. Courtney Vandersloot also significantly impacted with 15 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. Kia Nurse chipped in with 11 points, helping the Sky improve to a season record of 2-4.
On the Wings’ side, NaLyssa Smith shone by scoring 20 points. DiJonai Carrington supported with 16 points, while Arike Ogunbowale added 15 points, though she only made 5 out of 16 field-goal attempts. At halftime, Chicago had carved out a narrow lead with a score of 46-43, thanks to Atkins’ 14 first-half points. The Sky only hit 39% of their shots from the field, succeeding in 4 out of 14 attempts from behind the arc, but made up for it at the free-throw line, hitting 10 out of 11. Smith’s contribution stood out for Dallas with 13 points in the opening half.
The game statistics revealed a free-throw shooting battle, with both teams taking advantage of 51 out of 65 opportunities; Chicago made 26 and outpaced Dallas by sinking eight 3-pointers compared to Dallas’ four.
Dallas has now dropped 25 consecutive games when limited to scoring 84 points or fewer, underscoring an ongoing struggle in achieving higher scoring performances.
Looking ahead, the Chicago Sky will enjoy a brief break before returning to host the Indiana Fever on June 7. Meanwhile, the Dallas Wings head to Seattle for another round against the Storm on Tuesday, marking their second face-off of the season.