Saturday’s Unrivaled slate ends with a battle between the haves and the have-nots. The 4-1 Laces will take on the 1-4 Hive, a duel between the best and worst records in the league. But there’s more intrigue to this one than meets the eye.
The Laces are a 7.5-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while the Hive enter as a +280 ML underdog. The game total is set at 140.5 points. Let’s get into my prediction and pick for this Unrivaled matchup.
Hive vs. Laces Preview
I absolutely LOVE how the Laces went around building this roster. Alyssa Thomas is the centerpiece of this team, one of the best defenders in the sport while providing a lot of playmaking and paint scoring. Jackie Young is an excellent offensive complement, knocking down shots and getting after it defensively. And Brittney Sykes makes it all work as a hard-nosed defender who isn’t afraid to get dirty offensively.
The bench has given them some interesting looks as well, especially Naz Hillmon, who brings an interesting blend of size and skill. Alyssa Thomas provides the floor, but it’s the pieces around her that give this team a serious ceiling. Saturday is another chance to prove that they are true contenders.
On paper, I liked how the Hive built their roster. Kelsey Mitchell is an exceptional scorer, Sonia Citron is a great complement, and they have the pieces to mix and match lineups with size and skill. The problem is that this is a short-season league in which a cold stretch puts you down quickly. Now, this team is brutally cold from deep. The Hive are shooting 17.8% from three through five games, and no player on the roster is even at 22.2%.
As the great Bill Russell said, the game has always been, and will always be, about buckets. When you can’t knock down your shots, everything else becomes irrelevant. The Hive need to find their shooting touch, or this is going to be a wasted season.
Hive vs. Laces Pick
I definitely buy the Laces. They have the star talent, the roster build, and the experience to contend. Still, the Hive are not nearly as bad as advertised. Those shots are going to fall sooner or later, and I think just enough of them fall to keep this close on Saturday night.
