Elizabeth

Williams

Reese remains out after not playing against the Aces on Sunday. The second-year forward, suspended for the first half of that defeat, did not play due to a back issue that has lingered since the All-Star break. Elizabeth Williams will remain in the starting lineup alongside Kamilla Cardoso.

Williams recorded her fourth double-double of the season on Friday night. She scored the ball efficiently coming off high-low passes from teammate Kamilla Cardoso in addition to two assists coming from Rebecca Allen finding Williams cutting off the ball. Williams rebounded the ball well especially when Cardoso wasn’t in great position to do so and had Fever players trying to box her out. Williams also facilitated at a high level on Friday night. She found Michaela Onyenwere for two different layups where the Fever were mismatched guarding the Sky wing. Williams also had two more assists in the fourth quarter to Ariel Atkins and rookie Maddy Westbeld for two jump shots that Williams helped created on handoffs and screens.

Cardoso had dominant stretches scoring the basketball especially with Angel Reese out, who was serving a one game suspension from the league after picking up her eighth technical. Cardoso accounted for eight of the Sky’s 15 points in the first quarter and then scored half of the Sky’s 19 points in the third. She scored while being guarded by her former South Carolina teammate Aliyah Boston in addition to finding ideal positioning while Damiris Dantas was on the floor in Boston’s place. Cardoso facilitated the ball at a high level on Friday night and she found her front court partners Elizabeth Williams and Michaela Onyenwere for a total of five assists. She hit Williams on two high-low actions and found Onyenwere well spaced moving off the ball.

Howard made her first five shots in a row before missing a floater 10 feet away from the basket at the beginning of the fourth quarter. She shot 87.5% from the field on Friday night, her most efficient game scoring the basketball since she shot 83.3% from the field against the Storm on August 3. Howard got on the offensive glass and put back a couple of misses from her teammates in addition to scoring off a bunch of passes from Kelsey Mitchell while Howard rolled to the rim. Howard also took advantage of when the Sky’s Elizabeth Williams, a more athletic but still mismatched center was guarding her.

While Reese notched another double-double in Wednesday’s win over the Sun, she was also whistled for her eighth technical foul of the season. Per WNBA rules, that triggers an automatic one-game suspension. As was the case when the second-year forward missed time earlier this season with a back injury, she’ll likely be replaced in the starting lineup by veteran post Elizabeth Williams.

Elizabeth Williams had another solid outing on Thursday. In a reserve role, she came up just short of a double-double in 16 minutes of game action. Even with Angel Reese back in the lineup, Williams remains a key member of the Sky’s rotation. Neither her production nor role should decrease significantly down the stretch of the season, which is beneficial for those fantasy managers who will need a streaming option. She’ll look to have another productive outing against the Sun on Saturday.

Inactive since July 29, Reese made her return to the Sky lineup on Tuesday. While the minutes restriction may have negatively impacted the second-year forward in the rebounds category, that did not prohibit Reese from offering solid value. Counting Tuesday, Reese has scored at least 19 points in three of her last four appearances. And it would be unsurprising if she were to begin another double-digit rebound streak when the Sky visit the Liberty on Thursday. Elizabeth Williams moved to the bench on Tuesday, finishing with 10 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocked shots in 28 minutes. She’ll continue to have value as long as Reese is under a minutes restriction.

Playing in a game for the first time since July 29, Reese will be in the starting lineup on Tuesday. However, Sky head coach Tyler Marsh said during his pregame availability that the second-year forward’s minutes will be restricted, so Elizabeth Williams won’t lack opportunities off the bench. The other change is Onyenwere, who moves into the starting lineup with Sevgi Uzun dropping to the bench.

Reese is officially available for Tuesday’s game, which will be her first since July 29. While the second-year forward will be on a minutes restriction, she’ll give Chicago a needed boost in the frontcourt. Elizabeth Williams’ playing time will likely decrease somewhat, but the veteran forward is worth streaming for one more game as Reese will not play her usual minutes.

In a rough offensive game for the Sky, Williams still manage to stuff the stat sheet. She began the game by scoring eight points of her 10 total in the first quarter on a few hook shots deep in the paint in addition to a post-up on wing Janelle Salaün. While Williams began the game shooting 4-for-5 from the field, she only hit one more shot in the final three quarters. Williams didn’t just score but facilitated and found Rachel Banham for two of her three-point makes in addition to two high-low passes to Kamilla Carodoso. Williams added some defense as well picking up five boards in addition to two emphatic blocks on Kate Martin and Temi Fágbénlé right at the rim.