The Sky’s six-game skid is over, but the work is far from complete.
At 6-9 with four games left before the All-Star break, the Sky’s biggest concern is consistency, starting on offense.
“We have to stay consistent and work on our ball movement constantly,” Sky coach/general manager James Wade said. “Write down how they played us, forced us into trouble spots. We tried to stay away from those trouble spots or at least have counters, and I thought we did a good job [Wednesday].”
The biggest improvement was fewer turnovers. The Sky finished with 13 against the Sparks after averaging 16.5 through their losing streak.
The Sky are 5-1 in games with 12 or fewer turnovers. Their lone loss came against the Fever two weeks ago. They finished with 10 turnovers but allowed the Fever to go on an 11-0 run late, an example of another cause for concern: defensive consistency.
During the skid, the Sky’s defensive rating dropped from 97.3 — fourth-best in the league — to 109.6, next to last.
The Sky started the season as a frenetic team, quick on rotations and active in passing lanes. Their beloved WWE belt, given to the player with the most deflections, was a mainstay in the locker room through the first month. It was absent until Wednesday, when Wade presented it to Courtney Williams.
A contributing factor to the Sky’s decline defensively has been the absence of Rebekah Gardner, who, before breaking her foot last month, was leading the team in steals per game. The Sky went 3-2 in the five games immediately after her injury before dropping six straight.
At this point, there is no timeline for Gardner’s return. Dana Evans has taken on her role.
“Dana is understanding more and more how important she is,” Wade said. “Her minutes are probably some of the most important minutes we have. A lot of that extra weight is the 50 pounds that Rebecca weighs. She understands that and is up for the challenge. It’s helping her grow leaps and bounds.
“When Rebecca gets back, it’s going to be a crazy time.”
On Wednesday, the Sky were able to take away the Sparks’ inside game. They held them to just 22 points in the paint, a substantial improvement from the 38.5 points they had been allowing.
The Sky’s interior defense, specifically on Nneka Ogwumike, was an area of improvement from their previous meeting. They held Ogwumike, who averages 20 points per game, to 16, including just four points in the paint.
“[Assistant coach] Tonya [Edwards] did a great job scouting them,” Wade said. “She helped us a lot with how we approached them this time around. We learned from the mistakes we made. She knocked that one out of the park. It really frustrated them, so kudos to Tonya because the players were ready and they executed it.”
All the new faces this year have led to the early inconsistency. But this far into the season, it’s becoming harder to blame the Sky’s struggles on their lack of cohesion.
