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Ariel Atkins · Ask Ariel Atkins, and she’ll explain that the secret to the Chicago Sky’s much-needed success to close the WNBA’s first month had plenty to do with building chemistry, and teammates knowing exactly where one another would be. During one must-score possession against the Dallas Wings, such tendencies left Atkins poetically positioned in a spot she knew all too well: the midrange area. One bucket shy of becoming Wintrust Arena’s hero, Atkins calls for closing time, first countering DiJonai Carrington’s closeout with a well-thought-out pass fake before coolly easing into a 14-foot dagger. Newly-acquired two-time All-Stars often arrive to new franchises with gifts aplenty, and for Atkins — 50.2 percent (on 195 attempts) on middies over the last three seasons — the first present arrived on May 29, 2025. As if inspired to battle her hometown team, the Texas-born star opened a back-to-back against Dallas through a 17-point, five-rebound, six-assist, one-steal, two-triple showing. · State of Mint