Candace Parker gets 27th playoff double-double, tying Tamika Catchings for No. 1

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Candace Parker took an elbow to her left eye in the opening minutes of Game 3.

As she stood under the basket, trying to collect herself, she yelled, “Oh, that’s what we’re going to do?”

The entire series between the Sun and Sky has been chippy. It reflects the desperation with which both teams are playing to advance to the WNBA Finals. But Sunday, the Sun made a mistake in stirring up an already dominant Parker in the first five minutes of play.

Parker finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds for her 27th playoff double-double, tying Tamika Catchings for No. 1 all-time. Courtney Vandersloot passed Diana Taurasi for No. 3 on the all-time playoff assist list after dishing out five assists to go with 12 points and six rebounds.

Four Sky players scored in double figures, and the bench combined for 17 points.

Game 4

The Sky are one win away from returning to the WNBA Finals. Parker’s postgame message was, “The job’s not finished.”

Last year the Sky played Game 4 in the semifinals and Finals at Wintrust Arena after stealing Game 1 in both series. This year the shoe is on the other foot, and the Sky will be tasked with closing out the series at Mohegan Sun Arena at 7 p.m. Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, the Sun are back in familiar territory, down 2-1 to the Sky in the semifinals. They need a victory Tuesday to force a Game 5 on Thursday at Wintrust Arena.

Coach Curt Miller’s team has talked frequently about their championship window closing. In the last three seasons, they have lost in the semifinals, and in 2019 they lost to the Mystics in the Finals.

Defense

The Sky and Sun finished the regular season Nos. 1 and 2 in field-goal percentage. But through this series both teams have been held to two of their lowest marks all year.

In Game 1, the Sky shot 35.3% from the field, their worst field-goal shooting in a playoff game since 2014. They responded in Game 2 by shooting 50.8%. In Game 3, both teams struggled for the second time in this series, and it can be attributed to their defense.

The Sun and Sky finished second and fourth in defensive rating during the regular season. The Sun’s 17 turnovers in Game 3 was a playoff-high for them. Over the last two games, the Sky have forced 30 turnovers. On Sunday, the Sky converted 17 points off of the Sun’s 17 turnovers.

Final minutes

The game saw 12 lead changes 11 ties. The most either team led by was seven, when the Sky went up 49-42 halfway through the third quarter.

The teams were deadlocked at 66-64 for nearly five minutes after Kahleah Copper hit a three to give her team the two-point advantage. Emma Meesseman was finally the player to snap both teams’ scoring drought and attributed her confidence in remaining aggressive to the way both teams played each other all season.

Meesseman finished with 13 points, six assists, five steals and three rebounds.

Copper led the Sky in the fourth quarter with nine points and finished with 15, five rebounds and one steal.