The Unrivaled postseason tips off February 28, meaning the last few games of the regular season take place over the coming days. On Friday night, the Rose look to keep their playoff hopes alive and live to fight another day in a matchup against a struggling Hive squad that just can’t seem to find its footing.
Let’s dive into the details with a Hive vs. Rose prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for tonight’s Unrivaled matchup.
Hive vs. Rose prediction, preview
The Hive have truly struggled this season, sitting tied for last place in the league with a paltry 3-8 record. Although not quite as star-studded as some of the other teams in the Unrivaled field, there was a world where this squad could’ve been competitive. WNBA Rookie of the Year runner-up Sonia Citron was awesome in her debut season at the professional level, and she’s joined on the Hive by veteran W standouts Kelsey Mitchell and Azura Stevens, who was traded here from the Rose. The results have been far from encouraging, though.
Mitchell has posted a quality season with 17.0 PPG, and Citron has is close behind with 16.5 PPG and 3.4 assists. However, the latter is shooting just 23.5% from downtown. Monique Billings posts 14.0 PPG and a team-best 10.5 rebounds as well, but the overall success of the roster hasn’t looked great. The Hive average league lows in all three major categories with 65.3 PPG, 29.7 rebounds and 9.8 assists — struggling in one or two of those marks may be something a team can overcome, but all three? It’s easy to see why they’ve underperformed.
As for the Rose, they’re looking to get to the .500 mark and keep their playoff hopes alive. What happens between them and the Breeze will be fascinating to watch over the final few games, but there’s a real chance that this roster can make it into the final field. Chelsea Gray is arguably the best player in this league — at least in terms of statistical dominance — and it seems there’s no slowing her down. She’ll need to continue carrying the load over the last three contests though.
The Las Vegas Aces star averages an Unrivaled-leading 25.1 PPG, shooting 50.8% from the field and 44.9% from three in the process. Not only is Gray a superstar scorer, but she’s pitching in 5.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists as well, the latter of which is also a team-best. Kahleah Copper has looked quite capable alongside her, posting 19.2 PPG with a 40.0% mark from beyond the arc. Shakira Austin is third on the team in scoring with 16.5 PPG and a roster-high 8.6 rebounds. As a whole, the Rose average 71.5 PPG, fifth among all teams. They dish 11.0 assists and pull down 30.0 rebounds, both of which fall bottom-three overall, but their 6.8 turnovers are tied for the fewest in the league.
Hive vs. Rose pick, best bet
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Rose are -6.5 favorites with -330 ML odds. The Hive hold +240 odds of an outright win with the total set at 140.5.
Looking at the betting splits, 94% of the bets are on Rose Moneyline while just 71% are siding with the them to cover.
This one may not be close. The Rose have the best player in the game in Gray, who has slowed down some in February but remains a clear-cut star with a much higher ceiling than anyone else on the floor. While Billings’ impact on the boards may play a key role in giving the Hive extra possessions, it probably still won’t be enough as they fail to match the one-two punch of Gray and Copper. I like the Rose to cover, pretty handily at that.
