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The Chicago Sky are still lagging behind the other Top 4 teams and are looking to beat a promising Dallas Wings side for the second game in a row. Additionally, the Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm are battling for the top spot, but not in a one-on-one clash. Vegas plays the Los Angeles Sparks and Seattle faces the Atlanta Dream.
Chicago Sky (10-8) and Dallas Wings (8-9) meet at 8 p.m. AND Friday in a rematch of a Wednesday game won by Sky, 91-81. The Skies are looking to break out of the 4-11 pack that has been part of the WNBA rankings this season. Right now, fourth-placed Sky has just 2.5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Sparks and Atlanta Dream, who are tied for 10th. Meanwhile, the Wings are trying to kick off a new winning streak and are hoping it will last more than three games this time around so they can really complete their turnaround and become a Top 4 team ahead of Chicago.
In another action, the Las Vegas Aces (12-4) will look to do business against the Sparks (6-9) for the second straight game and the Seattle Storm (12-4) will look to break a two-game. skidding, their first losing streak of the season. Seattle faces another team that is 6-9 in the Dream. If the Storm wins and the Aces lose, the Storm will return to first place.
Key to the match: Diamond DeShields vs. Marina Mabrey. DeShields and Mabrey combined to score just 21 points in their last two games. Whoever comes out of his slump will give his team an advantage. Mabrey has been limited to 10 points or less six times in his last eight outings, including two two-point performances and one scoreless effort. She had a 28 point outing mixed in there. She is such an important part of the Wings psyche. When she was in the Top 10 alongside Arike Ogunbowale, confidence was at its highest in Dallas. DeShields is of course also an X factor. You know what you’ll get from Courtney Vandersloot and Candace Parker. DeShields can take Chicago to the next level.
Key to the match: Chelsea Gray vs. Erica Wheeler. Due to injuries, the Sparks don’t have the frontcourt to hang out with A’ja Wilson and Liz Cambage. They lost the points in the 52-30 paint battle against the Aces on Wednesday. So they’ll have to get something from their backcourt, namely Wheeler, who was an All-Star rebuff. Wheeler is probably a cut below Gray when it comes to illy passing skills – she averages 4.3 assists per game versus 6.6 for Gray – but averages 1.4 more points per game. She’s also as clutch as Gray, but that will only be relevant if she can keep the Sparks close.
Sparks injury report: Kristi Toliver (exit; eye), Jasmine Walker (exit; knee), Chiney Ogwumike (exit; knee), Nneka Ogwumike (exit; knee), Maria Vadeeva (exit; overseas)
Key to the match: Sue Bird. She’s only scored seven points in each of her last two games, so she should put in a big performance. If she can score in the young and fast Atlanta backcourt, that will just open things up for Breanna Stewart and it could be a big blow. But if the Dream can stop Bird and force a gargantuan effort from Stewart, they might have a chance to keep him close.
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