Los Angeles Sparks vs. Chicago Sky Preview, Prediction and Odds - 5/28/21
There's an interconference clash on the WNBA hardwood between a couple of teams looking to build some positive momentum in the Windy City. The Los Angeles Sparks are on the road as they make the trip to face the Chicago Sky Friday night. Los Angeles was drubbed 97-69 on the road by Las Vegas in their most recent contest last Friday. Chicago was dropped 90-83 at home by Atlanta Tuesday night in their last game. The teams split two games in the bubble last season with the Sparks claiming an 86-80 win as the “home” team in the most recent matchup on September 6, 2020. That gave Los Angeles seven wins in the last 10 meetings.
Los Angeles Sparks Shooting for First Win of the Season
Los Angeles is a well-rested team, having had a week off between their first and second games, then another week between their second game and this one. That’s good from the perspective of trying to get their rotation up to speed but it doesn’t do much for in-game experience. Los Angeles was trounced by Las Vegas on the road their last time out. The Sparks led by five in the first quarter but were outscored 15-5 the rest of the stanza to trail by five. Los Angeles was pasted 31-16 in the second quarter to trail by 20 at the half and trailed by as many as 29 in the second half en route to the loss. The Sparks shot just 36.5% from the field, including five of 17 from three-point range, and allowed the Aces to hit 53.2% in the game. Nneka Ogwumike led Los Angeles with 19 points and five boards in the loss.
On the season, Los Angeles is last in the league in scoring offense as they average 70 points per game. The Sparks are last in rebounding (26.5 boards per game) and last in assists (16.5) this season. Los Angeles is last in scoring defense as they give up an average of 95.5 points a night. Nneka Ogwumike leads the team with 18.5 points plus 6.5 rebounds a game this season. Chiney Ogwumike (11.5 points, 5.5 boards) and Kristi Tolliver (10 points, four assists) are solid secondary scoring options. Derek Fisher hopes to get more from role players like Brittney Sykes, Erica Wheeler, Te’a Cooper, Arella Guirantes and Bria Holmes. Los Angeles is last in field goal percentage on the season as they shoot 36.2% from the field as a team on the year. The Lakers are eighth in three-pointers per game (six) and 11th in three-point shooting as they convert only 26.7% from beyond the arc this season. Los Angeles is last in success at the charity stripe as they cash in 62.1% of their attempts on the year. Amanda Zahui B is questionable with a back injury after missing the first two games. Jasmine Walker was lost for the season with a torn ACL that she suffered against Las Vegas on May 21.
Chicago Sky Hoping to Bounce Back
Chicago suffered their second straight loss as they were knocked off at home by Atlanta their last time out. The Sky entered Thursday holding the fifth playoff spot in the eight-team field but they’re looking to get back in the win column. Against Atlanta, Chicago gave up a 10-0 run in the first quarter to break an 8-8 tie and never recovered. The Sky trailed by six after one quarter, by 10 at the half and couldn’t draw closer than eight in the second half en route to the defeat. Chicago shot 40.3% from the field, including six of 17 from three-point range, but turned the ball over 21 times in the defeat. Kahleah Copper paced the Sky with 21 points in a losing effort.
The Sky is sixth in the league in scoring offense as they muster 80.8 points per contest this season. Chicago is third in rebounding (39.8 boards a night) and second in assists by dishing out 20.8 dimes a game. The Sky is good on defense as they are third in the league by allowing an average of 79 points a contest. Kahleah Copper leads the team with 18 points plus four rebounds a night this season. Candace Parker (16 points, eight boards), Astou Ndour (13.3 points, 7.8 rebounds) and Ruthy Hebard (9.8 points, 7.3 rebounds) are solid secondary options. The Sky can also look to Diamond DeShields (14.3 points), Courtney Vandersloot (10.8 points, 8.5 assists), Allie Quigley, Stefanie Dolson, Brittany Boyd-Jones, Azura Stevens, Natasha Mack and Stephanie Watts to contribute for coach James Wade. Chicago is ninth in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 39.6% as a team. The Sky is in the middle of the pack in threes per game as they are ninth with 5.3 per contest: they are sixth in three-point shooting at 35.6%. Chicago comes in second at the free throw line this season as they are shooting 86% at the stripe. Parker (ankle) and Quigley (hamstring), who have both missed the last three games, are questionable here. Dolson is out for the time being as she is part of Team USA’s three-on-three team, which is in qualifying for the Summer Olympics. She’ll be back in early June.
Pick: Chicago Sky -3.5
While the Sparks are well-rested, having played just two games in the 14 days since the regular season kicked off, the fact remains that they are a disjointed team with a lot of new faces. Los Angeles is last in the league in scoring offense, scoring defense, last in field goal percentage, last in free throw percentage and last in rebounding. There’s not much to like about the Sparks and Fisher has his work cut out for himself going forward. Chicago has dropped two games in a row but they at least have a shot at seeing Quigley and Parker back on the floor. As it stands, seeing how Los Angeles was pasted in both contests this season, you have to give the edge to Chicago.
Total: Under 170.5
Los Angeles has been torched defensively this season, giving up 94 and 97 points in their first two games. The Sparks have been outscored by a collective 51 points in their first two games but thanks to their offensive ineptitude, both those contests fell short of their respective totals. Chicago has seen the over go 2-2 in their games but they have the league’s third-best scoring defense coming into Thursday’s action. With that said, the Sky should be able to slow down the Sparks here and that means they won’t have to get into a track meet in this one. As a result, look for this contest to end up falling short of the total.
