Phoenix Mercury vs. Chicago Sky Preview, Prediction and Odds - 6/1/21
It’s an interconference clash on the parquet floor in the Windy City in WNBA action. The Phoenix Mercury are on the road as they travel to face the Chicago Sky Tuesday night. Phoenix held off Dallas 89-85 on the road Saturday night in their most recent contest. Chicago was swept in a two-game home set with Los Angeles as they fell 82-79 in overtime on Sunday in their last game. The Sky have won seven of the last eight meetings between the teams though they split a pair of contests in the bubble last season with the “home” team winning each time. In the most recent meeting, Chicago earned an 89-71 victory at home on August 12, 2020.
Phoenix Mercury Looking for Back-to-Back Road Wins
Phoenix had dropped two straight and three of their previous four games before jumping on Dallas early, then hanging on for the win Saturday night. The Mercury evened their record at 3-3 on the season and enter this one sixth in the WNBA playoff picture so they look to improve their standing. Phoenix blitzed Dallas early as they bolted to an 11-0 lead near the midway point of the opening quarter and held the lead the rest of the way. The Mercury saw Dallas get within two on a couple of occasions in the second quarter only to push the lead to seven at the half. Phoenix didn’t let the Wings closer than three in the second half en route to the win. The Mercury shot an even 50% from the floor, including eight of 22 from three-point range, and controlled the boards by a 44-30 margin in the contest. Brittney Griner paced Phoenix with 27 points, 16 rebounds and four assists in the win.
The Mercury are seventh in the league in scoring offense as they put up an average of 80.2 points per game. Phoenix is eighth in rebounding (36.7 rebounds) per contest and stand fourth in the league by handing out 20 assists a night. The Mercury are fifth in the league in scoring defense as they give up an average of 80.8 points per game. Skylar Diggins-Smith is second on the Mercury in scoring with 17.2 points plus 5.8 assists a night. Brittney Griner (17.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks), Diana Taurasi (15.8 points, 3.8 assists) and Brianna Turner (6.7 points, 8.8 rebounds) are solid scoring options. Kia Nurse (10.3 points), Kia Vaughn, Megan Walker, Sophie Cunningham, Shey Peddy, Alanna Smith and Cierra Burdick are other role players for coach Sandy Brondello. Phoenix is fifth in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 44.1% as a team from the floor. The Mercury is seventh in three-pointers per game (6.8 per game) and 10th in three-point shooting (31.1%) this season. Phoenix is 9th in the WNBA in free throw shooting as they cash in 76.3% of their chances on the year. Taurasi was announced to have suffered a fractured sternum that she sustained May 16 against the Sun and is out. She is expected to miss at least four weeks.
Chicago Sky Trying to Get On Track
Chicago suffered their fourth straight loss as they let a double-digit lead slip away and wound up with an overtime defeat. The Sky enter this one 2-4 on the year and sit tied for the final playoff spot in the WNBA playoff picture with the Mystics. Chicago was up 14 after the opening quarter and by 17 early in the second before seeing the Sparks rally to even things up at the half. The Sky led by six after three quarters and by seven with 4:26 to play in regulation before ending up with the loss. Chicago scored the first bucket of overtime before giving up a 7-0 run to trail 80-75 and they couldn’t get closer than one the rest of the way. The Sky shot 40% from the field, including seven of 21 from three-point range, won the rebounding battle 45-33 but turned the ball over 22 times in the defeat. Courtney Vandersloot led Chicago with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the loss.
The Sky is ninth in the league in scoring offense as they muster 77.2 points per contest this season. Chicago is first in rebounding (39.5 boards a night) and seventh in assists by dishing out 18.5 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 15.7 points plus four rebounds a night this season. Candace Parker (16 points, eight boards), Astou Ndour (11.2 points, 8.7 rebounds) and Ruthy Hebard (10.5 points, 7.2 rebounds) are solid secondary options. The Sky can also look to Diamond DeShields (13.2 points), Courtney Vandersloot (12.2 points, 7.8 assists), Allie Quigley, Stefanie Dolson, Brittany Boyd-Jones, Azura Stevens, Natasha Mack and Stephanie Watts to contribute for coach James Wade. Chicago is 10th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 39.8% as a team. The Sky are near the bottom of the pack in threes per game as they are 10th with 5.7 per contest: they are seventh in three-point shooting at 34.3%. Chicago comes in first at the free throw line this season as they are shooting 88.1% at the stripe. Parker (ankle) and Quigley (hamstring), who have both missed the last five 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: Phoenix Mercury +1.5
The biggest problem for the Sky has been the way they’ve turned the ball over in the last three games. Chicago has committed 82 turnovers in their four-game skid, including 70 in the last three games. The Sky hopes to have Parker and Quigley back in the mix, which would help take care of that issue and give Vandersloot a bit of a break when it comes to running the show. It’s hard to have faith in a team that dropped two straight games to a Sparks team that was pasted in their first two games of the season, much less one that blew a 17-point lead at home en route to a loss. Phoenix has been up and down this season though they are coming off a road win over Dallas in their last contest. Griner and Diggins-Smith lead the way to help Phoenix get the win here.
Total: Under 163
Phoenix has been a middle of the pack team on both ends of the floor in the first few weeks of the season. The Mercury has seen the under hit in four of their six games and their offense may take a bit of a hit with Taurasi missing. Chicago has seen the under hit in four of their six games this season. The Sky has the league’s third-best scoring defense and they are second in the league in field goal percentage defense (39.3%) on the season. Clearly, the Sky miss the duo of Quigley and Parker, who are valuable offensive contributors when they are on the floor. While the over has hit in seven of the last nine meetings, neither team is at full strength right now. This one ends up a little short of the total.
