
Phoenix visits Chicago following Akoa Makani's 21-point game
Phoenix Mercury (10-4, 6-4 Western Conference) at Chicago Sky (3-8, 1-6 Eastern Conference)
Chicago; Saturday, 1 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Phoenix Mercury visits the Chicago Sky after Monique Akoa Makani scored 21 points in the Mercury's 89-81 victory over the New York Liberty.
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The Sky have gone 1-3 in home games. Chicago is fifth in the Eastern Conference at limiting opponent scoring, allowing 86.3 points while holding opponents to 46.0% shooting.
The Mercury are 4-2 in road games. Phoenix ranks eighth in the WNBA with 33.8 rebounds per game. Satou Sabally paces the Mercury with 8.5.
Chicago's average of 6.4 made 3-pointers per game is 1.4 fewer made shots on average than the 7.8 per game Phoenix allows. Phoenix averages 80.5 points per game, 5.8 fewer points than the 86.3 Chicago allows to opponents.
The teams meet for the second time this season. The Mercury won 94-89 in the last matchup on May 28. Sabally led the Mercury with 20 points, and Ariel Atkins led the Sky with 21 points.
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TOP PERFORMERS: Atkins is averaging 12.6 points, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals for the Sky. Kamilla Cardoso is averaging 11.5 points and 7.1 rebounds over the past 10 games.
Alyssa Thomas is averaging 14.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, nine assists and 1.8 steals for the Mercury. Sabally is averaging 19.5 points over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Sky: 3-7, averaging 77.0 points, 35.7 rebounds, 19.6 assists, 7.5 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 42.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 85.6 points per game.
Mercury: 7-3, averaging 81.9 points, 34.2 rebounds, 20.3 assists, 8.5 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 42.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 80.3 points.
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INJURIES: Sky: Moriah Jefferson: out (leg), Courtney Vandersloot: out for season (acl).
Mercury: Megan McConnell: out (knee).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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