Angel Reese Blasts Sky Teammates in Unfiltered Take on Loss Against Mercury

As the Sky locked horns against Mercury, they had a 22-17 lead in the first quarter, but instead of burying Phoenix, they eased off. The Mercury then punished that comfort. But Reese, she didn’t sugarcoat it:  “I think sometimes we get a little comfortable… we can’t lay down, we can’t get comfortable no matter what,” she admitted in the post-game press conference.

The box score proves her point, though. The Chicago Sky finished up with 21 turnovers as compared to the Mercury’s 9. This gave the opponent team 20 points from the turnovers. As Reese had warned that “good teams, they don’t lay down,” Phoenix proved her right by clawing back possession after possession.

Even though the Sky outshot Phoenix from deep (50% vs. 27.3%), the Mercury dominated the hustle stats with 17 steals, 11 blocks, and 46 points in the paint. That’s exactly what happens when a team relaxes, as Reese noted, “When you get comfortable with a good team, they’ll bust your ass.”  But her honesty hits harder when you consider this was a game Sky could’ve closed out. They had more rebounds, 38-34. They had a higher FG% (44.6%), whereas Mercury had 40.8%. But it was lapses in focus and intensity that gave Phoenix the edge.

The Windy City simply couldn’t build upon a strong start and faced a 10-point deficit in the third quarter. While the squad fought back to tie the game at 71–71 with just three minutes left, it wasn’t enough. That too when Reese was supported by Kamilla Cardoso, who had 15 points and seven rebounds, and Kia Nurse, who gave a team-high 17 points off the bench.

So yeah, Reese’s got a point, but this ain’t the first time she’s poured out her frustration. Last month, on July 7, when Sky fell 80–75 to the Lynx, it was a similar loss. Angel Reese and co. led 24–10 after the first quarter but then watched as the league’s top-ranked team steadily closed that gap. Then, they took a lead early in the fourth quarter, and there was no comeback for the Sky after that.  Though Reese voiced out her frustration, it wasn’t her team she called out. Instead, it was the refs. “It’s tough when you talk to officials and I ask them, ‘Hey, we only shot two — we only been to the free throw line twice, up until the fourth quarter,’ and she tells me it’s not her job,” Reese said in a post-game press conference back then.

“It’s frustrating because I know how hard we’re battling inside and I think we came down and fought as hard as we could inside. That has to be fixed. I don’t give a damn if I get fined because that shit cheap and I’m tired of this shit. I’ve been nice and I’ve been humble, but I’m tired of this shit.”  But yes, there was a considerable disparity between the Lynx’s 17 and Sky’s 8 attempts at the line. Still, if you monitor closely, it’s not about once or twice—Chicago Sky’s losses have a pattern. In their August 2 loss against the Golden State Valkyries, the team was keeping it close and even led by eight points at a time. But they were outscored 21–12 in the fourth quarter.

Even in their July 15 loss against the Minnesota Lynx, they equaled the score in the second quarter at the 7:58 mark. But as Minnesota pulled ahead in the third and dominated the fourth, Sky fell 91–78. Back on June 18 against the Mystics, it was the same story.  Sky started 11–26 in the first quarter, then Mystics turned the tables with a 24–12 third quarter and went on to win 79–72. So yeah, there’s a pattern: Sky opens strong but ends up fading late. But it’s not about effort—as Reese shared, the team grabbed wins against the league’s top two teams, Minnesota Lynx and NY Liberty, earlier in the season. The fault, clearly, is keeping up with the momentum. But while Reese blasted Sky’s locker room… she didn’t point out her own drawbacks!

Angel Reese’s costly gamble, Sky pays off!

The “more aggressive Draymond Green”, AR has been quite dominant this year despite having a rough start. As even HC Tyler Marsh pointed out about her progress, “Our bigs have been great all year long at facilitating and it’s just been about our ability to get it to them in spaces where they’re able to create for each other,” he shared in a pregame conference.  So, yes, she’s improved a lot at moving the ball around like many others in the league such as Alyssa Thomas. But today, with about 40 seconds left in the game and Sky down by 2, it was Reese who backed down Thomas from the top of the key. That drew a double team from Natasha Mack inside the paint.

But while Reese could’ve passed the ball to Cardoso, who was open for a wide jumper, Chi-town Barbie decided to go up for a hook shot. And that was an airball, at a crucial moment. So yeah, that was how Mercury ended up winning the game by four points. But Reese didn’t mince a word about her wrong call. What do you think? Is Sky’s young locker room breaking??