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The Los Angeles Sparks (7-8) travel to take on the Chicago Sky (6-9) on Friday night in the WNBA. Both teams have had inconsistent starts to the season. They will look to build momentum on Friday.
The Sky have lost four of their last five games. Meanwhile, the Sparks are 2-3 in their last five contests.
Chicago are 34 at home so far this season. This will be the third matchup between the teams this season and the second straight.
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The Sky won the previous matchup 80-63 on June 28. LA won the first meeting 77-62 on June 9.
Game preview
Both teams are struggling with injuries. Multiple players are listed on the injury report for both teams.
The Sky will be without Isabelle Harrison (knee), Ruthy Hebard (personal), and Rebekah Gardner (foot). The Sparks have a longer list of absences. They will be without Lexie Brown (illness), Layshia Clarendon (foot), Chiney Ogwumike (foot), Nia Clouden (knee), Jasmine Thomas (knee), and Katie Lou Samuelson (personal).
The Sky have struggled to defend this season. They are fourth out of six teams in the Eastern Conference in scoring defense. They allow 81.1 points per game. The Sparks could take advantage of that with a productive shooting night.
However, LA have struggled to shoot from deep. They are ninth in the WNBA in 3-point shooting, hitting just 31.9% of their 3-point attempts.
LA will be without Ogwumike but can expect a big game from her sister Nneka, who leads the team with 19.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.
Kahleah Copper leads the Sky with 16.4 points per game. She could have a productive night from behind the arc as she is hitting 42.0% of her 3-pointers this season. Copper will need a hot shooting hand to keep the Sky from a loss.
Game odds
Spread: Chicago Sky (-3)
Total (O/U): 154.5
Moneyline: LA (+120) vs Boston (-140)
Game prediction
The Sky’s recent struggles will resurface. Ogwumike should have a big game against the poor Sky defense. She could notch a double-double as most of LA’s offense comes from the inside. LA will not lose two in a row to Chicago. The injuries could be troublesome, but LA should have enough to squeak by on the road.
