By and large, the haves and the have-nots have been separated in this WNBA season. The Seattle Storm fall in the former category, while the Chicago Sky are in the latter.
At 14-10, Seattle holds the fourth seed in the WNBA playoffs and would host a first-round series. Powered by a strong defense and the star pairing of Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins, they’re a formidable opponent built for the playoffs. The rise of Gabby Williams as a two-way star has significantly changed the outlook of this team.
The Sky sit four games outside of the playoff picture, with little hope of making a rise. Even with Angel Reese playing at an All-WNBA level over the past ten games, they can’t even play .500 ball. Things have been rough in Chicago this season, and the beat goes on for another year of the rebuild.
The Storm are nine-point favorites on the road at -440 on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The total is set at 157 points. Let’s look at the best bets and predictions for this contest.
Storm vs. Sky prediction, pick
Seattle has a significant edge on both ends of the floor. They have two high-level offensive creators in Skylar and Nneka. Gabby Williams and Erica Wheeler can be high-level play finishers. It’s not the best offensive formula in the W, but one that has won them a fair share of games.
The defense is where the gap is largest. Nneka, Gabby, and Ezi Magbegor are All-Defense candidates year in and year out. There are some defensive holes in the rotation, but those three can paper over a lot. And it’s more than enough to contain this Sky squad, who are starved for offensive creation. As if the odds weren’t stacked enough against them, the injury report is hitting them hard.
Ariel Atkins is out. Michaela Onyenwere is out. And it’s possible that Angel Reese isn’t playing. Without a clean bill of health, I don’t trust the Sky to keep this game close at all.
