The Silver Stars have been inconsistent over their last eight games, and they are playing their third game in five days. Lay the small spot at home with a Sky team that’s 5-1 at home.
An inter-conference matchup between two teams that have losing records may not seem appealing in the WNBA or any other league.
But there is a lot on the line Sunday for two such teams as the San Antonio Silver Stars visit the Chicago Sky with the winner of the matchup getting back to a .500 record. I look for the Sky to win and cover the two point spread as home chalk in avenging a loss earlier this season against San Antonio.
The San Antonio Silver Stars have been like Jekyll and Hyde in their last eight games alternating wins and losses in each. This has included being victorious in their last two road games when recently visiting two team with winning records in the Washington Mystics and Minnesota Lynx.
However, they also lost their last two games at home, including a rematch against the Lynx that they were heavy favorites to win. So it becomes a question of which Silver Stars team will show up tonight in Chicago and with three days off coming up after this game followed by a home stand, I think the ladies on the San Antonio roster will have their minds elsewhere.
Although it generally does not take many points to beat a team like the Chicago Sky, the Silver Stars have had one of the WNBA’s lowest scoring offenses this season. Prior to their two most recent road wins, the Stars were only able to put up 53, 58, and 61 points on the road in Seattle, Connecticut, and New York.
At home in their most recent defeat against the Sun, only Becky Hammon of the San Antonio starting five was able to put up double figures. While Hammon leads the Silver Stars in points, assists, and steals it is not enough these days in the WNBA for one player to carry a team – especially on the road and having this be San Antonio’s third game in five days.
The Sky have dropped five of their last six games but have been a team in the WNBA with some home-road disparity and have gone 5-1 in the UIC Pavilion this season with most of the five victories coming against teams with winning records.
Chicago’s only loss at home came last week in an embarrassing blowout when the Indiana Fever came to town and continued their big winning streak with a 83-54 win over the Sky. On Wednesday in Indiana, the Sky faced the Fever in a rematch on the road and held their own, only losing by 10 on that occasion.
I feel the level of competition that the Sky have faced recently is far better than what San Antonio has had opposing them and this will make a big difference in today’s matchup. On paper, some people may ask why Chicago is even favored against the Silver Stars today with the Sky having lost in San Antonio earlier this month and having dropped four out of five games since. The Sky have not only faced better competition lately but have some weapons who have been coming into their own as of late.
Despite the loss in Indiana on Wednesday, Candice Dupree of the Sky notched a nice double-double against the league’s best defense. Dupree along with the Sky’s Brooke Wyckoff are currently the WNBA’s top three point shooters at an astounding 57 and 50 percent, respectively. This could come into play quite a bit today as the Silver Stars are among the league’s worst defenses against the three point shot. A few open looks may be all the Sky need to get the win and cover today.
Jia Perkins of the Sky had one of her top road games of the season against San Antonio earlier this month when stealing the ball four times and has the fourth highest steal average in the WNBA at 2.3 per game. It should only get easier for steals at home in today’s rematch.
Speaking of rematches, Chicago has had six situations so far this season where they have faced the same opponent twice and only Indiana has been able to sweep the Sky. So the Silver Stars have their work cut out for them if they hope to do the same as they are a far more inconsistent team than the Fever.
Another factor in today’s game could be the bench of the Sky starting to improve and contribute more compared to the first time they met the Silver Stars this season. Erin Thorn came off the bench against Indiana having her best game of the season on Wednesday draining a few three’s from beyond the arch and has not missed a free throw yet this year in any games played.
Kristi Toliver of the Sky has had two straight games in double figures off the bench and should get more minutes in the game this time than when facing San Antonio earlier this season. So look for the Sky to mix up the roster on the floor today and get an edge down the stretch.
Pinnacle Sports opened the line for this game yesterday favoring the Sky by 2½, and it quickly dropped to 2. It is not surprising to see interest in betting the Silver Stars as an underdog getting points against a team they have already beaten this season and an opponent who has lost as much as the Sky have lately.
However, I feel only laying 2 points with Chicago today is a bargain – especially with how much most opponents have struggled when visiting them this season. It is not a good spot for San Antonio here and I feel the Silver Stars will suffer a defeat from not taking the Sky and their potential weapons seriously enough today.
Although this will not be the most exciting game of the season to watch on NBA TV, it is worth putting some money on and remember to keep an eye out for the best line possible as the number could continue to drop here.
Last edited by SBR Jonelyn; 04-14-15 at 09:56 AM.
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