The Sparks are on the road taking on the Wings in Dallas. We’ll see how these two injured teams fare as they’re both desperate for a win. With the Wings having only a single win this year, the Sparks aren’t much better with just two. Of course, missing Cameron Brink and Paige Bueckers isn’t helping matters. We’ll see who manages to pull this game out and snag a much-needed win.
Cameron Brink Out
Rae Burrell Out
Tyasha Harris Out
Paige Bueckers Out
With both of these teams spiraling early in the season, tonight could be the much-needed turning point for either. As we get a little deeper into the year, it’s clear that both teams need some help. The good thing is that both have it already; they’re just sitting on the bench. As Brink continues her recovery from her ACL injury early last season, the number one pick this year, Paige Buickers, is nearing her return following a concussion. However, with both sidelined, it’s going to be a close match.
Even though their record is poor, the Sparks aren’t necessarily a bad team. They’ve been playing well and are basically in the middle of the pack in most counting stats. They’re even shooting the ball well. As a whole, their offense is actually decent, keeping them in a lot of these games. However, their defense is where things start to fall apart for the Sparks. They’ve allowed teams to average nearly 90 points against them as they lack a true point of attack defender. Obviously, Brink would be the difference-maker, but they’ve gone a whole year without her; the fact that they haven’t patched that hole a little is surprising. They’re allowing opponents to run past them easily, giving up high-percentage shots. If they’re going to win this game tonight, they’ll have to lock in.
The Wings find themselves in a similar situation as the Sparks. Statistically, this team shouldn’t have only one win. They’ve been competitive in most of their games, even against teams like the Lynx. They just lack that extra push they need to get over the hump. One of their biggest faults is the lack of defensive rebounding; they’re second to last in the league in that regard. It’s not like they’re even a bad rebounding team. Siegrist, McCowan and Hines-Allen are both solid. It’s just players losing their matchups and giving up offensive rebounds.
Overall, this is going to be an interesting game. These teams matchup very well and have similar flaws. However, only one can come out ahead, and I think it’ll be the Sparks. I like that they have a bit more veteran talent on the team, like Stevens or Plum. The Wings are just so young and prone to little errors that hold them back. So, that’s why I’m going with the Sparks moneyline, the over on the 174-point total, and the Sparks -2.5 spread.
Money line: LAS (-142) / DAL (+120)
Total Points: 174
Spread: -2.5 LAS (-108) / +2.5 DAL (-112)
Plum has been just about the only thing keeping the Sparks afloat right now. However, her shooting continues to be inconsistent. The three-point shot will ultimately decide this line, but considering how she’s performed in the last couple of games, I’m not banking on it. She’s still getting around nine looks a game from behind the arc, but with limited scoring on this team, I think we’ll see the Wings crowd her outside. If they do that, I believe she’ll fall well short.
Stevens has been fairly effective this season down low. She’s averaging just about 14 a game so far, but it’s either all or nothing for her. She has the height in the post to get over the top in the paint, given the size that Dallas has been tossing in the post. I think she’ll be the key to some easy buckets for the Sparks tonight.
Ogunbowale has tried to hold things together for the Wings, but it hasn’t been very effective. She’s been struggling to shoot from deep, making only about 29% of her three-pointers. With her overall field goal percentage declining as well, we’ve seen her attempt numbers fluctuate. But considering she’s only made three or more three-pointers three times this year, the under is looking extremely tempting.