It’s a lottery battle on Thursday night. The Connecticut Sun and the Chicago Sky are squarely in the midst of a rebuild and will soon look to the 2027 WNBA Draft as a way to bolster their teams. With the trade deadline right around the corner, these squads may look different in a week as they decide who stays and who goes. But for now, there’s a game to play, and a lot of different motivations at play.
The Sky enter as 3.5-point home favorites with -169 Moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Sun are +139 underdogs with the game total set at 173.5 points. Let’s dive into a preview, prediction, and pick for this Sun-Sky matchup.
Sun at Sky Prediction, Preview
So far, so bad for the Sun. That was always the plan after their mass exodus two seasons ago, as they look to rebuild through the draft. Through two seasons, they’ve managed to accrue some solid talent. Leïla Lacan leads the charge, a strong guard defender who runs the offense well. They’re also getting decent production from Charlisse Leger-Walker, Aneesah Morrow, Saniya Rivers, and Olivia Nelson-Ododa, amongst others. Veteran contributors like Diamond Miller and Kennedy Burke may be the center of trade conversations this week, but this team needs some sort of veteran stability.
The Sky are right in the middle of a rebuild as well, though they weren’t as prepared for it as the Sun. After an Angel Reese trade that left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, management tried to buy and make signings to turn the ship around. At 9-18, and still dogged by off-court drama, it’s safe to say that plan did not work.
But it’s not all bad. Gabriela Jaquez, their rookie from UCLA, has brought a lot of energy as a versatile perimeter defender. Kamilla Cardoso continues to grow into her role as a two-way paint presence. And Sydney Taylor, the undrafted free agent, has had quite the breakout second half. There are signs of growth here, if management has the patience to see things through. But that has rarely been the case when it comes to Chicago’s front office.
Offense will be at a premium here. Connecticut has put out one of the worst offenses in the league this season, but Chicago hasn’t been that much better. If one or two players can find a groove on either side, that massively tips the balance. Rebounding will also be a key here. Both teams can deploy size and have physical rebounders who aren’t afraid of a little contact. If recent history has shown us anything, it’s that both teams will miss a lot of shots, and the winner of the board battle has a huge leg up here.
Now that we know these teams a bit better, who is going to pull out the win, and how should we bet this game?
Sun at Sky Pick, Best Bet
Looking for signs of life between these two teams can be difficult. But heading into the All-Star break, the Sky did actually seem to get some momentum, going 3-3 in their last six games. That doesn’t seem like a lot in the grand scheme of things, but Sydney Taylor’s buckets have significantly altered their momentum this season. An offensive metronome is just what this team needed, and I’m confident it’ll give the Sky a leg up over the Sun in this one.
