When the WNBA regular season is done and dusted, you won’t be seeing the Connecticut Sun or the Los Angeles Sparks in the postseason. But that doesn’t make these last several games meaningless. The Sun are playing out their final season in Connecticut before relocating to Houston and resurrecting the Comets. Living legend Nneka Ogwumike, who recently announced her retirement at the end of the season, has only so many minutes left on a WNBA court. That extra layer of motivation for both teams makes this one exciting.
The Sparks enter as 3.5-point home favorites with -170 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Sun are +142 underdogs, with the game total set at 168.5 points.
Let’s dive into a preview, prediction, and pick for this Sun-Sparks matchup.
Sun vs. Sparks Preview
This will be the third and final regular-season matchup between these teams. So far, it’s a matchup that’s been kind to the Sun. They won the first meeting in May, taking an 84-81 win behind Aneesah Morrow and a solid team defense. The rematch earlier this week didn’t go much better for the Sparks, despite Morrow being elsewhere; Connecticut rallied for an 85-77 win to outpace LA’s star talent.
The Sun have to like the tape they’ve put up in these two matchups. Connecticut played perfectly to Los Angeles’ weaknesses: they didn’t let the role players or the bench get anything going offensively, and the pressure on LA’s ill-fitting stars has proved too much to overcome. Nneka Ogwumike, Dearica Hamby, and Rae Burrell have all played well offensively through both matchups, and it hasn’t mattered. If they can repeat that defensive performance, Connecticut has a solid chance of sweeping the season series.
Los Angeles has to break the mold by getting something going from the bench lineups. Ariel Atkins, who has largely been a flop in LA, has to provide more offensively. A strong Erica Wheeler game would go a long way towards getting the win here. The reality is, they cannot win games with a bench this bad offensively. In Tuesday’s matchup with the Sun, LA’s bench players combined for eight points on 3-of-13 shooting. That’s not going to cut it.
Ultimately, this matchup comes down to pride. The Sun have lost eight of their last 10 games, but the Sparks haven’t fared much better, losing 13 of their last 15. Someone has to put in the effort, knock down shots, and take this win.
Now that we know these teams a bit better, who will pull out the win, and how should we bet on this game?
Sun vs. Sparks Pick, Best Bet
If I’m faced with a coin toss, I’ll take the value on the underdog. Los Angeles’ finish to this season has been rough, and they’re far from a guarantee to beat anybody at the moment. I’ll roll with the Sun to get the win and sweep the season series.
