Angel Reese entered the All-Star break playing the best basketball of her young career, but was unable to pick up where she left off in the Chicago Sky’s first game back on Tuesday, a 91-68 loss to the league-leading Minnesota Lynx.
Reese finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds but had a career-high nine turnovers. She also received a technical foul late in the first quarter after a minor verbal spat with Diamond Miller. Reese now has a league-leading seven technicals this season, which puts her at the regular season suspension limit.
WNBA midseason grades: Lynx, Mercury off to superb starts while Sun, Wings stumble out the gate
Jack Maloney
Under WNBA rules, a player or coach is automatically suspended without pay for one game upon receiving an eighth technical foul during the regular season. The previous limit was seven technicals, but the league increased it to eight this season with the jump to a 44-game schedule. For every two additional technical fouls received, the player or coach will be automatically suspended for an additional game.
While Tuesday’s result was frustrating for Reese and the Sky, she did reach another major milestone. With her 10th consecutive double-double, Reese became the first player in WNBA history to have multiple streaks of 10-plus double-doubles.
During her rookie season, Reese set the record for the longest double-double streak in WNBA history when she recorded 15 in a row. For her career, Reese now has 42 career double-doubles, which is tied with two-time MVP Elena Delle Donne for 33rd on the all-time list. Reese has played 56 games, while Delle Donne played 241 during her career.
Reese got off to a historically bad start this season, but has since turned things around in a major way. She registered her first career triple-double during a win over the Connecticut Sun in June, and during her current double-double streak is averaging 17.4 points, 14.5 rebounds and four assists on 50.4% shooting.
Despite Reese’s improvement, the Sky remain one of the worst teams in the league. Tuesday’s defeat, their third in a row, dropped them to 7-16 on the season. Only the Sun and Dallas Wings have worse records, and the Sky are four games behind the Washington Mystics for the eighth and final playoff spot.
