Unrivaled action rolls on this weekend, and we’ve got some key matchups on the Saturday slate. The Breeze are rolling toward a playoff fight, while the Lunar Owls are trying to rescue a season rapidly going off the rails. Stakes are high, and the level of competition will be even higher.
The Breeze are a 6.5-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while the Lunar Owls sit as a +240 underdog. The game total is set at 140.5 points. Let’s get into my prediction and pick for this Unrivaled matchup.
Breeze vs. Lunar Owls Preview
The Breeze have a simple formula: let Paige Bueckers cook. The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year has been absurdly efficient with the ball in a 3v3 format. Bueckers is scoring 23.4 PPG while shooting 52.4% from the field, 45.5% from three, and a tidy 100% from the line. A talent this good can take you far in Unrivaled, but they’ve done well at adding complementary players. Rickea Jackson has been a solid No. 2 scoring option, and the Dominique Malonga-Cameron Brink tandem is owning the paint.
My gripe with the Breeze has been the end of the roster. Kate Martin is there to knock down threes and grab boards, but the former is not going well, shooting 1/12 from deep through five games. Aari McDonald has not consistently fit into any of their lineups. It’s tough to win big when you only have four dependable players on your roster, and some of them have overlapping skill sets. Perhaps when you have Bueckers, roster construction matters less.
The Lunar Owls have similar problems, but to a much more severe degree. The absence of league co-founder Napheesa Collier threw their whole season into disarray after dominating last year’s regular season. Adjusting on the fly has not gone well. Marina Mabrey is shouldering a huge offensive load, scoring 27.8 PPG, but it has not been efficient. Skylar Diggins is struggling with injuries. Rebecca Allen, Temi Fagbenle and Rachel Banham have not made a huge impact. The only thing truly going well for this team is Aaliyah Edwards; she’s bringing two-way dominance every night.
Limiting Edwards will be key for the Breeze. Luckily, they have just the right tools to do so.
Breeze vs. Lunar Owls Pick
It’s a brutal matchup for the Lunar Owls. Edwards is going to see a whole lot of Malonga and Brink, who can match her size and take away her best looks. Mabrey doesn’t scare me because of her poor shot selection, and the role players can’t break this game by knocking down shots. This should be a breeze for the Breeze.
