The Connecticut Sun are chasing the franchise’s first WNBA championship, and that journey begins with a best-of-three first-round series against the Dallas Wings in 2022 WNBA Playoffs.
While the Sun (25-11) have had their fair share of bumps along the way, the team is tough and adjusted well enough to earn the third seed. Meanwhile, the No. 6 seed Wings (18-18) are entering their second straight WNBA playoff appearance and have their best record since moving to Dallas in 2017. However, they have entered the postseason without their star player Arike Ogunbowale and they will be without. her at least during the first round.
The Wings won two of three matchups this season, but anything could happen in the playoffs.
Here’s everything you need to know before the action:
(3) Connecticut Sun vs. (6) Dallas Wings
(All Eastern eras)
Game 1: Wings in the Sun | Thursday, August 18, 8 p.m. | TV: ESPNU, NBA TV, TSN | Current: fuboTV (free trial)Game 2: Wings in the Sun | Sunday 21 August, 12 noon | TV: ABC, SN | Current: fuboTV (free trial)Game 3*: Sun on the wings | Wednesday, August 24, to be determined | TV: NBA TV Canada | Current: fuboTV (free trial)
*If necessary
Players to watch
Sun: Jonquel Jones
The reigning MVP leads the team in scoring with 14.6 points per game and 51.3 percent shooting from the field, while leading the team in rebounding with 8.6 boards per game (fourth best in the league). Jones is nothing but consistent. The 6-foot-6 forward has scored in double figures in all but six of those games this season, and has also recorded 12 double-doubles. Her stats might be down compared to last season, but that’s not surprising when she has 6th-time AP Woman of the Year Brionna Jones by her side and a better supporting cast with players like Courtney Williams, who spent two years with the Atlanta Dream. before returning to Connecticut.
Wings: Marina Mabrey
With Ogunbowale, the team’s leading scorer, sitting next undergoing iliac crest muscle avulsion repair, the Wings have had to figure out who will step up offensively. Mabrey has certainly done a good job. The 5-foot-11 guard has scored in double figures in the last seven games, including a career-high 31 points as the Wings officially clinched their playoff berth with an 86-77 win over New York Liberty on August 8th. he’s also shown he can have success against the Suns, as he posted 20 points against them on May 24th while shooting 60% from the field and going 3-for-6 from beyond the arc.
Three keys to the series
1. Regular season wins mean nothing
It’s easy to overlook the fact that the Wings won two out of three games, but it’s important to remember when exactly that happened. The first, an 85-77 result, came just two days later Suns starting point guard Jasmine Thomas tore her ACL in a win against the Indiana Fever on May 22. Connecticut rallied and defeated Dallas 99-68 on May 26.
Dallas’ second win, an 82-71 rout, came amid a late June/early July Connecticut slump in which the Sun lost four of six games. While that doesn’t take anything away from the Wings’ success, Ogunbowale was a big contributor in this latest win with 20 points. Having said that…
2. The Wings are struggling with injuries, but could still win without Ogunbowale
Yes, it will be difficult to do without Ogubowale’s leadership and especially his 19.7 points per game, which is fourth best in the league. However, the Wings have proven they can manage without her. He missed two games in early August with an ankle injury. In his absence, the Wings recorded wins over the defending champion Chicago Sky and the Las Vegas Aces, who are the two teams leading the Eastern and Western Conferences. That’s no small feat, as the Sun haven’t been able to win against the Sky this year.
Dallas has gone 2-2 since the Fever game in which Ogunbowale suffered his hip injury, but if their latest result is any indication of how they will perform in the playoffs, they will certainly put on a show.
The Wings finished their regular season with a solid 116-88 road win over the Los Angeles Sparks on August 14th. The team as a whole shot an impressive 65.6 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc with 11 3-pointers made. Mabrey owned five of those 3-pointers and finished the night with 27 points on 76.9 percent shooting. A big night for her, but it really was a team effort as four other Wings scored in double figures.
Dallas has shown offensive depth this season with seven players averaging at least 8.0 per game, but three of those players have recently suffered injuries. Ogunbowale is currently sidelined, Satou Sabally has been sidelined since July with an ankle injury and Isabelle Harrison missed the Sparks game with a shoulder injury.
A solid offensive effort will be crucial against Connecticut because the Sun are the second-best defensive team in the WNBA, holding opponents to an average of 77.8 points in 36 games. Both the Sun and Wings are in the top five in the league in points per game, averaging 85.8 and 82.9 points per game, respectively.
3. The Sun has momentum
Connecticut won 11 of its last 14 regular season games. The Sun have been solid all season, despite losing Thomas, their starting point guard and solid perimeter defender, for just six games. They signed veteran Bria Hartley in July, but unfortunately, she suffered a season-ending ACL injury shortly thereafter. .
The team also dealt with COVID-19 issues as Jonquel Jones, head coach Curt Miller and assistant Brandi Poole had to miss some games. On top of that, Miller took some time off when her mother died. However, the Sun have been resilient and once again have the potential to make a playoff run.
His drive doesn’t just involve this year. Seconds basketball reference, The Sun’s 55.8 winning percentage over the past 24 years is second best in the WNBA. The only franchise with a better percentage is the Sparks, a team that is currently in the doldrums but has won three championships. That means Connecticut is the best team not to have a championship trophy.
Last year, the team made it all the way to the semifinals before falling to the skies. Interestingly, if Connecticut wins the series against Dallas, the Suns could face Chicago in the second round (if the Sky beats New York Liberty).
prediction
The Wings have shown they can adjust when key players are missing and shouldn’t be completely written off. That said, the Sun will come in hot and it will be a very difficult challenge. Choose: Only in 2