Will Sky Cover ATS As Huge Underdogs?

Defending Champs Look To Close Out First-Round Series

· Sep 16 - 4 minutes read

Chicago Has Covered in Three of the Last Four Meetings

The good news is that the Chicago Sky edged the Los Angeles Sparks to secure the final playoff spot. The bad news is that means playing the first two games against top-seeded and defending WNBA champion Las Vegas. The Aces are heavy favorites according to the WNBA predictions to close out the series in Sunday’s second game.

Las Vegas has won the last six games versus Chicago. However, the Sky have covered against the WNBA picks in three of the last four meetings. Las Vegas covered in the series opener as 16-point favorites thanks to scoring 53 points in the first half in the 87-59 victory,

Chicago’s last win against the Aces happened on the road on June 21, 2022, and it will take quite an effort to repeat that feat on Sunday.

Las Vegas continues to be without Candace Parker as the former MVP hasn’t played since July 7 because of a knee injury.

This is the first time Chicago and Las Vegas have met in the playoffs since the Aces won a winner-take-all game in the second round in 2019.

Five of the previous six games between Chicago and Las Vegas went over the WNBA odds total before the series opener came nowhere near the 172½-point total. The total is at 170½ for Game 2.

According to the WNBA betting lines, Las Vegas has been favored in the odds to win the WNBA title all season long.

Sky Feeling Blue after Series Opener

If you want to lose a playoff opener, having as many assists as turnovers and shooting 23% from 3-point range is a pretty good way to start.

No Chicago player had more than one 3-pointer in the Game 1 loss so the Sky will need somebody to get hot to have a chance to extend the series.

The starting lineup had 10 assists and 12 turnovers and that is certainly not a recipe for success at any time of the year and especially not when playing on the road in the playoffs against the defending WNBA champs.

Aces Hit the Ground Running

Letting the talented Las Vegas Aces get out on the fast break is never a good idea.

The Aces outscored the Sky 27-14 in fast-break points and will look to get out in transition once again in Game 2 with the quartet of A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray playing their best when the game speeds up.

The 87 points scored in the series opener were the fewest scored by the Aces in five games against Chicago this season.

Those who bet online might want to consider that five of the previous six games played between the teams ended with Las Vegas winning by double figures.

Sky vs Aces Head-To-Head

Since the start of the 2021 season, Las Vegas has been favored in 10 of the last 11 games.

It took Chicago rallying from a 28-point deficit in a 2022 game for the Sky to avoid being swept in back-to-back seasons by the Aces.

The road team has won six of the last nine games in the series between the Sky and the Aces.

Sky vs Aces Game Information

Game: Sky (18-22, 0-1 in the playoffs) vs Aces (34-6, 1-0 in the playoffs)
Location: Michelob ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Day/Time: Sunday, Sept. 17, 3 p.m. ET
Sky vs Aces live stream: WNBA.com

Sky vs Aces Betting Lines

Betting Odds Calculator

Sky vs Aces Best Bet

Even for the Aces, a 17½-point spread might be a little too much to cover.

Chicago is 6-1 against the Las Vegas odds this season when listed as a double-digit underdog and also won two of those games outright.

With the Sky facing elimination, expect to see a better performance than they had in Game 1.

Chicago was 15-13 against the spread as the underdog during the regular season with Las Vegas 22-19 against the spread as the favorite.

It would be quite the payoff for those who bet online to pick Chicago to win outright. However, a smarter move would be to take the Sky to cover as 17½-point underdogs. Chicago was 12-9 against the WNBA betting lines on the road during the regular season.