Chicago Sky roar back with dominant Game 2 win over New York Liberty

The Chicago Sky stared down elimination by the New York Liberty on Sunday and replied with a resounding 100-62 victory in Game 2 of their first-round playoffs matchup, recording the largest margin of victory in WNBA playoffs history.

Kahleah Copper let the charge by the defending 2021 WNBA champions, recording 20 points, three rebounds and three steals in 22 minutes. Four other Sky players also scored in double digits, including starters Courtney Vandersloot (16 points, nine rebounds) and Candace Parker (12 points, 12 rebounds), while Azura Stevens and Rebekah Gardner added 14 and 11 points, respectively, off the bench.

“I think that was as a complete game as you probably have seen from us,” said Vandersloot, who added four assists and three steals. “I think it shows what we’re capable of; it shows us where our expectations should be of ourselves.”

The rebound performance came three days after the Liberty took Game 1, 98-91, in Chicago on Wednesday in the opener of their best-of-three, first-round series.

“They woke us up,” said Sky head coach James Wade told reporters after the game Saturday. “[New York] let us know that we have to come out with the intensity that we need to actually match who we are. And that wasn’t the case in the first game.”

Copper led the Sky from the start, opening the scoring with a three-pointer and recording the team’s first five points. She dropped 10 points in the first quarter, showing no signs of a reported ankle injury reportedly suffered toward the end of practice Friday.

“I just want my team to be able to know that if they call on me for a switch, or a matchup, or whatever, that I’m going to respond,” said Copper. “It was just important for me to do what my team needed. So that’s just