I often think about how lucky we are that we are presented with sporting events every night. Sure, most countries have some sort of sport — tennis or soccer, usually — but America gets a ton of options almost every night. Tonight we have the NHL and NBA Playoffs, baseball, soccer and the WNBA. You may not watch it all, but I’ll be betting on them, and I’ve got a play to share on the Wings vs. Sky game.
The Dallas Wings have won the past two WNBA Drafts. Coming into this year, I expected them to be one of the most improved teams in the league. It wasn’t just that they took the best player available in Azzi Fudd, it was the other offseason additions. They added a defensive presence in Alanna Smith, mostly a 3-and-D player. That was one of their biggest issues from last year. They have a new coach, one that the team seems to respect this time.
It hasn’t translated to excellence yet; the team is just 2-2, but it takes time for things to click and adjustments to be made. They still have one of the best young players in the game in Paige Bueckers, and one of the better scorers in Arike Ogunbowale. I think a bigger concern for me is that Smith is only scoring 4.3 points per game, and Fudd is shooting just 20% from three this season. Both numbers should improve as the year goes along.
I’m man enough to admit when I’m wrong, and so far, I’ve been wrong about the Chicago Sky. I wasn’t advocating that they keep Angel Reese, but they’ve traded away so many players from their team or released draft picks, so it made it hard to imagine that this team was going to have any success. They made some good offseason additions, and the team looks like they are clicking. Unfortunately for them, Rickea Jackson, who was having a great start to the year, just tore her ACL and is done for the year.
AZZI FUDD GOES NO 1 IN WNBA DRAFT TO WINGS, REUNITES WITH PAIGE BUECKERS WITH HISTORIC $500K SALARY
The team does have enough veterans to keep itself afloat. The question is mostly about who will take over the scoring load for the team. I guess it will be distributed to everyone on the roster, as they don’t seem to have any one person that I can identify as making up the bulk of Jackson’s shots. I’m still not convinced they are going to be a great team; three of the four teams they faced will struggle to make the playoffs, but I did expect the Sky to be one of the worst in the league.
I don’t really like taking teams on the road as a favorite. However, I think this is going to be a very tough game for the Sky to figure out what to do without Jackson. They can certainly pull it out, because, as mentioned, they have veterans who know what they are doing. However, I think this gives the Wings a good opportunity to steal a road game.
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I want to take the over, but I only have a lean on the play. Everyone seems to score on the Wings, but I think the Chicago offense takes a step back. Given that the best players are on the Wings, and they have better shooting and playmaking, I’m taking the Wings to win and cover the -3.5.
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