Los Angeles Sparks vs. Dallas Wings Preview, Prediction and Odds - 6/1/21
A pair of Western Conference teams take the floor in WNBA action down in the Lone Star State. The Los Angeles Sparks are on the road as they travel to face the Dallas Wings Tuesday night. Los Angeles swept a two-game series on the road in the Windy City as they edged the Sky 82-79 in overtime Sunday in their most recent contest. Dallas was edged 89-85 at home by Phoenix in their most recent game Saturday night. The teams have split the last eight meetings though it was the Wings earning a 94-71 road victory in the first meeting this season May 14. Will the Sparks maintain their momentum with another road win here?
Los Angeles Sparks Seek Third Straight Win
Los Angeles evened their record on the season as they swept a two-game set on the road with the Sky in the Windy City. The Sparks enter this game 2-2 on the year and holding the seventh seed in the WNBA playoff picture as they try for a third straight win here. Against Chicago Sunday, Los Angeles trailed by 14 after the opening quarter and went down 17 early in the second quarter before climbing back. The Sparks rallied to tie the game at the half only to trail by six after three quarters. Los Angeles trailed by seven with 4:26 to play in regulation before rallying to force overtime. The Sparks used a 7-0 run in overtime to take an 80-75 lead and hung on for the victory. Los Angeles shot 41.1% from the field, including eight of 18 from three-point range, and overcame a 45-33 beating on the glass. Nneka Ogwumike led the Sparks with 21 points and nine rebounds in the victory.
On the season, Los Angeles is last in the league in scoring offense as they average 74.5 points per game. The Sparks are last in rebounding (29 boards per game) and 11th in assists (17.5) this season. Los Angeles is 7th in scoring defense as they give up an average of 82.8 points a night. Nneka Ogwumike leads the team with 18 points plus 7.8 rebounds a game this season. Chiney Ogwumike (nine points, 5.7 boards) and Kristi Tolliver are solid secondary scoring options. Derek Fisher hopes to get more from role players like Brittney Sykes, Nia Coffey (10.5 points), Erica Wheeler (10 points, four assists), Te’a Cooper, Amanda Zahui B (12.5 points, five boards), Arella Guirantes and Bria Holmes. Los Angeles is last in field goal percentage on the season as they shoot 38.1 % from the field as a team on the year. The Lakers are sixth in three-pointers per game (7.3) and 5th in three-point shooting as they convert 35.4% from beyond the arc this season. Los Angeles is 11th in success at the charity stripe as they cash in 72.3% of their attempts on the year. Jasmine Walker was lost for the season with a torn ACL that she suffered against Las Vegas May 21. Chiney Ogwumike missed Sunday’s game with a knee injury and is questionable here.
Dallas Wings Trying to Get Back on Track
Dallas dropped their fourth straight game since opening the season with a win yet still own a positive scoring differential entering this contest. The Wings enter this game 1-4 on the season and they are 10th in the WNBA playoff picture, half a game behind the Sky for the final playoff spot. Against Phoenix, Dallas started miserably as they trailed 11-0 four and a half minutes into the game, and never recovered. The Wings climbed within nine after the first quarter and got within two in the second quarter only to trail by seven at the half. Dallas couldn’t get closer than three in the second half as they took the loss. The Wings shot 37.2% from the field, including nine of 23 from three-point range, and lost the rebounding battle 44-30 in the game. Marina Mabrey and Arike Ogunbowale led Dallas with 24 points each in the loss.
The Wings come into this one second in the league in scoring with 90.4 points per game this season. Dallas is fourth in rebounding (37.4 boards per contest) but rank 10th in the league in assists with 17.6 per game. The Wings are struggling defensively, ranking 12th by allowing 89.8 points per contest. Allisha Gray is second on the team by averaging 23 points, six rebounds and five assists per game on the year. Arike Ogunbowale (23.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists), Marina Mabrey (21.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists), Isabelle Harrison (nine points, 7.2 rebounds) and Kayla Thornton (12 points, nine rebounds) are all capable scoring options as well. Charli Collier, Tyasha Harris, Chelsea Dungee, Awak Kuier, Moriah Jefferson, Dana Evans, Kristine Anigwe and Bella Alarie all can be looked to for minutes for coach Brian Agler. The Wings are fourth in the league in field goal percentage as they hit 44.2% as a team. Dallas is fifth in three-pointers per game (8.8) and stand third in the league in three-point shooting as they hit 37.6% from long range. The Wings are seventh in free throw shooting as they convert 80.4% of their chances at the stripe. Gray is out as she is with Team USA for the three-on-three qualifying tournament in Graz, Austria in an effort to qualify for the Olympics. She is expected to return in early June. Satou Sabally is taking part as well as a member of Team Germany.
Pick: Dallas Wings +1
While Los Angeles has won two straight games while the Wings have lost four in a row entering this one, there are some things that point away from the visitors. For starters, the Sparks won both games against the Sky in part because Chicago turned the ball over a staggering 49 times. Dallas commits only 14.2 turnovers per game, putting them seventh in the league in that category. Meanwhile, the Wings are #2 in the league in scoring offense and they’ve put up at least 81 points in each of their games this season. They have scored at least 94 points in three of their five contests, including their romp over the Sparks on the road in the first meeting. While the return of Zahui B has helped the Sparks, Dallas simply has too much offense to be stopped here.
Total: Over 166
Los Angeles has seen all four of their games fall short of the total entering this one but if there is a chance for their offense to get going, this is it. The Sparks are facing a Wings team that is dead last in the league in scoring defense and who loves to run the floor. Dallas has seen the over hit in three of their five games and the two games that fell short were each just half a point short of the number. The over has hit in six of the last nine meetings between the teams coming into this contest. After seeing the first one end up a half-point shy of the total, this one goes past it and winds up over the mark.
