Angel Reese missed her fifth consecutive game Saturday night as the Chicago Sky fell 92-70 to the Indiana Fever in Indianapolis. The 2025 All-Star forward has been sidelined with a back injury since July 29, when she scored 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in a loss to the Washington Mystics, but left the game dealing with discomfort.
Reese, Chicago’s leader in scoring (14.2 points), rebounding (12.6) and assists, has only played in two games since the WNBA All-Star break and did not travel with the team for Saturday’s contest. First-year head coach Tyler Marsh has reiterated that the team is taking a cautious approach with her recovery.
“I think she’s progressing,” Marsh said before the game. “She’s just, again, just stepping away to focus on that rehab. Again, as we get more information in terms of [a] concrete timeline, we’ll communicate that. But as of now, it will continue to be day-to-day.”
Without Reese in the lineup, the short-handed Sky (8-23) couldn’t keep pace with an Indiana team missing All-Star guard Caitlin Clark for the 10th straight game due to a groin injury. Kelsey Mitchell led the Fever (18-14) with 26 points and eight assists, Lexie Hull added 17 points, Sophie Cunningham had 16, and Aliyah Boston scored 15. Indiana used an 8-0 run to start the third quarter to stretch a halftime lead to 19 points and never looked back, improving to 4-0 against Chicago this season. Rachel Banham scored 11 points to lead the Sky.
No Set Timetable for Angel Reese
Reese last played on July 29 in a 103-86 loss to the Mystics, gutting through foul trouble and back tightness.
“It was ugly, ugly for me, but I tried to push through as much as I could for my teammates because I know they need me out there,” Reese said afterward. “When I am out there, I don’t think about an injury. It can happen anyway, anytime. If I’m thinking about it too much, it’s gonna happen again. So, just trying to fight through contact as much as I can and do whatever I can for the team.”
Marsh has said her back tightened up after that game, and the Sky have opted to keep her out as a precautionary measure with the team sitting 6½ games out of the final playoff spot with 13 games left.
All-Star Season Paused
Reese’s sophomore season has featured both early struggles and historic production. After shooting just 30.9% through her first seven games, she recorded her first career triple-double on June 15 against the Connecticut Sun and followed with 11 consecutive double-doubles. She became the first player in WNBA history with multiple double-double streaks of at least 10 games.
Named an All-Star for the second straight season on July 6, Reese will also need to be mindful of her on-court discipline upon returning—she has eight technical fouls, one shy of an automatic one-game suspension.
