Scouting Sky @ Liberty

Scouting report

Chicago Sky (8-17) at New York Liberty (15-10)

When: 6:30 p.m. at Madison Square Garden

Radio: WVON 1690-AM

Skinny: It's been "long time, no see" for the Sky and the rest of the WNBA, which took a monthlong hiatus beginning in late July to accommodate the Olympics. Many WNBA players played in Beijing, representing a variety of countries. - Although it's the team's first game in 33 days, the Sky doesn't have the luxury of slowly working its way back into form. With only nine games to play and a 3-game deficit to make up, there is little margin for error over the final three weeks of the regular season. - It will be interesting to see how the Sky reacts to the return of 6-foot-6 rookie center Sylvia Fowles, who went down with a knee injury in the fifth game of the season (while goaltending a shot) and returned for a few games before the Olympic break. In her only home game during that stretch, she looked tentative and scored only 2 points in 12 minutes. But Fowles seemed to find her way while in Beijing. The second-youngest player on the team, she led the U.S. in scoring (14.3 ppg) and rebounding (8.9 rpg) en route to earning a gold medal. Now, the trick for her is to have the same effect on the Sky, which is led in scoring by forward Candice Dupree (17.2 ppg) and guard Jia Perkins (16.5 ppg). - New York, which is led in scoring by forward Shameka Christon (16.4 ppg), won six of seven games before the Olympic break. - Meanwhile, the Sky lost three of four games before the break.

Next: Sky at Washington Mystics, 6 p.m. Friday