The team with the second-best record is facing a team tied for the worst as the Connecticut Sun host the Los Angeles Sparks. The Sun are coming off a loss to Atlanta while L.A. has dropped its last four.
Let's break down the matchup and get into my Sparks vs. Suns prediction, which is on a player prop.
Sparks vs. Sun Prediction
To predict anything other than a Sun win, especially at home, would be silly. I'm looking to the 3-point line for tonight's bet since that's where I'm confident the Sun's leading scorer will make at least one shot.
Pick: DeWanna Bonner 1+ Made Threes (-600)
Sparks vs. Sun Odds
| Sparks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
+13 -106 | 154 -110 / -110 | +570 |
| Sun Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
-13 -114 | 154 -110 / -110 | -900 |
Los Angeles Sparks: Hamby Keeping the Sparks Afloat
There may have been some hope that the extended break would help the Sparks reset a bit, but they've come out of it with a pair of losses and have now won just twice since over the last two months.
Injuries have played a role in the Sparks' struggles, though they opened up an opportunity for Dearica Hamby to have a career year. The veteran has struggled a bit over the last two games with a total of just 20 points but on the season is averaging 18.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
Rickea Jackson and Azura Stevens are the Sparks' other active double-digit scorers, with Jackson posting 11.7 points per game and Jackson averaging 10.9, though she's played in just seven games since returning from injury.
Playing at an average pace, the Sparks' average of 78.5 points per game is the second-lowest in the league. Conversely, the 86.3 points per game they allow is higher than just two other teams.
Connecticut Sun: Depth Proving To Be a Strength
The Sun got off to a scintillating start this season but have sputtered a bit since. While losses to New York, Seattle and Las Vegas are understandable, defeats like their most recent to Atlanta offer reason to pause.
Still, this team has six players averaging double-digit points led by Bonner's 16.9. The balanced attack also features Marina Mabrey, Brionna Jones, DiJonai Carrington, Alyssa Thomas and Tyasha Harris, who rounds out the team's scoring.
The Sun play at the league's slowest pace, which means opportunities for points are a bit more difficult to come by. Instead, the team relies on its defense, which has the third-best rating and allows the fewest points per game, and its top-ranked rebound percentage.
It all helps to negate the team's relative avoidance of the 3-point shot, where the Sun make an average of 5.7 out of 17.7 attempts per game.
Sparks vs. Sun: Back the Reliable Bonner
Betting Pick & Prediction
The Sun do not shoot a lot of 3s per game, but one player who consistently takes multiple shots from behind the arc is Bonner. She has made at least one from deep in each of the last three games and in 20 of 26 games overall.
Bonner will connect from deep again against the Sparks.
