2021 WNBA Playoffs presented by Google
Chicago Sky Celebrate First WNBA Title
The City of Chicago celebrated the 2021 WNBA Champion Chicago Sky on Tuesday, Oct. 19 with a downtown parade and rally. The parade will began at 11:00 a.m. with the team departing from Wintrust Arena, arriving at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park for a celebration rally starting at noon.
FINALS: BEST-OF-FIVE SERIES
Game 4: Chicago Sky 80, Phoenix Mercury 74 (Sky Win WNBA Finals 3-1)
Candace Parker returned home to bring Chicago a championship. She did just that leading the Sky to the franchise’s first title. Allie Quigley scored 26 points and Parker added 16 points, 13 rebounds and five assists and Chicago beat the Phoenix Mercury 80-74 on Sunday in Game 4. Courtney Vandersloot added 10 points and 15 assists for the Sky, who won the series 3-1, rallying from a 72-65 deficit with 4:42 left. Chicago scored the next nine points to take a two-point lead on Stefanie Dolson’s layup. She then added another basket to make it 76-72 with 45.8 seconds left. Kahleah Copper was named Finals MVP.
>> Game Story: Sky Win First WNBA Championship
>> Box Score: Sky 80, Mercury 74
>> Video: Game Recap
>> Video: Full Game Highlights
>> Video: Sunday’s Top Plays
>> Video: Quigley Scores Team-High 26 Points
>> Video: Vandersloot One Rebound Shy of Triple-Double
>> Video: Griner Scores Game-High 28 Points
>> Smith: Parker, Sky Bring First WNBA Title to Chicago
>> Martin: Inside the Box Score, Game 4
Game 3: Chicago Sky 86, Phoenix Mercury 50 (Sky Lead Series 2-1)
Kahleah Copper scored 20 of her game-high 22 points in the first half as the Sky build a 22-point halftime lead (tied for the largest in Finals history) and never let the Mercury make a serious run in the second half. Chicago led 62-38 after three quarters and pulled their starters with the game in hand. The reserves pushed the advantage to 36 points as Chicago set the record for largest margin of victory in a Finals game (86-50). The Sky have a chance to clinch their first WNBA title at home in Game 4 on Sunday, while the Mercury will look to bounce back and force a decisive Game 5 back in Phoenix.
>> Game Story: Chicago Dominates Pivotal Game 3
>> Box Score: Sky 86, Mercury 50
>> Video: Game Recap
>> Video: Full Game Highlights
>> Video: Friday’s Top Plays
>> Video: Copper Has Another Stellar Performance
>> Video: DeShields & Parker Light It Up In Game 3
>> Video: Chicago Crowd Was Hyped During Game 3
>> Martin: Inside the Box Score, Game 3
>> Smith: How Phoenix Can Force a Game 5
Game 2: Phoenix Mercury 91, Chicago Sky 86 (OT) (Series Tied 1-1)
Brittney Griner scored 29 points, Diana Taurasi had eight of her 20 points in overtime and the Mercury evened the Finals with a 91-86 win over the Sky in Game 2. Griner kept the Mercury within reach of Chicago during a sluggish start and brought the Phoenix Suns players sitting courtside to their feet with her second career playoff dunk in the first quarter. Held to six points through three quarters, Taurasi opened overtime with a four-point play and added a 3-pointer that put Phoenix up 89-86 with 1:24 left. Taurasi then got a steal with 36 seconds left, and Skylar Diggins-Smith sealed it on a layup with 12.8 seconds left.
>> Game Story: Mercury Even Series With OT Win
>> Box Score: Mercury 91, Sky 86 (OT)
>> Video: Game Recap
>> Video: Full Game Highlights
>> Video: Wednesday’s Top Plays
>> Video: Taurasi Scores 20 Points in OT Win
>> Video: Griner Dominates with Game-High 29 Points
>> Video: Vandersloot’s Double-Double, Quigley Scores 19
>> Martin: Inside the Box Score, Game 2
Game 1: Chicago Sky 91, Phoenix Mercury 77 (Sky Lead Series 1-0)
Kahleah Copper scored 21 points, Allie Quigley added 18 and the hot-shooting Chicago Sky opened the WNBA Finals with a 91-77 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday. The Sky withstood Phoenix’s fast start and took control with a 21-2 run spanning halftime to go up 17. Courtney Vandersloot had 12 points and 11 assists, helping Chicago shoot 53% and snatch home-court advantage from the Mercury in the best-of-five series. Game 2 is Wednesday in Phoenix.
>> Box Score: Sky 91, Mercury 77
>> Video: Game Recap
>> Video: Full Game Highlights
>> Video: Sunday’s Top Plays
>> Video: Kahleah Copper Scores 21 Points
>> Video: Parker’s All-Around Game 1 Performance
>> Video: Mercury Big Three Combine for 52 Points
>> Smith: Sky Steal Home Court With Game 1 Win
>> Taurasi Voted By Fans As WNBA’s GOAT
SEMIFINALS: BEST-OF-FIVE SERIES
Game 4: Chicago Sky 79, Connecticut Sun 69 (Sky Win Series 3-1)
Courtney Vandersloot scored 19 points and Kahleah Copper added 18 to help the Chicago Sky beat the top-seeded Connecticut Sun 79-69 and advance to the WNBA Finals on Wednesday night. Candace Parker, who returned home to Chicago this season, finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Chicago is back in the Finals for the first time since 2014.
>> Game 1: Sky 101, Sun 95 (2OT)
>> Game 2: Sun 79, Sky 68
>> Game 3: Sky 86, Sun 83
>> Game 4: Sky 79, Sun 69
Game 5: Phoenix Mercury 87, Las Vegas Aces 84 (Mercury Win Series 3-2)
Diana Taurasi scored 14 of her 24 points in the fourth quarter, and Brittney Griner had 28 points and nine rebounds as the Phoenix Mercury beat the Las Vegas Aces, 87-84, Friday night to advance to the WNBA Finals vs. the Chicago Sky. Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum scored 22 points each for Las Vegas, and A’ja Wilson added 21 points and 10 rebounds.
>> Game 1: Aces 96, Mercury 90
>> Game 2: Mercury 117, Aces 91
>> Game 3: Mercury 87, Aces 60
>> Game 4: Aces 93, Mercury 76
>> Game 5: Mercury 87, Aces 84
SECOND ROUND: SINGLE-ELIMINATION, SEPT. 26, 2021
(5) Phoenix Mercury 85, (4) Seattle Storm 80 (OT)
Brittney Griner scored 23 points and grabbed 16 rebounds and Diana Taurasi scored six points in overtime as the Phoenix Mercury beat the Seattle Storm 85-80 in the second-round, single elimination WNBA playoff game on Sunday. The fifth-seeded Mercury open the best-of-five semifinal series No. 2 Las Vegas on Tuesday.
>> Game Story
>> Box Score
>> Video: Game Highlights
>> Video: Bird/Taurasi Postgame
>> Video: Griner Dominates
(6) Chicago Sky 89, (3) Minnesota Lynx 76
Courtney Vandersloot led a balanced offense with 19 points and the sixth-seeded Chicago Sky raced past the third-seeded Minnesota Lynx 89-76 in the second-round, single elimination WNBA playoff game on Sunday night. Chicago opens the best-of-five semifinals series at Connecticut on Tuesday.
>> Game Story
>> Box Score
>> Video: Game Highlights
>> Video: Vandersloot and Copper Lead Sky to Victory
FIRST ROUND: SINGLE-ELIMINATION, SEPT. 23, 2021
(6) Chicago Sky 81, (7) Dallas Wings 64
Kahleah Cooper scored 23 points, Candace Parker had a double-double and the Chicago Sky beat the Dallas Wings, 81-64, in the first-round. Parker finished with 11 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists and three steals for the sixth-seeded Sky, who advance to a second-round game on Sunday against third-seeded Minnesota.
>> Box Score
>> Watch: Copper, Parker Lead Sky To Win
>> Full Game Highlights
(5) Phoenix Mercury 83, (8) New York Liberty 82
Sophie Cunningham hit six of seven 3-pointers for a career-high 21 points and Brianna Turner made the winning free throw with less than a second to play, giving the Phoenix Mercury an 83-82 win over the New York Liberty. Phoenix improved to 8-2 in single-elimination playoff games since the league changed its postseason format in 2016.
>> Box Score
>> Watch: Skylar Diggins-Smith, Sophie Cunningham Come Up Clutch
>> Full Game Highlights