The Connecticut Sun now are hanging on by a thread in the WNBA playoffs.
The Sun were far from their best Sunday afternoon in Chicago, but a Game 3 win over the Sky was well within their reach. Connecticut struggled in crunch time, however, and ultimately was dealt an 86-83 loss. Candace Parker and Co. took a 2-1 series lead in the best-of-five set in the process.
You can check out the full box score of the down-to-the-wire contest here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The opportunities were there for the Sun to either win or extend the game into overtime.
Key word: opportunities. Multiple.
Trailing by one with 13 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Alyssa Thomas forced a turnover near halfcourt and sent Briann January on a break. January had a clean look at the basket but botched the layup and Courtney Vandersloot hauled in the rebound.
But Vandersloot left the door open for the visitors. She only sunk one of two free-throw attempts, limiting Chicago's lead to two, and the Sun had a timeout to not only go over a high-pressure situation but also advance the basketball. Connecticut rolled with the hot hand in Thomas, but she missed a potential game-tying jumper as well as her follow-up putback attempt. Parker corralled the rebound and put the finishing touches on Connecticut.
STARS OF THE GAME
-- Kahleah Copper was a handful and then some for the Sun. The forward dropped a game-high 26 points to go along with three boards. Not far behind was Allie Quigley, who scored 21 points and added four rebounds.
-- As Jonquel Jones (10 points) labored through a quiet game by her standards, the 2021 MVP was picked up by her teammates. DeWanna Bonner notched a team-high 22 points while Thomas provided 18 off the bench.
WAGER WATCH
Those who were banking on a narrow Sky win could have had a nice payday with a risky wager. A prop bet of Chicago to win by three-to-six points came with a +475 price at DraftKings Sportsbook.
UP NEXT
The Sun will try to keep their season alive Wednesday in the Windy City. Tip off is set for 8 p.m. ET.
