PORTLAND, Ore. — For the first time in a long time, the Chicago Sky showed some fight Saturday night.
It was necessary to escape from the expansion Portland Fire’s inaugural game with a 98-83 win in the season opener at the Moda Center.
The Fire were bolstered by a crowd of almost 20,000 eager to welcome the WNBA back to Portland for the first time in 24 years. Sky guard Skylar Diggins said she couldn’t hear a whistle over the noise of the crowd in the first half, a galvanizing factor for a Fire team rallied by starter Carla Leite and bench catalyst Sarah Ashlee Barker.
The Sky took a 13-point lead into halftime, only to watch it evaporate as the Fire piled up 30 points in the third quarter and tied it early in the fourth.
“The ‘nobody watches women’s sports’ crowd is just continuing to get proven wrong,” Diggins said after the game. “We (didn’t let) the moment be too big for us. I was really proud of our response. That atmosphere was electric.”
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The Sky, who won only 10 games last season, were able to fight off the comeback. Late contributions from Diggins and Elizabeth Williams provided a calm closing act, with the Sky outscoring the hosts 30-16 in the fourth quarter.
Here are six takeaways from the win.
1. A crucial connection
Saturday’s win highlighted the most important piece of chemistry on the Sky roster — the pick-and-roll combination between Diggins and center Kamilla Cardoso.
The pair picked apart the Fire defense with a series of effective rolls and slips. Diggins provided the type of over-the-top service that Cardoso sought during her first two WNBA seasons, setting up the young center for 22 points on 15 shots.
Cardoso still struggled at times to utilize her physicality effectively, especially as the WNBA adjusts to new referee guidelines for this season. She picked up two early fouls, which caused coach Tyler Marsh to sit her for the majority of the second quarter.
And the Sky relied on Williams down the stretch in the fourth quarter, leaning on the veteran center to provide a much-needed flurry of fourth-quarter baskets in Cardoso’s stead. Williams finished with 10 points.
Still, the early rewards of the Cardoso-Diggins pairing showcased the blueprint for the team’s offensive plans — and a combined 43 points proved their potential effectiveness.
2. Winning the margins
Although the Sky’s win was anchored by double-doubles from Cardoso (22 points and 14 rebounds) and Diggins (21 and 11), the game ultimately was won by their ability to maximize advantages at the rim. The Sky scored 48 points in the paint and earned 34 free throws, making 26, including a team-high 8 of 10 from Rickea Jackson (19 points).
The Fire didn’t have an offensive rebound until deep into the third quarter and finished with only three, a testament to the Sky’s ability to control the boards and eliminate second-chance opportunities.
3. Finding a spark
The Sky struggled to maintain effective secondary playmaking with their slate of available players. The Fire implemented a full-court press that pushed ballhandlers such as Jacy Sheldon into traps, forcing multiple 10-second violations as they shaved a double-digit Sky lead to one at the end of the third quarter.
These passing weaknesses were a key reason the Sky added point guard Natasha Cloud as a free agent in the final days of the preseason. Although Cloud wasn’t available Saturday as she works back into game fitness, she should quell some of these concerns once she joins the rotation.
And Saturday still marked an improvement — the Sky averaged a league-worst 16.9 turnovers per game last season and committed only nine in Portland.
4. Rookie start
No. 5 pick Gabriela Jaquez played 32 minutes in her WNBA debut, reflecting the Sky’s confidence in the young wing’s ability to provide a steadying force to the lineup.
“Yeah, her coach is insane,” Marsh joked after the game.
While Jaquez didn’t provide the eye-popping scoring of some of her teammates, she brought a cool effectiveness to the defensive end while tallying a pair of assists and a handful of deflections. The rookie finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.
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5. Nothing from deep
Three-point production has often been a sore spot for the Sky — and that trend continued as they took only 17 shots behind the arc.
It didn’t help that the Sky started cold, shooting 1-for-9 from deep in the first quarter despite generating a decent arrangement of shots. Their 3-point volume quickly tapered off for the remainder of the game. Diggins (2-for-3) was the only Sky player to finish with more than one.
Rachel Banham — the team’s leading 3-point specialist — played only 15 minutes and took only three shots behind the arc, making one.
6. Missing players
The Sky started the season without several key players: Cloud (illness, returning to play), DiJonai Carrington (left foot), Azurá Stevens (knee) and Courtney Vandersloot (rehabbing torn ACL).
Cloud and Stevens are expected to become available this month — potentially on this four-game trip — but Carrington still is recovering from a significant injury suffered during last season’s playoffs.
As a result of the absences, the Sky activated developmental player Aicha Coulibaly for the game. Coulibaly, who played four minutes, can play up to 12 regular-season games while on a developmental contract.