Sky's Delle Donne returns to lineup vs New York

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer

It's been a frustrating month for Elena Delle Donne.

Chicago's star forward has been sidelined with a recurrence of Lyme disease that's forced her to miss 17 of the Sky's last 18 games.

She'll make her return to the lineup Thursday night when Chicago hosts New York in a key Eastern Conference matchup. Delle Donne said she's not feeling 100 percent yet, but is good enough to be back on the court.

"I've gone through this before twice in college and it wasn't fun," Delle Donne said in a phone interview with The Associated Press on Thursday. "It's not like an injury where you know you'll be better in six weeks and then back to 100 percent in eight weeks."

Delle Donne won't start and hopes to play about 20 minutes against New York in her first game back since the team announced she would be sidelined indefinitely on June 27. She played briefly at Connecticut the day before she left the team. She then headed home to Delaware to receive treatment.

"I know I'll be a bit rusty and honestly I still feel some of the symptoms, but I know I'm ready to go," Delle Donne said.

Sky coach Pokey Chatman said she'll monitor Delle Donne, hoping to play her for a few minutes at a time to gauge how the reigning rookie of the year is feeling.

"I hope to get her about 3 or 4 minutes at a time and go from there," Chatman said. "Every time she comes out of the game, she'll talk to the trainer and my assistants to see how she's doing."

Unlike many players in the league who play overseas in the winter, Delle Donne spent that time in Chicago to help grow the Sky's fan base. She felt the best she's been in a long time and the 25-year-old started to wean off some of her medication. That may have caused the recurrence.

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Sky's Delle Donne returns to lineup vs New York