There’s a two-game WNBA slate on Monday night with the first matchup being between the Minnesota Lynx and Chicago Sky.
The Lynx lead the WNBA with an 18-4 record, three games ahead of second place. Meanwhile, the Sky are just 7-13 despite Angel Reese’s stellar play of late.
This will be the third matchup between these two teams, all of which have occurred since July 6. Chicago will host, where it is 4-4 this year.
The Lynx are 10.5 favorites on the road, and the game total is set at 161 points on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Here’s my prediction and pick for Monday’s Lynx vs. Sky matchup.
Lynx vs. Sky prediction
WNBA schedule makers decided to put all four Lynx vs. Sky regular season matchups within a tight window. The teams first played each other on July 6, then July 12 and now July 14. The final matchup will be on July 22.
They should be familiar with each other at this point, which makes this a bit more interesting. A typical 10.5-point spread isn’t enticing unless there are some outside factors such as this scheduling.
The Lynx are the far superior team, but they haven’t shown it in the first two matchups against the Sky. They won the first game 80-75 but lost the second 87-81.
The loss came in Chicago, which is where tonight’s game will be played.
The Sky are rolling at the right time, which just might be enough to make tonight’s matchup close against the league’s best team. That said, it’s also tough to beat an opponent twice in a row, no matter how good the team is.
Lynx vs. Sky pick, best bet
Despite the previous games being single-digit finishes, DraftKings Sportsbook still has the Lynx as 10.5-point favorites and -575 on the moneyline. Those are a bit too steep, even with how much confidence I have in the Lynx this year.
On the flip side, I can’t say I’m all that confident in the Sky. They’ve been playing good basketball lately, but they’re still a 7-13 squad. The +10.5-point spread is tempting, but I’m going with a player prop instead.
Napheesa Collier is arguably the best player on the court in every game she plays. Tonight is certainly the case. Her points line is set at over/under 21.5 points, which is doable for the star forward.
She’s averaging 23.6 points per game this season and is coming off a 26-point outing against the Lynx last match. She scored 21 in the first game against Minnesota. Collier has cleared this line in 13 of 19 games this season.