Chicago Sky vs. Minnesota Lynx Preview, Prediction and Odds - 6/15/21
It’s an interconference battle on the parquet floor as a pair of WNBA teams take the floor in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The Chicago Sky are on the road as they travel to face the Minnesota Lynx Tuesday night. Chicago swept a home-and-home series with Indiana as they picked up an 83-79 road victory Sunday afternoon. Minnesota downed Los Angeles 80-64 at home in their most recent contest Sunday night. Last season, the Lynx won both meetings in the bubble, including an 86-83 victory as the “road” team in the most recent matchup on September 2, 2020. That extended Minnesota’s win streak in the series to five and they have taken seven of the last 10 meetings.
Chicago Sky Seeking Third Straight Victory
Chicago earned their second straight win as they swept a home-and-home set with the struggling Fever by prevailing on the road Sunday. The Sky improved to 4-7 on the season and enter this one 11th in the WNBA standings, one game behind the Lynx for the final playoff spot. Chicago was in a tight game all the way as they led by two after one quarter, by seven at the half and by nine in the opening seconds of the second half. The Sky saw the Fever cut the lead to one after three quarters and then were involved in a back-and-forth final quarter. With the game tied at 77 with under two minutes to play, Allie Quigley hit a three-pointer to give Chicago a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Chicago shot 42.9% from the field, including eight of 18 from three-point range, and drained 21 of 25 free throws to help offset 16 turnovers. Candace Parker led the Sky with 20 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and two steals in the win.
The Sky is 10th in the league in scoring offense as they muster 78 points per contest this season. Chicago is second in rebounding (37.7 boards a night) and sixth in assists by dishing out 18.5 dimes a game. The Sky is good on defense as they are second in the league by allowing an average of 78 points a contest. Kahleah Copper is one of five players averaging in double figures for the team with 14.2 points plus 4.5 rebounds a night this season. Candace Parker (13 points, nine boards), Astou Ndour-Fall (10.1 points, 7.6 rebounds) and Ruthy Hebard (9.5 points, 7.2 rebounds) are solid secondary options. The Sky can also look to Diamond DeShields (12.2 points), Courtney Vandersloot (11.7 points, 7.7 assists), Allie Quigley, Stefanie Dolson, Brittany Boyd-Jones, Azura Stevens, Natasha Mack and Stephanie Watts to contribute for coach James Wade. Chicago is 11th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 39.4% as a team. The Sky are near the bottom of the pack in threes per game as they are 9th with 6.2 per contest: they are 9th in three-point shooting at 33.5%. Chicago comes in first at the free throw line this season as they are shooting 86.5% at the stripe. Ndour-Fall is out currently as she is playing for Spain in EuroBasket and likely won’t be back until late June.
Minnesota Lynx Looking to Reach .500
Minnesota won for the fourth time in five games after a 0-4 start as they shut down the offensively challenged Sparks. The Lynx enter this game holding the eighth and final playoff spot in the WNBA playoff picture though they are even with the Sparks. Against Los Angeles, Minnesota scored the game’s first six points, led by seven after the opening quarter and by 14 at the half only to see Los Angeles charge back. The Lynx were outscored 22-8 in the third quarter to leave the game even at 57 after three quarters but opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 run to take the lead for good. Minnesota didn’t let Los Angeles closer than four after that, then closed the game with a 14-2 run to earn the win. The Lynx shot 43.1% from the field, including 11 of 22 from three-point range, and dominated the glass by a 43-27 margin. Crystal Dangerfield led Minnesota with 16 points off the bench in the win as one of three players in double figures.
On the season, the Lynx are 7th in the league in scoring offense with an average of 80.7 points per game. Minnesota is 9th in rebounding as they collect 35 boards a night while the team is third in assists by dishing 20.4 dimes a night. The Lynx are fifth in the league in scoring defense as they give up an average of 80.2 points per contest this season. Sylvia Fowles is second on the team with 16.8 points plus 8.7 rebounds per contest. Kayla McBride (12.3 points), Crystal Dangerfield (11.9 points, four assists) and Aerial Powers (11 points, five rebounds, 4.3 assists) are solid secondary scoring options. Damiris Dantas, Napheesa Collier (16 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists), Jessica Shepard, Layshia Clarendon (9.2 points, 4.4 assists), Bridget Carleton, Rachael Banham, Natalie Achonwa and Linnae Harper are looked at to be contributors for coach Cheryl Reeve. Minnesota stands sixth in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 42.8% from the field as a team this year. The Lynx are 8th in the league in three-pointers per game (7.2) and 10th in three-point shooting as they hit 33.2% of their attempts from beyond the arc. Minnesota is 5th in the league in free throw shooting as they hit 81.9% of their attempts at the charity stripe. Powers (hamstring), Shepard (groin), Achonwa (knee) and Rennia Davis (foot) are out indefinitely at this point in time.
Pick: Chicago Sky
Minnesota has won four of five but injuries are piling up for the Lynx. Four players are marked as out indefinitely right now, including Powers, who is a valuable offensive weapon, and Achonwa, who is a veteran presence that can help stabilize things. Chicago has won two straight games and they have played solid basketball in those contests. Getting Parker back has been a boost for the Sky and she was much better Sunday than in her return game earlier in the week. The Sky has to find a way to shoot the ball better but they are sound enough on the defensive end of the floor to find a way to come up with the victory in this contest.
Total: Under
Chicago has seen the over hit in five of their nine games this season and are coming off their two best offensive showings of the year in their last two games. Of course, some of that is tempered by the fact that they were facing the Fever, who are the league’s worst team in most defensive categories. Minnesota has seen the over hit in five of their nine contests but they are improving defensively as the season has worn on, including stifling the Sparks. With both teams pretty solid on the defensive end of the floor, coupled with the Sky’s struggles when it comes to shooting on the offensive end, this one ends up short of the mark.
