Washington Mystics vs Chicago Sky Prediction, Picks, and Odds: Injuries Spell Trouble for Mystics Against Stubborn Sky

The Washington Mystics and Chicago Sky wrap a home-and-home set in the Windy City, with the host team mired in a nasty four-game tailspin entering Thursday.

After a surprise 5-3 SU (6-1-1 ATS) start to the season, Chicago has stumbled in June, including a 77-69 loss at Washington last Sunday.

Three of those four losses have come on the road and today’s return to the Wintrust Arena is a welcome one, with the Sky boasting a +1.2 net rating and a 3-0-2 ATS mark at home.

Washington has suffered through a similar home/away split in terms of betting success. The Mystics are 3-3 ATS in D.C. but a dreadful 1-4 ATS as visitors. Compounding those road woes is possibly playing without starting guard Natasha Cloud, who is questionable due to illness.

I break down the spread and Over/Under total for this Eastern Conference rematch and give my best WNBA picks and predictions for Mystics at Sky on June 22.

Mystics vs Sky best odds

Mystics vs Sky picks and predictions

The Chicago Sky have lost four in a row, and have dropped their first two meetings with the Washington Mystics this season. Not the most appealing bet on today’s WNBA odds board.

However, Chicago shot itself in the foot in both of those games, turning the ball over a collective 41 times and giving a ho-hum Washington offense extra kicks at the can. Even a slightly less sloppy result from the Sky could snap this losing skid tonight.

Chicago is a much stronger team at home, as evidenced by the positive net rating and 3-0-2 ATS mark as a host. The biggest turnaround is on offense. The Sky post the second-worst offensive rating on the road (90.7), but the second-best advanced metric at home (108.4), which translates to a 14-point bump inside Wintrust Arena.

Not only does Chicago take on a Washington team with a similar home/road split, but the Mystics are already down two key bodies and could potentially be missing starting guard Natasha Cloud, one of the best two-way players on the team.

Even before Cloud was listed as questionable, my WNBA power ratings spit out a much tighter spread with Chicago +2.5. This market is sitting as high as +3.5 as of this writing, but smarter online shops are starting to tick down to +3, and some have dropped to +2.5.

I’ve been critical of the Mystics' quality all season, as they’ve beaten up on bottom-tier teams and struggled to score on the road. With Chicago desperate for a win and cleaning up the turnover troubles, I’m grabbing all the points I can with the home side.

My best bet: Chicago Sky +3.5 (-115 at BetMGM)

Mystics vs Sky spread and Over/Under analysis

The Mystics opened as big as 3.5-point favorites on the road, but Cloud’s status has since slimmed that spread to as low as Washington -2.5 as of Thursday morning. However, there are still Sky +3.5 lines available as of 9:30 a.m. ET.

My WNBA power ratings painted a closer contest, spitting out a spread of Mystics -2.5 before any adjustment for Cloud’s possible absence.

If she sits out, it makes Washington extremely thin, as the team is already playing without reserve guard Kristi Toliver and lost forward Li Meng to international competition after she stepped in for major minutes in recent games.

The Mystics’ 7-4 record is very misleading, as they’ve taken down bottom-tier teams like Seattle (twice) and Phoenix along with two victories against Chicago already this season. Washington is 4-7 against the spread with a net rating of +2.6, which plummets to -3.0 on the road.

Today’s Over/Under total hit the board at 155 points and can be had between 154.5 and 155.5 as of Thursday morning.

These clubs played in Chicago on May 26, with the Mystics holding off a fourth-quarter push from the Sky for a 71-69 win while failing to cover as 4.5-point road chalk. Neither team shot the ball well and the Sky had to overcome 21 turnovers, which helped keep the final score Under the closing total of 156.5 points.

We got a similar result last Sunday with Chicago and Washington again struggling on offense, and the Sky coughing the ball over 20 times, leaving the 77-69 result to stay below the total of 155 points. Those two meetings have produced a pace rating of 94.8, which is extremely slow compared to league averages.

Mystics vs Sky betting trend to know

The Mystics are 1-5 ATS in their last six road games. Find more WNBA betting trends for Mystics vs. Sky.

Mystics vs Sky game info

Mystics vs Sky key injuries

Mystics: Natasha Cloud G (Questionable), Li Meng F (Out), Kristi Toliver G (Out)
Sky: Kristine Anigwe C (Probable), Rebekah Gardner G (Out), Isabelle Harrison F (Out)
Find our latest WNBA injury reports.

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