Chicago Looks To Make Itself at Home in Connecticut
The roles are reversed as the Connecticut Sun and Chicago Sky meet in the WNBA semifinals for the second year in a row.
In 2021, Chicago split the first two games on the road before closing things out in Connecticut. The series started in Chicago this year with the teams each taking a game at Wintrust Arena. Now Connecticut gets the next two games at home and is hoping to be celebrating a trip to the WNBA finals by holding serve on its home court.
Chicago has won four of its last six games at Mohegan Sun Arena and that includes both games played in 2022 with wins by three and four points during the regular season. Connecticut hasn’t won consecutive home games in the same year against Chicago since 2011.
The odds for Chicago to win the WNBA title moved from +385 to +250 after the Game 2 win while the odds for Connecticut went from +225 to +325 according to the WNBA playoff odds.
Chicago’s series price went from -140 to +155 while the series odds for Connecticut moved from +120 to -175.
Check the latest WNBA picks, stats, WNBA news, injury reports and WNBA odds for Sun vs Sky. There are plenty of WNBA championship odds for you to consider.
Chicago Displays Championship Pedigree
WNBA championships are not just handed out. Teams have to navigate their way out of tough situations. Chicago had to win two single-elimination games in 2021 and was a quarter away from being pushed to the brink of elimination by Connecticut in the semifinals.
The Sky responded with a fourth-quarter rally en route to winning five of six games to win the franchise’s first WNBA title. This year, Chicago lost the opening day in both the quarterfinal and semifinal series. Now Chicago needs to win at least one of the next two games, both being played on the road, to keep the dreams of a repeat alive.
On the verge of falling down 0-2, veteran Candace Parker led five Chicago starters who scored in double figures with 22 points. She was 8 of 13 from the field and 3 of 4 from 3-point range as the Sky left little down in Game 2 taking a 10-point lead after one quarter. Not even a late rally by Connecticut could stop Chicago from answering the bell once again.
Let’s just play ball 👏🏾🏀#skytown pic.twitter.com/YBzWanalNY
— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) September 2, 2022
Something to consider for those who bet online, Chicago has covered in four of its last six games.
All Hands On Deck for Connecticut
The run of success for the Connecticut Sun in recent years has been a result of contributions from all five starters with the help of players coming off the bench.
With a chance to go up 2-0 on defending champion Chicago, reigning WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones did all she could to lead her team to victory with 23 points on 10 of 17 shooting and seven rebounds. The only other player to score in double figures was guard Natisha Hiedeman as she made 6 of 10 shots to finish with 14 points.
DeWanna Bonner, Alyssa Thomas, and Courtney Williams combined for 15 points on 6 of 24 shooting. Brionna Jones, recently named the Sixth Player of the Year, missed six of her nine shots. That quartet combined for 45 points in the Game 1 win.
Connecticut trailed by 17 points heading into the fourth quarter so the eight-point margin made the game appear closer than it really was. The good news for Connecticut is the series moves to Mohegan Sun Arena so perhaps that will get Bonner and Williams going after they combined to miss 34 of 44 shots in the first two games.
Connecticut is 7-2 against the WNBA betting lines over its last seven games.
Sky vs Sun Game Information
- Game: Sky 26-10 (3-2 in the playoffs) vs Sun 25-11 (3-2 in the playoffs)
- Location: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut
- Day/Time: Sunday, Sep 4, 1:00 p.m. ET
- Sky vs Sun Live Stream: MLB TV
Sky vs Sun Betting Lines
| Team | Handicap | Moneyline | Total | Team Total |
| Sky |
pk -110
|
163½ -110o
|
82 -115o82 -115u | |
| Sun |
pk -110
|
163½ -110u | 82 -115o82 -115u |
Sky vs Sun Prediction
Connecticut took Game 1 in a contest when both teams scored in the 60s. In Game 2m the Sky already had 67 points by the end of the third quarter so the pace of play could be crucial with Connecticut more likely to win in a lower-scoring affair.
Parker is leading Chicago in scoring (20.5 points per game) and with 11 rebounds in the first two games. She is also contributing 4.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 4.5 blocked shots per game. The starting backcourt of Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot are shooting just 33.3 and 35.3% in the first two games of the series.
Jonquel Jones is the only Connecticut player averaging more than 10 points per game in the series as she is at 17.5 points in the two games to go with 8 rebounds. The total has gone under in six of Chicago’s last seven games
Chicago has won six of its last eight road games and covered five of the last seven contests away from home.
The total has gone under in 11 of Connecticut’s last 16 home games. Connecticut is a slight favorite in this one and with these teams so closely matched, it won’t be surprising to see them continue to exchange victories.
