Chicago Sky HC Takes Subtle Shot at WNBA Officiating After Angel Reese & Co.’s Closs Loss vs Lynx

It’s barely been a week since the Chicago Sky vs. Golden State Valkyries – a game that ended with question marks, especially when it came to the officiating. Angel Reese spent most of that matchup getting bumped, hacked, and bumped again in the paint, while the refs seemingly adopted a strict “call no foul” policy. Reese, to her credit, kept quiet back then. But fans? They did not hold back. Many were quick to ask why Reese is always held to different league standards. Now, fast forward to the Sky’s clash with the Lynx, and the officials pretty much doubled down with a loud-and-clear: “Yeah, we still don’t care.” So honestly, it tracks that Reese doesn’t either at this point.

The Sky came out swinging in the first quarter, building a 14-point lead that had Tyler Marsh and his team well on their way to a statement win. But things change quickly in this sport. The Lynx stormed back in the second quarter, dropping 28 points and heading into halftime with a one-point lead. What left everyone stunned, though, was the free-throw disparity and again, unnecessary physicality against Reese. So, of course, she did not hesitate before sharing a picture of being blatantly grabbed during the game. Someone shared a moment from the game online, showing Bridget Carleton locking in with Angel Reese under the rim. her arm looped tightly around Reese’s waist mid-rebound. Reese came across the post and summed it up with just one word: “Diabolical.”

Once again, this game featured several no-calls involving Reese. At this point, she’s made it clear she doesn’t care about any fine she might get for speaking out. “And I don’t give a damn if I get fined, because that s— cheap”, she said after having made her stance clear. “It’s tough when you talk to officials, and I ask them, ‘Hey, we’ve only been to the free throw line twice up until the fourth quarter,’ and she tells me it’s not her job,” Reese said. “It’s frustrating because I know how hard we’ve been battling inside, and I think that we came down and fought as hard as we could with what we had.“

Thankfully, her coach is voicing the same concerns loud and clear. Tyler Marsh was far from pleased with how things went down at the Target Center, and he let his frustration be known. “The reason for that I’m not sure, but I know that Kamilla, Elizabeth, and Angel receive a lot of contact down there and have a lot of opportunities to be at the rim, and that’s kind of how we play as a team,” Marsh said postgame. “For us to not get to the line more than that is kind of frustrating.”

Angel Reese basically lives in the paint. And yet, despite throwing up all 16 of her shots there and absorbing enough contact, she only made two trips to the free-throw line. Two. It doesn’t exactly help the growing theory that refs are swallowing their whistles when it comes to the Sky. The Lynx racked up 17 free throw attempts to the Sky’s humble eight.

Before the the fourth quarter, Chicago had taken just one free throw the entire game. Meanwhile, Minnesota had quietly strolled to the line six times. Then came the fourth quarter and the Lynx cashed in with 11 more attempts from the stripe, while the Sky got seven. For context, Napheesa Collier alone shot seven freebies. As Anthony Edwards once said, “When one player shoots more free throws than you’re entire team, it’s tough. It’s tough to compete…” So yeah, it’s hard not to wonder: if the whistle had shown up earlier for the Sky, maybe the scoreboard would’ve told a different story.

While it was clearly a tough loss for the Sky, there’s no denying Angel Reese is in the ‘zone’ right now. The 2x All-Star is playing the best basketball of her career, silencing critics one game at a time. And now, she’s added another record to her growing list of accomplishments.

Angel Reese breaks another record!

Against the Lynx, Angel Reese had a mega game scoring 16 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 block. But that stat line wasn’t enough to stop Minnesota from winning 80-75! That took the Sky’s record to 5-12 for the season–definitely not what anyone would have expected from them. They now hold the fifth spot of the Eastern Conference standings.

Credit where it’s due, though. Reese has completely turned her season around after a slow start. She just recorded her fourth consecutive 15-point, 15-rebound game. A feat no one in W history has ever done before. Who was the previous record holder, you ask? The previous record of three straight 15-15 games was shared by legends Lisa Leslie, A’ja Wilson, and Jonquel Jones. The Bayou Barbie now stands on top!

She also made history by recording her 5th straight game with 15+ rebounds, which is now the longest streak in W history. Long gone are the days when Reese was getting criticized by everyone for her performances. She’s silencing critics night after night, and it’s time she gets the credit she’s earned. The Sky may be struggling to get wins, but clearly, Reese is the last person we should be pointing fingers at.