Opening up Sunday’s pair of WNBA matchups, the Chicago Sky will challenge the Toronto Tempo. This is the second matchup between the squads this season, with Toronto picking up an 111-104 victory on May 27.
For the rematch, the Tempo enters as a narrow 1.5-point favorite with -120 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Sky hold +100 odds of pulling off the upset, with the game total set at 173.5 points.
Let’s get into a pick and prediction for this Sky at Tempo matchup.
Sky at Tempo Preview
The Chicago Sky are off to a 4-6 start to the season, but snapped a five-game losing streak with their previous win over the Connecticut Sun. Their other three wins have come over the Portland Fire, the Golden State Valkyries, and the Minnesota Lynx, all of whom were in their first four games of the year. This season, Chicago has gone a league-worst 3-7 against the spread, and the game total has gone over in six of their 10 games.
With Rickea Jackson out for the season, Skylar Diggins headlines the production with 15.2 points, 4.9 assists, and four rebounds as another major piece of Chicago’s offseason additions. Kamilla Cardoso averages 12.5 points and 9.8 rebounds, while Gabriela Jaquez is the lone other player to average in double figures. Natasha Cloud, Jacy Sheldon, and Azura Stevens each also play key roles. DiJonai Carrington also remains sidelined due to injury.
The Sky are scoring 81.9 points per game, which ranks 12th in the WNBA. Chicago also ranks 13th in offensive rating, 11th in field goal percentage, and 14th in three-point percentage. Defensively, opponents are scoring 86 points per game against the Sky, which ranks 11th in the WNBA. They also rank eighth in defensive rating, seventh in opponent field goal percentage, and fifth in opponent three-point percentage.
In their inaugural WNBA season, the Toronto Tempo are off to a 5-5 start. The squad has produced victories over the Storm (twice), Sparks, Mercury, and Sky, while coming up short against the Mystics, Sparks, Lynx, Fire, and Liberty. This season, the Tempo have gone 6-4 against the spread, with the game total going over in six of their 10 games.
Brittney Sykes headlines the production, averaging 19.6 points, four rebounds, and 3.8 assists per contest. Marina Mabrey adds 18.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, while Kiki Rice and Nyara Sabally also average in double figures. Laura Juskaite and Maria Conde also play notable roles.
As a team, the Tempo are scoring 88.8 points per game, which ranks fifth in the WNBA. Toronto also ranks fourth in offensive rating, attempts the second-most three-pointers in the league, and ranks eighth in perimeter efficiency. Defensively, opponents are averaging 89.8 points per game against the Tempo, the second-worst mark in the league. The Tempo also ranks 14th in defensive rating and last in opponent field-goal percentage.
Sky at Tempo Pick, Best Bet
These teams poured on points in the first matchup, resulting in a 111-104 victory for the Tempo. This was despite Chicago shooting 7-for-31 (23%) from beyond the arc. The Tempo shot an impressive 56% from the field and 46% from deep, while winning the rebounding battle 37-27. Toronto pushed the lead as high as 14 and held control for 80% of the matchup.
Since then, the Sky got blown out by the Minnesota Lynx, 79-58, which marked a season low in scoring. They were then defeated by 18 points by the Washington Mystics, and bounced back with a win over the Connecticut Sun on Friday. Chicago has some issues on both sides of the ball that have no clear path to fixing. The loss of Rickea Jackson for the season is noteworthy, and her impact as a scorer is just about impossible to replace during the season.
The Tempo is far from a perfect team. But there is a level of identity and energy missing from this Sky roster. Toronto wants to push the pace and launch three-pointers, and has had some success with this tactic. While the Sky put forth a respectable effort of keeping pace in the first matchup, they have only scored 90-plus points twice this season. It sometimes feels like a grind to put points on the board in the flow of their offense, and this is problematic against a team like the Tempo.
While Toronto has defensive issues of their own, which will make it easier for Chicago to score, anticipate the Tempo putting up points at a rate the Sky cannot match. Expect this game to gradually get put out of reach and for the Tempo to get the better of this matchup once again. It feels as if things will get worse before they get better for this Chicago franchise, and the victory over the 2-10 Connecticut Sun is not enough to change this thought process. Expect more of the same in this second game between these two sides. While this is not a game where the narrow spread particularly concerns me, laying the juice on the moneyline makes more sense in this spot.
