Tempo Look to Sykes for Lift After 10-Game Losing Streak

The expansion Toronto Tempo are struggling through their first WNBA season, but help could be on the way with the return of guard Brittney Sykes.

Sykes has been sidelined for two months with a left plantar fascia injury suffered in a June 16 game against the Indiana Fever. Without her, Toronto has lost 10 straight games, falling to 10-23 — the third-worst record in the league — after being in playoff contention earlier in the season.

Sykes said at Monday's practice that she just needs to be cleared by a doctor to return to the court.

"It's been a testing eight weeks, but, you know, it taught me a lot about myself. I got to show up for my teammates and the org in a different way," Sykes said. "I'm just grateful that I got that time. I got a lot of therapy sessions in. I got to find out a lot about myself. In this point in my career, I've been here before, but it seems like this injury was way harder to deal with."

Even while sidelined, Sykes remained a veteran presence, working to keep her teammates' spirits up during the losing streak. She could make her return Tuesday against Caitlin Clark and the Fever.

The Tempo face a demanding schedule ahead, with back-to-back games against Indiana at home and Washington on the road, followed by a trip across Canada to Vancouver for games against Portland and Las Vegas. Toronto just returned from a five-game road trip that included stops on the West Coast, in Atlanta and in Dallas.

After Vancouver, the Tempo close out their pre-World Cup schedule with three more road games, in Seattle, Las Vegas and Phoenix. It will be the second straight season the WNBA has staged games in Vancouver, following a sold-out matchup between Atlanta and Seattle last year.

Elsewhere, Clark was named AP player of the week after averaging 25.7 points, 9.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds as Indiana won all three of its games. Minnesota remained the unanimous No. 1 in the league's power poll.