WNBA playoffs: Connecticut Sun begin pursuit of first title against Chicago Sky
Coverage of the WNBA playoffs continues late on Tuesday night as Candace Parker and the Chicago Sky face Jonquel Jones and the Connecticut Sun in the first playoff semi-final. Join us live from 1am on Sky Sports Main Event, Arena or Mix
Wednesday 29 September 2021 06:07, UK
The top-seeded Connecticut Sun begin pursuit of their first WNBA title when they host the sixth-seeded Chicago Sky in Game 1 of their best-of-five WNBA Playoffs semi-final series on Tuesday night in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Connecticut (26-6) set a new franchise record for consecutive victories while amassing the best record in the WNBA this season.
Their star Jonquel Jones has been - quite literally - at the center of the Sun's success.
Jones, who has been announced as the WNBA MVP, was the league's leading rebounder with 11.2 boards per game to go along with the WNBA's fourth-best scoring average of 19.4 points.
Jones was one of three Connecticut All-Stars alongside veteran DeWanna Bonner and up-and-comer Brionna Jones. Bonner was the Sun's second-leading scorer averaging 15.2 points while Brionna Jones posted averages of 14.7 points and 7.3 rebounds.
"As good as I am, none of this happens without my team-mates," Jonquel Jones said. "I appreciate them believing in me, trusting in me, giving me the ball in tough situations and allowing me just to be a great player."
Chicago (16-16) lost four of their final six regular season games but earned single-elimination playoff victories against the Dallas Wings and at the Minnesota Lynx to advance to the semi-finals.
Kahleah Copper scored a game-high 23 in the Sky's 81-64 playoff-opening win against the Wings last Thursday and finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds in an 89-76 win in Minnesota on Sunday.
Courtney Vandersloot had a team-high 19 points against the Lynx while Candace Parker scored eight to move past former team-mate Lisa Leslie into fifth place on the WNBA's all-time playoff scoring list.
"Our whole mentality going into this playoffs was, 'We're not going to freak out,'" Parker said. "Teams play basketball. They're good at basketball. They're going to make runs, and we've got to maintain our composure and get back to us."
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Chicago beat Connecticut twice in three regular-season match-ups this season, winning both meetings at home. The Sun rolled to a 74-58 win in the teams' lone matchup in Connecticut on June 27.
