LAS VEGAS — The Sky are in a free fall, having lost six games in a row. Their collapse couldn’t come at a worse time, either.
After their loss to the Lynx and the Dream’s victory against the Sparks on Sunday, the Sky (11-21) find themselves tied with the Dream for the eighth and final playoff spot in the WNBA standings with eight games left in the regular season.
‘‘Obviously, it’s tough,’’ rookie forward Angel Reese said Sunday. ‘‘This is the most losing I’ve ever done in my life. So it’s just being able to stay mentally positive through this. We all are, that’s the bright light of it.’’
The Sky’s struggles extend beyond the absence of leading scorer Chennedy Carter (17.2 points per game).
Carter has been in the WNBA’s health and safety protocols since last week and didn’t travel with the Sky for their road trip to Minneapolis and Las Vegas. It’s unclear whether she will meet the team before its game Tuesday against the Aces.
While the Sky have missed Carter’s scoring in their last three games, her presence alone won’t get them into the postseason.
There is a clear disconnect between players on the court, which has shown up numerous times. Most recently, it showed up in guard Dana Evans waving off point guard Moriah Jefferson in the Sky’s loss to the Lynx. Before that, a game broadcast on Aug. 25 caught rookie center Kamilla Cardoso appearing to disagree with a play drawn up in the final seconds of a loss to the Aces.
Last week, coach Teresa Weatherspoon said she wasn’t concerned about any division in the team.
‘‘We don’t separate,’’ Weatherspoon said. ‘‘I think that’s what people try to see and talk about, but these kids don’t separate. I don’t even know where all of that comes from, but you’re going to hear a whole lot of different things.’’
Carter’s absence has exposed the Sky’s biggest problem beyond any division that might be festering. Their offense has hinged mainly upon her ability to create and their defense leading to easy offense in transition.
Without Carter, however, the Sky’s inside-out game has been the center of attention, starting with their struggles with entry passes into the post. There’s also the fact that, in Weatherspoon’s words, the team has lacked ‘‘intention’’ in feeding the post.
Cardoso is averaging 12.6 points and 8.9 rebounds since the Olympic break and scored a career-high 22 points Sunday against the Lynx. Her confidence has played a role in that, but it also has been a response to Carter’s absence. The Sky have been forced to focus on this aspect of the game, something they should have been doing from the beginning.
Turnovers also have been a problem. Since returning from the Olympic break, the Sky are second in the league in turnovers.
‘‘We’re trying to force the ball into places that we probably haven’t done in a long time,’’ Reese said. ‘‘Or things we should have been doing from the beginning of the season.’’
Of the Sky’s eight remaining games, three are against the bottom three teams in the league. They also have a game Sept. 17 against the Dream, whom they have beaten twice in three matchups this season.
Considering the WNBA’s tiebreaker rules, which start with best record in head-to-head matchups before going to winning percentage against teams .500 or better, that game against the Dream might end up deciding the Sky’s playoff fate.
