We’ve got some Unrivaled action in the early afternoon on Sunday. Our slate begins with the Vinyl taking on the Mist.
The Mist are 3.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, while the Vinyl sit as +145 underdogs. The game total is set at 140.5 points. Let’s get into my prediction and pick for this Unrivaled matchup.
Vinyl vs. Mist Preview
So far, so good for Mist BC. The duo of Allisha Gray and Breanna Stewart has worked well; both prolific scorers create a lot of confusion for opposing defenses. Adding Veronica Burton in as a versatile passer and defender has unlocked a lot of exciting tactics for this team. Mostly, it’s a team designed to showcase Stewie, and that’s a pretty good formula if you ask me.
The problem for them is the bench. Arike Ogunbowale eats up a lot of the touches off the bench, but has been her usual inefficient self, and can’t really coexist with Stewart and Gray. Alanna Smith gives them some defense and size on the glass, but not much else. Li Yueru has been a bit redundant by adding even more size and rebounding, but less skill than Smith. It has been clunky, to say the least, for the Mist at times.
Things have been far less enjoyable for the Vinyl. They were banking on the duo of Rhyne Howard and Dearica Hamby to carry the offense, but it hasn’t been enough. Sitting at sixth in total points despite a combined 41.3 PPG from that duo, they desperately need the role players to step up. Courtney Williams, Brittney Griner, Erica Wheeler, and Rae Burrell have not picked up the scoring slack for this team.
The good news is that the defense has worked. Griner and Hamby’s size, combined with Howard and Williams’ perimeter stopping, has made for a solid foundation. But the game is about a bucket, and so far, those have been tough to come by.
So, we have two teams with real issues. Who will poke each other’s flaws the best?
Vinyl vs. Mist Pick
It’s very hard to trust this Vinyl team with anything. Howard’s inefficient shooting can sink them on any given night, and the lack of role-player contributions gives them little floor to begin with. They don’t have the kind of group that can expose the Mist’s lack of a true bench either. I’m backing the Mist to continue their march toward the playoffs, while the Vinyl spiral even further.
