Before the season even began, it was laid out for the Sky: They would only go as far as forward Kahleah Copper took them.
Closely guarded by Lynx forward Diamond Miller in the fourth quarter Friday night, Copper decided she was taking her team to the playoffs, draining a three-pointer with the rookie in her face. There were nearly seven minutes left on the clock, but as Copper strode downcourt, flashing three fingers, the message had been sent.
The Sky (17-22) clinched their fifth consecutive playoff berth with a 92-87 victory at Wintrust Arena.
“It’s important for me to lead — not only lead by putting the ball in the basket, but giving us that energy,” Copper said. “Talking us through possessions, huddles and on the bench. It’s important for me, whether shots are going in or not, to be that person for this team.”
Copper finished with a team-high 20 points, five assists and four rebounds. Guard Marina Mabrey added 19 points and came up with four steals, and guard Courtney Williams had a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists.
It didn’t look great early, with the first quarter a struggle for the Sky offensively. They finished shooting 27.3% from the field while the Lynx shot 60%. Yet, despite the slow start, they trailed by only three heading into the second quarter. After taking a five-point lead into halftime, they never trailed again.
“We got stops, secured the rebound and were getting out in transition,” Copper said. “This is a great, disciplined defensive team. If we’re getting stops and on the run, if we can play in transition, we’re really good.”
The playoff-bound Lynx (19-20) attempted a comeback, cutting the Sky’s 11-point lead to five with under three minutes to play. But the Sky maintained composure and continued to respond.
“You’ve got to win,” guard Dana Evans said. “We talk about margin of error. We don’t have time for that. We needed to get the win, and that’s what we did.”
The bench came up big, outscoring the Lynx’s reserves 25-1. Ruthy Hebard led the Sky’s second unit with 10 points, Evans added nine points, and Sika Kone finished with six points and 10 rebounds.
Collier scored a game-high 28 points for the Lynx, and Miller finished with 24.
With their place in the postseason secure, all that awaited the Sky was knowing the No. 1 seed they’ll face. The Aces would clinch the top spot with a win against the Mercury on Friday night. If they meet the Aces in the first round, the Sky’s first playoff game would be Wednesday in Las Vegas.
After the final buzzer sounded, interim coach and general manager Emre Vatansever took the arena mic to address fans, thanking them for their loyalty through a challenging season that included a midseason coaching change and two season-ending injuries.
“You have people who haven’t been on WNBA rosters,” Copper said. “You have people who are underrated. You have people who are overlooked. Put that all together, and then, you know, all of y’all talking about we’re not going to make the playoffs, this is how we respond.”