2022 WNBA playoffs: Connecticut Sun against Dallas Wings first-round preview, keys to series, players to watch
2022 WNBA playoffs: Connecticut Sun against Dallas Wings first-round preview, keys to series, players to watch: The Connecticut Sun will be chasing the franchise’s first WNBA championship. The journey kickstarts with a best-of-three first-round series against the Dallas Wings in the 2022 WNBA Playoffs.
Although the Sun (25-11) have had their hindrances along the way, the team is tough and has adjusted well enough to earn the No. 3 seed. Meanwhile, the No. 6 seed Wings (18-18) will be entering their second consecutive WNBA playoffs. They have recorded their best since moving to Dallas in 2017. However, they managed to enter the postseason without their star player Arike Ogunbowale. They will be managing without her for at least the first round.
The Wings marked victory in two out of three encounters this season, but anything is expected to happen in the playoffs.
Schedule
(3) Connecticut Sun against (6) Dallas Wings
(All times Eastern)
Game 1
Wings at Sun
Day – Thursday
Date – August 18
Time – 8 p.m.
Streaming
TV – ESPNU, NBA TV, TSN
Stream – fuboTV
Game 2
Wings at Sun
Day – Sunday
Date – August 21
Time – 12 p.m.
Streaming
TV – ABC, SN
Stream – fuboTV
Game 3
Sun at Wings
Day – Wednesday
Date – August 24, TBD
Sreaming
TV – NBA TV Canada
Stream – fuboTV
Players to watch
Sun
Jonquel Jones
The reigning MVP is leading the team in scoring with 14.6 points per game and shooting at 51.3% from the field. She leads in rebounding with 8.6 boards per game that is the fourth best in the league. Jones is always consistent. The 6-foot-6 forward has been scoring in double figures every game this season except for six of them. Jones has registered 12 double-doubles. Her statistics are down compared to last season, but that is usual when she has AP Sixth Woman of the Year Brionna Jones by her side.
Wings
Marina Mabrey
Ogunbowale, the team’s leading scorer, is sitting out after undergoing an iliac crest core muscle avulsion repair. The Wings managed to figure out who will step up offensively. Mabrey took an advantage of that. The 5-foot-11 guard has been scoring in double figures in the last seven games. This included Mabrey’s career-high 31 points. This was achieved when the Wings officially clinched their playoff berth with a 86-77 win over the New York Liberty on the 8th of August. She has the potential to be successful against the Sun. She registered 20 points against the Sun on the 24th of May. She shot at 60% from the field that went 3-for-6 from beyond the arc.
Three keys to the series
1. Regular season wins give nothing
It is convenient to look at the fact that the Wings won two out of three battles. The thing that is important to remember is when exactly those happened. The first one, an 85-77 result, emerged immediately after Sun starting point guard Jasmine Thomas tore her ACL in a victory against the Indiana Fever on May 22. Connecticut came together and defeated Dallas 99-68 on May 26.
The second victory for Dallas, an 82-71 result, evolved in the middle of a slump for Connecticut in which the Sun gave in four out of six games. Ogunbowale contributed majorly in the last win with 20 points.
2. Wings are struggling with injuries, but have the opportunity to win without Ogunbowale
There is no doubt that it is going to be hard without Ogubowale’s leadership. Ogunbowale’s 19.7 points per game is the fourth best in the league. However, the Wings could try to manage without her. She was absent in two games at the beginning of August due to an ankle injury. In her absence, the Wings emerged victorious over the defending champion Chicago Sky and the Las Vegas Aces. These teams are the two teams leading the Eastern and Western conferences. Not a small feat, as the Sun failed to get a win against the Sky this year.
Dallas scored 2-2 since the Fever game in which Ogunbowale suffered her hip injury. But if their last result is an indication their performance in the playoffs, they will certainly put on a show.
The Wings ended their regular season with 116-88 road victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on August 14. The team took a shot at an impressive 65.6 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc with 11 3-pointers. Mabrey possessed five of those 3-pointers. She finished the game with 27 points on 76.9 percent shooting. A commendable night for her, but credit goes to the team effort as four other Wings scored in double digits.
Dallas has meritorious performance this season with seven players averaging 8.0 per game. But three of those seven players are dealing with injuries. Ogunbowale is unavailable. Satou Sabally has been absent since July with an ankle injury. Isabelle Harrison missed the Sparks game owing to a shoulder injury.
An offensive start will be very important against Connecticut. The Sun forms the second-best defensive team in the WNBA. They held opponents to an average of 77.8 points through 36 games. Both the Sun and the Wings belong to a group of top five in the league in points per game, averaging 85.8 and 82.9 points per game, respectively.
3. The team Sun has momentum
Connecticut has owned 11 of its last 14 regular season games. The Sun has been strong all season. Despite losing Thomas, their starting point guard and perimeter defender, in six games, the Sun performed well. They acquired veteran Bria Hartley in July. But misfortune came their way. She suffered a season-ending ACL injury very soon.
The team came across COVID-19 issues as Jonquel Jones, head coach Curt Miller and assistant Brandi Poole had to miss some games owing to the same. Miller grieved when his mother passed away. Nevertheless, the Sun managed to be resilient.
According to Basketball Reference, the Sun’s 55.8 winning percentage through the last 24 years has emerged as second best in the WNBA. The only franchise that has a better percentage than the Sun is the Sparks. The Sparks is a team that has picked up three championships. This means that Connecticut is the team among the best teams to not have a championship trophy.
Prediction
The Wings have shown their strength even in the absence of key players. This team should not be completely ruled out. With that being said, the Sun is emerging strong. This will be a very difficult challenge.
Pick and prediction – Sun in 2.