For the second time in less than 3 days, Chicago will grace the hardwood at the Climate Pledge Arena. The last time these two illustrious franchises locked horns, rookie Angel Reese scripted history by equalling Candace Parker’s WNBA single-season record for most consecutive double-doubles.

Now, she has a chance to go one step further, glorying in her name to new heights. However, which of her teammates can witness her do that? Let’s find out!

Storm vs Sky: Injury status and players to watch out for

The story is somewhat similar for the 2021 champions in terms of player availability. There is still no official status regarding the return of their No.1 Elizabeth Williams. An unfortunate injury in her right knee against the Mystics in the opening week of June is hampering her 2023-2024 WNBA campaign. Although, the 6 ft 3 center successfully underwent surgery to repair the torn meniscus. But, that also means she will miss the remainder of the season.

Regardless, the visitors still have a formidable set of players lined up to make an impact. Riding high on confidence after a season-high 33 points against the Storms on Friday is their shooting guard Chennedy Carter. The 5 ft 9 guard has been the cream of the crop for them, as she maintains an average of 16.3 points per game while being 55% efficient from the field.

However, the talk of the town remains to be the Chi-Barbie Angel Reese. Not only is the 2024 WNBA All-Star on the brink of her 13th consecutive double-double but also is the leading rebounder in the league at the moment. Seemingly, grabbing 11.7 boards while hitting 13.9 points per contest ensures her top rookie status alongside Caitlin Clark. At the same time, the playmaking responsibilities fall on the shoulders of Marina Mabrey who can dish out 4.3 assists in each game.

Fortunately for their opponents, Seattle, there are no injury concerns as of yet. Anyhow, they would expect their trio of Jewell Loyd (19.9 p.p.g, 36.6 FG%), Ezi Magbegor (8.8 r.p.g.) and Skylar Diggins-Smith (6.3 a.p.g.) to even the scores for them on Sunday. In addition to this, Jordan Horston who finished with a season-high 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting also proved in the last game that she packs a lot of punch.

The question now arises who can the coaches entrust from both these teams to provide them a good start?

Seattle’s opening line-up against Angel Reese and Co.

Despite the loss, head coach Noelle Quinn is expected to rely on Nneka Ogwumike, Ezi Magbegor, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Jewell Loyd, and Jordan Horston to open the proceedings for them. On top of that, she would hope that they could justify ESPN’s Matchup Predictions which favors them 74.4% this time around.

On the other hand, Teresa Weatherspoon might also want to stick to her winning combination. Just like on previous occasions, she expects Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, Marina Mabrey, Chennedy Carter, and Lindsay Allen to play a key hand in defying the odds that state they have a 25.6% chance of winning the contest.

The fans will witness these two decorated franchises square off for one last time in a regular season fixture. It will be interesting to see which team gains the upper hand given that they are 1 win each against one another. Moreover, a desired result on either side will certainly be a boost to their respective playoff scenarios.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.