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The Chicago Sky matchup against the Connecticut Sun for Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals. The Sky knocked the New York Liberty out two games to one in the first round; capped off with a 90-72 win on the road in Game 3. For the Sun, they also needed three games, winning their Game 3 in Dallas over the Wings, 73-58.
The Sky have inched one step closer to defending their title after a hard-fought battle against the seventh-seeded Liberty. Chicago dropped Game 1 at home in a shocking upset, but bounced back nicely to win Games 2 & 3, commandingly. Kahleah Copper led the team in scoring during the first round, averaging 18.7, slightly higher than the 15.3 points she averaged in the regular season. Candace Parker is the leader of the squad, and she'll look to start this series strong.
The visiting Sun are fresh off of a tremendous defensive performance against the Dallas Wings on Wednesday. They held them to 36.4% shooting from the field and forced an impressive 19 turnovers. If they can lock up Chicago's stars on defense on Sunday, they'll be in prime position to pull off the upset.
Chicago took all four of the head-to-head matchups. They must be high on confidence entering this series. The last two meetings were decided by three points, though, so Connecticut can definitely hang around. Chicago is .500 under for the year against the spread, but they have won and covered five of their last six meetings at home.
This series should be exciting, given the action we witnessed during the regular season. Both offenses have been clicking lately, and both boast a pretty balanced scoring attack. Connecticut finished one game behind Chicago, despite failing to beat them this year. We'll see if they can win the most important contests.
"The Semis start in Chi-Town." - @ConnecticutSun
Chicago Sky vs. Connecticut Sun Match Details
Fixture: Connecticut Sun @ Chicago Sky
Date & Time: Sunday August 28, 8:00 p.m. EDT
Venue: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Chicago Sky vs. Connecticut Sun Betting Odds
Chicago Sky vs. Connecticut Sun Betting Prediction
The Sky managed to clutch up and win two close victories against the Sun, but we have seen them vulnerable at times. Connecticut has been great against the spread on the road, winning each of their previous seven. Given the visitors' recent ATS record on the road, it'd be best to steer clear of the spread. Looking at the total, it went well over in the last two meetings, by an average of over 20 points. In the playoffs, things tend to slow down. However, these offenses are too good, forcing one game to go into overtime. Back the over here in Game 1.
Prediction: Sky Over 84.5 Points (-120) & Over 165.5 (-110)
