In Candace Parker’s debut with her hometown team, it was fitting that she scored the first five points for the Sky in the team’s 70-56 win against the Washington Mystics on the road.
Possibly more notable than Parker’s first game with a team that isn’t the Sparks in her now 14-year career was how she raised the ceiling for all her teammates, specifically Kahleah Copper.
“I hope we don’t lose her to the Olympics for the 400 [meter dash], the 100 or 200 because she’s one of the fastest players I’ve ever seen,” Parker said. “She’s that rebounding guard that comes back and is able to get those boards. It’s definitely more fun for me to be on her team.”
Copper finished with a game-high 19 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. There were multiple moments in Saturday’s game where Parker was able to heave the ball down court to Copper for a layup in transition.
Parker knows those easy transition buckets are the result of fulfilling their responsibilities on defense. Parker’s three blocks accompanied her 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists nicely.
Ahead of Saturday’s game, Diamond DeShields talked about coach and general manager James Wade’s expectations for herself and Copper this season. She said their top priority is to disrupt teams on defense.
DeShields did that almost immediately, taking a charge in the first three minutes of play. DeShields finished with seven points, five assists and three rebounds.
“We talked about a defensive mindset,” Wade said. “That’s how we were gaging our play. The sense of urgency to the defensive side of the ball is something we’re going to keep paying attention to.”
This was the Sky’s third win against the Mystics since trading Elena Delle Donne in February 2017. Delle Donne, who had two off-season back surgeries, did not play in Saturday’s game.
The Sky held the Mystics to 56 points. That mark tied the third-lowest scoring total for any opponent of the Sky in a single game in franchise history.
Wade said ahead of the game that regardless of whether Delle Donne is on the court, the team is game planning the same way. Wade recalled Leilani Mitchell recording a double-double against the Sky last season, so the goal was to make her uncomfortable. Mitchell shot 0-for-6 from field goal range and was 0-for-5 from deep.
Another key for the Sky was locking up Ariel Atkins, who was held to just five points in 21-minutes of play.
Despite the Sky’s dominating win, there was still much to clean up. The team finished with 14 turnovers which Wade attributed to first game jitters and the newness of this lineup.
The starting five of Courtney Vandersloot, Diamond DeShields, Copper, Parker and Stefanie Dolson looked different, with Copper in for Allie Quigley. The veteran knockdown shooter, Quigley, said this week that she’s going to play whatever role this team expects of her.
Parker said the turnovers would get cleaned up as the team continues to learn each other’s tendencies. She added that the team has to be smarter with the ball. She doesn't want the team to determine what they’re going to do with the ball before the play actually happens.
Wade said the cohesion and chemistry would continue to develop, and while it does, his primary focus will remain on defense.
The team was rushing to catch a plane following Saturday’s big win. They play the Atlanta Dream on the road Wednesday at 6 p.m. before returning home for their home opener at Wintrust Arena against the New York Liberty Saturday at noon.
“No charter planes here,” Wade said, laughing before signing off the zoom call.
