The semifinals of the 2021 playoffs continued on Thursday night with Game 2 between the Connecticut Sun and the Chicago Sky. Unfortunately, this one wasn’t quite as exciting as the first game. The Sun dominated the fourth quarter to pull away for a 79-68 win and even the series at 1-1.
Alyssa Thomas, playing just nine months after tearing her Achilles tendon, came off the bench to lead the way with 15 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for the Sun. Meanwhile, the backcourt duo of Jasmine Thomas and Briann January bounced back from disappointing performances in Game 1 to combine for 24 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Kahleah Copper led the Sky in defeat with 13 points, five rebounds and four assists. Overall, however, it was a disappointing performance for Chicago, especially on the offensive end where they shot 39.7 percent from the field and 26.9 percent from 3-point land.
Here are some key takeaways from Game 2:
An MVP no-show
In Game 1 of this series, Jonquel Jones showed exactly why she was named MVP this season, as she put in an impressive performance on both sides of the ball. On Thursday night, however, it was the complete opposite. It wasn’t so much that she was bad as much as she was largely irrelevant.
After the Sun went down 11-0 less than three minutes into the game, coach Curt Miller tried to send a message by taking multiple starters out of the game, including Jones. She barely played the rest of the half, registering just nine minutes and zero points at the break. It was so unlike her that sideline reporter Holly Rowe checked with the team to see if something was wrong.
The Sun said Jones was fine, but her play was not. In fact, as the Sun put the game away in the fourth quarter, Jones was on the bench. She finished with four points, seven rebounds and four assists in only 24 minutes — tied for the fewest she’s played all season. The Sun managed to win this game despite her no-show, but that’s not a formula they can rely on. Jones will have to be better as the series goes along.
AT changes the game
A little over nine months ago, Alyssa Thomas tore her Achilles tendon while playing overseas in the Czech Republic. Almost everyone understandably assumed she was out for the season, but a few weeks ago she made a stunning return. On Thursday night, she showed just what the Sun have been missing all season long.
With Jonquel Jones struggling, Thomas came off the bench and took the game over. She went for 15 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and two steals, and when she was on the floor the Sun were an astonishing plus-30. Single-game plus-minus can be deceiving sometimes, but not here. In the second half, in particular, Thomas dictated play with her toughness and energy and was perhaps the main reason they won the game and tied the series.
“It’s amazing,” Thomas said during her on-court postgame interview. “You appreciate things like this. To go through something like that — anybody that’s been through that injury knows how tough it is. I just gotta appreciate each and every game.”
