This WNBA season is full of surprises. The Minnesota Lynx are navigating the absence of Napheesa Collier with surprisingly robust results, while the Chicago Sky are once again rebuilding on the fly. With both squads sitting at 3-2, this is an interesting early-season opportunity for both teams to measure up.

Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. ET. The Lynx are 2.5-point road favorites with -142 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. A Sky upset is priced at +120. The game total is set at O/U 166.5 points.

Let’s get into a pick and prediction for this Lynx-Sky game.

Lynx vs. Sky Preview

With no Collier, it was tough to predict how the beginning of this season would go for the Lynx. They’re a veteran team with a strong defensive base, but lost key contributors in the offseason on top of Collier’s injury. So much rested on the shoulders of No. 2 overall pick Olivia Miles, who needed to inject some youth and offensive playmaking into the starting lineup. Lucky for Minnesota, she has done just that.

Miles is one of four Lynx starters averaging 15+ PPG, along with Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride, and Natasha Howard. She’s taking control as the chief ball handler and playmaker, a natural role she filled at Notre Dame and TCU. With Miles on the floor, the Lynx have a +12.5 net rating. It’s awfully impressive for a rookie to so thoroughly impact her minutes while taking on such an offensive burden.

We’ll need Collier back on the floor before getting a true sense of this team. But, for now, the early returns are promising for Minnesota.

The Sky popped out to a strong start, winning three of their first four in the post-Angel Reese era. But Rickea Jackson’s season-ending ACL injury looms large, and may prove to be a death sentence for the season. Already light on scoring talent, losing their top perimeter bucket-getter is going to be impossible to overcome. Natasha Cloud stepping into a starting role helps their defense and playmaking, but this is an awfully high offensive burden on a 35-year-old Skylar Diggins. Asking her to be the lead playmaker and the lead perimeter scorer is too much.

But, at the very least, this team is measurably more entertaining than last year’s. Gabriela Jaquez brings a lot of energy, Kamilla Cardoso continues to grow on both ends of the floor, and Jacy Sheldon is the kind of all-around connector this team needed. It’s not out of the question to imagine this team staying in the playoff picture later into the season than expected. Considering what Sky fans went through over the last year, that’s a welcome surprise.

Now we have a good idea what to expect from these teams. Who is going to come out the winner?

Lynx vs. Sky Pick, Best Bet

In the first matchup between these teams, defense set the tone for the Sky on their way to victory. But few coaches are better at data collection than Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve; it’s awfully hard to hang an L on her team twice in a row. With no Jackson and the Lynx hungry for a get-back, this should be a solid road win for Minnesota.

Best Bet: Minnesota Lynx -2.5 (-110)