The Golden State Valkyries continue their road trip when they face the Chicago Sky at Wintrust Arena on Friday night. This is the second game of a back-to-back for the Valkyries and it will be interesting to see if that helps a banged-up Sky team get a victory. Here, I break down this matchup in the betting markets and give you my Valkyries vs Sky prediction.
Our Valkyries vs Sky Pick
- Pick: Golden State Valkyries -4.5
- Confidence: ★★★☆☆
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Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Golden State Valkyries @ Chicago Sky
- Date & Time: August 1, 2025, 7:30 PM ET
- Venue: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, IL
- Broadcast: ION
Valkyries vs Sky Odds
| Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Valkyries -4.5 | Valkyries -225, Sky +185 | 157.5 |
Key Storylines
Golden State lost All‑Star forward Kayla Thornton for the season due to knee surgery. She was the team’s leading scorer and rebounder. But the Valkyries have responded to that adversity and have won two straight road games heading into this contest. Golden State beat the Atlanta Dream and Washington Mystics with clutch defensive plays in the final seconds of both of those games. The Valkyries will need to overcome a rest disadvantage in this game. But Golden State has proven they are tough enough to handle just about anything.
The Chicago Sky are in freefall. They have lost six straight games are 7‑19 overall this season. The Sky are also set to be without Angel Reese and Ariel Atkins due to injuries in this game. That will only make things tougher on the team with the second-worst record in the WNBA. The Sky might be the fresher team going into this game thanks to the Valkyries playing last night. But that is about all they have going for them going into this contest.
Head-to-Head & Betting Trends
- Golden State won the first meeting 83‑78 back in June in San Francisco.
- The Valkyries are 5-9 on the road this season. Chicago is 4-8 at home in 2025.
- Golden State is 16-10 against the spread for the season.
- Chicago is 12-14 against the spread on the year.
Advanced Metrics & Trends
- Golden State is 10th in the league in offensive rating. Chicago is 12th out of 13 teams in offensive rating.
- Golden State’s strength is its defense. The Valkyries are fifth in the league in defensive rating. Chicago is 12th in that category as well.
- Both teams are in the bottom half of the league in pace. The Valkyries play at the slowest tempo in the league.
Valkyries vs Sky Model Projection
Score Projection: Golden State 81 – Chicago 74
Win Probability: Golden State 62%, Chicago 38%
Final Thoughts
The Valkyries have to deal with a rest disadvantage in this game in a back-to-back. But I’m not sure that the Sky are built to take advantage of that as they are currently constructed. The Sky will not have the same rebounding edge that they do when Reese is on the floor. And being without Ariel Atkins hurts an already-struggling Sky offense. I’ll lay the points with the Valkyries in what could be an ugly game in Chicago.
