The Minnesota Lynx and Chicago Sky meet again Monday night at Wintrust Arena. Tip-off is at 8:00PM ET. This is the second game between these two teams in three days. Chicago won the last meeting 87-81 in one of their best games this season.
Chicago is now 7-13 and tied for fifth in the East. The Sky are 4-4 at home and have won two straight. Minnesota leads the West at 18-4 and holds the best record in the WNBA. The Lynx are 7-4 on the road and have not lost back-to-back games this year.
Sky Preview – Can Chicago Keep Building Wins?
The Sky had one of their best games of the year on Saturday. They shot 46.1% from the field and dominated the boards 45-28. They had 23 assists and just 13 turnovers. The win gave them two victories in a row after beating Dallas on Wednesday.
Angel Reese continues to be the engine for Chicago. She recorded her 40th double-double in just her second season. Reese scored 19 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Over her last eight games, she is averaging 17.6 points and 15.5 rebounds. Her impact on the glass is keeping Chicago in close games.
Ariel Atkins had 27 points on 12-of-21 shooting. She’s scoring 14.5 points per game on the season. Kamilla Cardoso added 17 points and 15 boards. The Sky were aggressive inside and got to the line 19 times. They’ve also covered the spread in five of their last six games against Minnesota, showing they match up well here.
Lynx Preview – Minnesota Looks to Bounce Back Again
The Lynx are coming off a rare loss. They shot just 39.5% from the field and gave up a 57-44 halftime deficit. Despite hitting 10 threes and making a push in the second half, they couldn’t recover. It was only their second loss in the last eight games.
Napheesa Collier leads the league in scoring at 23.6 points per game. She had 26 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three steals, and three blocks in the loss. Collier is also a top-five player in win shares and usage rate. She is carrying the offense and making plays all over the floor.
Kayla McBride scored 17 points in the last game, while Courtney Williams had 13 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. Alanna Smith added eight points, five rebounds, four assists, and six steals. The Lynx are the best field goal shooting team in the league at 45.5% and average 83.5 points per game, which ranks second overall.
Betting Prediction
The Lynx are favored by 5.5 points. The total is around 162.5. The Sky won outright as 11.5-point underdogs just two days ago. They also covered +14.5 on July 6 in a five-point loss. Chicago has now covered four of their last five games overall and is 12-8 ATS on the season.
Minnesota has not lost two straight games all year, and they rank first in assists, first in blocks, and second in defensive rebounds. They also lead the league in assist-to-turnover ratio. However, the Sky are playing their best basketball of the year and have covered both games against Minnesota this month. Final prediction is Minnesota 84, Chicago 80. Minnesota wins, but Chicago covers again.
Pick: Chicago +5.5
