Sky vs. Mercury WNBA Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for Sunday, Aug. 18

Breaking down the odds, key players to watch and a best bet for the Chicago Sky-Phoenix Mercury matchup.

Phoenix Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham. / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Fresh off of a win over the Los Angeles Sparks, the Chicago Sky are on the road on Sunday to play the second night of a back-to-back against the Phoenix Mercury.

These teams met in Chicago on Thursday night with the Mercury pulling out a 20-point win, so it’s not surprising that Phoenix is heavily favored at home on Sunday.

Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso have been dominating down low for the Sky, but can it pick up a win to stay in the hunt for the No. 7 seed in the standings?

Let’s dive into the odds, players to watch and my favorite bet (it’s a prop) for this game. 

Sky vs. Mercury Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Sky +7.5 (-108)
• Mercury -7.5 (-112)

Moneyline

• Sky: +310
• Mercury: -395

Total

• 166 (Over -108/Under -112)

Sky vs. Mercury How to Watch

• Date: Sunday, Aug. 18
• Time: 9:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: Footprint Center
• How to Watch (TV): Mercury Live, WNBA League Pass
• Sky record: 11-15
• Mercury record: 14-13

Sky vs. Mercury Injury Reports

Sky Injury Report

• Elizabeth Williams – out

Mercury Injury Report

• Rebecca Allen – out
• Charisma Osborne – out

Sky vs. Mercury Key Players to Watch

Chicago Sky

Kamilla Cardoso: A first-round pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, Cardoso had a massive game on Saturday night in a win over the Los Angeles Sparks, putting up 15 points and a career-high 14 rebounds while shooting 6-for-9 from the field. With Marina Mabrey traded, the Sky will need to lean on Cardoso and Angel Reese for more scoring the rest of the season. 

Phoenix Mercury

Kahleah Copper: One of the best scorers in the league this season, Copper has been on fire out of the Olympic break, scoring 29 points against the Sky in a win and 32 points against the Indiana Fever in a loss. Copper is now up to 23.7 points per game on the season while shooting 45.7 percent from the field. 

Sky vs. Mercury Prediction and Pick

Earlier on Sunday, I laid out my favorite bet in this game in today’s WNBA Best Bets, which features a player prop for Mercury guard Sophie Cunningham:

Nobody really loves betting the UNDER on a player prop, but I think we have a spot to do so tonight with Sophie Cunningham and the Mercury taking on the Chicago Sky.

Cunningham has been in and out of the starting lineup this season depending upon Rebecca Allen’s status, and she started for Allen in the first two games out of the Olympic break.

The Mercury sharpshooter scored eight and six points in those games, attempting just six shots in each. In fact, dating back to June 22, Cunningham has just one game with double-digit shot attempts and two games with over eight points. She’s fallen short of this number in 11 of her 27 games overall and 10 of her last 12 – despite making five starts over that 12-game stretch.

Cunningham is averaging just 8.0 points per game on the season, and she’s taking 5.8 shots per game over her last 12, lowering her scoring average to 7.6 points per night in that stretch.

With Kahleah Copper, Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi all healthy, I don’t think there is enough shot volume to go around for Cunningham to have a big game, unless she has a 5-for-5 type of shooting night. 

I’ll take the UNDER in this matchup.

Pick: Sophie Cunningham UNDER 8.5 Points (-120)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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