Nope, the Reese Return takes center stage in the WNBA on Tuesday night, as Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream visit the Chicago Sky (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).<\/p>\n
The disintegration between the Sky organization and their former star is well-trod ground, with both sides moving on to what they thought would be brighter days.<\/p>\n
For Angel, that Dream has been realized with Atlanta. The Dream are 7-3, firmly in position to secure a top-four playoff seed. That success has been driven by their defense, of which Angel has immediately emerged as an integral piece due to her energy, effort and emotion.<\/p>\n
With a 3-1 start, the Sky had appeared to have successfully pivoted from the Angel Era, importing experienced veterans and perimeter scorers in order to instantly elevate the team into playoff contention. That encouraging start, however, proved to be a mirage. A season-ending injury to Rickea Jackson, while a significant blow, shouldn\u2019t have sent the team on a five-game skid, only broken by a favorable matchup against the Connecticut Sun. After, Chicago was uncompetitive in a loss to the Toronto Tempo, plunging them to 4-7.<\/p>\n
Is Angel, now in an Atlanta jersey, going to enter to Chicago to an ovation and exit with a victory? Or, can the Sky greet the team\u2019s former star by protecting homecourt?<\/p>\n
Wintrust Arena has not been kind to the Sky, as the aforementioned win over the Sun was their first and only home win. Their defense, which impressed during their inspiring, road-heavy start to the season, has emerged as the culprit. Opponents are scoring over 90 points per game in Chicago, as the Sky register a defensive rating of 109.7. That\u2019s resulted in the Sky being outscored by 43 points across their five home games.<\/p>\n
Fortunately for the Sky, the Dream have been better at home than on the road, with their offense faltering away from the ATL. For the season, the Dream have an offensive rating of 102.5 on the road, which has produced an average of 81.2 points per game. Their 3-point shooting, in particular, has been off when away, with the Dream making only 28.8 percent of their road 3s.<\/p>\n
Regardless of location, Reese has produced consistently for the Dream, averaging a double-double as she leads the league with 11.7 rebounds per game.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s Rhyne Howard who has been the home-vs.-road bellwether for the Dream.<\/p>\n
Howard has put up MVP numbers in Atlanta, scoring over 25 points per game on better than 51 percent shooting, including making five 3s per game at a 48.8 percent clip. On the road, Howard\u2019s offense has been extremely average, scoring just 12.2 points per game as she has hit just 31 percent of her shots and 33.3 percent of her 3s. She also gets to the line about 1.5 times fewer per game on the road.<\/p>\n
A (thus far) rare Rhyne road heater would all but ensure her new teammate\u2019s return ends with a positive result.<\/p>\n
What do you think will happen in Chicago on Tuesday night?<\/p>\n
Will Sky fans show their love for Angel? Will she then show her appreciation by treating them to a signature double-double that drives a Dream win? Or, do you expect Angel, pressing for a big game, to experience an off night that could advantage the Sky?<\/p>\n
Are the Wings the Lynx\u2019s biggest Cup challenger?<\/p>\n
While the Reese Return will command much of the WNBA world\u2019s attention, a game with greater implications is taking place in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n
The Minnesota Lynx, atop the Western Conference Commissioner\u2019s Cup standings at 3-0 and a +57 point differential, host the Dallas Wings, currently second in the West Cup table with a 2-0 mark and +31 scoring margin (8 p.m. ET, WNBA League Pass).<\/p>\n
Can Dallas not simply spoil Minnesota\u2019s hoped-for perfect return to the Cup, but also prove that they, in fact, are on the Lynx\u2019s level?<\/p>\n