MINNEAPOLIS — It’s one thing to talk about a “next man up” mentality, which Sky coach Tyler Marsh often does. It’s another to watch your best player go down screaming, grabbing her knee, and then play through it — which his team did in an 86-79 victory Sunday night against the Lynx.
Rickea Jackson looked to be the up-and-coming face of the franchise for the Sky through their first three games, averaging 22 points, six rebounds and 2.7 assists. She was the go-to option, helping carry a new roster while key players recovered from long-term injuries. She started Sunday with her signatures — attacking off the bounce, hitting a slick turnaround, throwing down an emphatic block.
Then, with 5:25 left in the second quarter, driving left, Jackson crumpled to the floor.
There was no official diagnosis given. Marsh said after the game that the Sky’s medical team was still evaluating. But when a player goes down grabbing her knee and has to be helped off the court, it’s usually serious.
Veteran point guard Natasha Cloud was given a technical foul after Jackson went down.
“I told the three refs . . . that their ultimate job is to control and protect the players in this game,” Cloud said, “and I think that this group today failed to do so. They failed to protect Rickea. They failed to control the game.
“Immediately right before that, I told the refs, ‘The game’s getting a little out of control. We need to control it.’ And the next possession, we have hands all over Rickea, a push all over her back. We don’t know what’s going on, but truthfully, I think it’s [BS].”
The injury was reason enough for the Sky to fold. Instead, they decided they’d get a win for Jackson.
They built a 10-point lead in the third quarter and got contributions up and down the roster. Center Kamilla Cardoso snapped out of a mini-slump with 11 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.
Rookie Gabriela Jaquez led the team with 20 points on 54.5% shooting, adding eight rebounds, and continued her early-season theme of always being in the right place at the right time.
“You not no rookie,” Cloud said to Jaquez after the game. “She was leading half of our huddles tonight. Reminding us of what we’re in defensively. It’s a testament to who she is”
The Lynx didn’t go away quietly. Minnesota was at its best to open the fourth quarter, forcing turnovers and turning them into points, closing the gap to two. The Sky didn’t fold. Buckets from Cardoso, Jaquez and Rachel Banham quickly pushed the lead back to 10.
It was a remarkable win that validated the identity the Sky are trying to build: tough, resilient, defensive-minded. They’ll bring a 3-1 record into their home opener Wednesday against the Wings.
“This organization, this is what they envisioned,” Jaquez said.
And still, there might not have been a worse way to end a road trip.
Jackson looked to be on the cusp of a breakout year, with Cloud predicting her first All-Star appearance. Now the Sky might have to finish the season without her.
It’s also a painful echo of 2025, when Courtney Vandersloot tore her anterior cruciate ligament in the Sky’s seventh game. What followed was a complete unraveling — a 10-34 record. This roster is more talented and tougher. The win Sunday made that clear.
Still, difficult times are ahead.
DiJonai Carrington, Azura Stevens and Vandersloot are all out with medium- to long-term injuries. If Jackson did in fact tear her ACL, the Sky could find themselves needing to sign a player to a hardship contract.
But the bigger issue is what Jackson meant to this franchise. She was the player the Sky wanted to build around. Now they might have to wait another year to find out what that looks like.
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