After the WNBA All-Star break ends, reality sets in again. The reality of this season for the Minnesota Lynx and the Chicago Sky is vastly different.
Minnesota is stampeding its way to the No. 1 seed in the WNBA playoffs. It’s a sort of revenge tour — after losing the WNBA Finals last year and the Commissioner’s Cup Championship this year, one goal remains. Napheesa Collier and company will be determined to prove they’re the cream of the crop.
The Sky are on a different trajectory. At 7-15, they’re four games out of the playoff picture and the odds of a late-season surge are low. Despite Angel Reese’s incredible month of July, they can’t sustain winning play for long. It leaves little hope of a measurable improvement from last year.
The Lynx are 15.5-point favorites at home at -1100 on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The total is 159.5 points. Let’s look at the best bets and predictions for this contest.
Lynx vs. Sky prediction
I wish there was a reason to think the Sky could make this competitive. Even if Angel Reese goes wild, they can’t compete with the depth of talent that Minnesota possesses. And with the Napheesa Collier and Alanna Smith tandem guarding Reese and fighting her in the post, there’s less opportunity for Angel to change the direction of this game.
Chicago is dead in the water trying to win this one. The real question is whether the spread is set too large?
Lynx vs. Sky pick
Minnesota Lynx -15.5 (-108)
The short answer? No. As if the talent gap wasn’t big enough, Ariel Atkins has been ruled out for Chicago. Arguably their best perimeter defender, her absence gives Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride the chance to go wild on the perimeter. Plus, Chicago has no answer for Napheesa Collier to begin with. Now they’re short another shot-maker against one of the league’s best defenses.
The deck is completely stacked in Minnesota’s favor. I have a hard time seeing the Sky keeping this game competitive. Ride with the Lynx.
