CT Sun Playoff Preview: What To Know Before WNBA Semifinals Against Sky

The Connecticut Sun will continue their pursuit of the organization’s first-ever WNBA championship following a first-round series win over the Dallas Wings.

The Sun advanced Wednesday night with a dominant effort in Dallas behind DeWanna Bonner’s game-high 21 points and a double-double from reigning league MVP Jonquel Jones.

Connecticut, the No. 3 seed in the postseason, now will face the second-seeded Chicago Sky in the best-of-five WNBA semifinal round. It will be a repeat of the semifinals last season.

Here’s everything you need to know before the round kicks off Sunday in Chicago:

BEEN HERE BEFORE
The Sun are back in the WNBA semifinals for a fourth straight time, having been eliminated in this round each of the last two seasons. Connecticut lost in the WNBA Finals in 2019.

“We’re back to the semis for four straight years,” Sun coach Curt Miller told reporters Wednesday after Connecticut’s 73-58 victory, per ESPN. “This group wants to take another step, and there’s not one person that’s going to pick us to beat Chicago. So we’re going to go with the underdog mentality and give it our best shot.”

REGULAR-SEASON TROUBLE
The Sun, who went 25-11 during the campaign, lost all four of their regular-season contests against the Sky. However, three of those four losses came by four points or less with two in the Commissioner’s Cup. Most recently, the Sun suffered a 94-91 defeat to the Sky on Aug. 7.

SERIES SCHEDULE
The Sky will have home-court advantage after finishing with one more win than the Sun during the regular season, compiling a 26-10 overall record. Both teams needed three games in order to advance past the first round.

Game 1, Sunday: Connecticut at Chicago, 8 p.m. ET
Game 2, Wednesday: Connecticut at Chicago, 8 p.m. ET
Game 3, Sunday Sept. 4: Chicago at Connecticut, 1 p.m. ET
Game 4, Tuesday Sept. 6: Chicago at Connecticut, TBD (If necessary)
Game 5, Thursday Sept. 8: Connecticut at Chicago, TBD (If necessary)

WAGER WATCH
Despite Chicago having a better overall record, it was the Sun who fared better against the spread. Connecticut was 22-16-1 ATS on the season while Chicago was 19-19-2. Both teams were nearly identical against the total as the Sun went 21-18 on the over with the Sky compiling a 21-18-1 record.

Connecticut went 18-13-1 ATS when it entered the contest as the favorite while Chicago went below .500 (14-16-2). That’s worth noting given the likelihood that oddsmakers could make the home team the favorite in each contest. DraftKings Sportsbook already has the Sky as a 3.5-point home favorite entering Game 1.

BetMGM Sportsbook revealed Thursday the Sun remain +350 to win the WNBA title with 21.8% of the handle and 10.7% of tickets on Connecticut. The handle on coach Miller and company is the second-highest behind only the title-favored Las Vegas Aces. The two teams present the biggest liability to oddsmakers at BetMGM.