Unrivaled: Can Vinyl, Rose stop Lunar Owls, Laces from starting 4-0?

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A Vinyl-Lunar Owls and Rose-Laces doubleheader will close out the second week of Unrivaled, with both Owls and Laces aiming to advance to 4-0.

The first game tips at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by an approximately 8:30 p.m. ET start for the second. Both games will be broadcast on TNT.

Phee-nomenal Owls go for 4-0

After starting the Unrivaled season 2-0, Vinyl could drop two-straight games. That’s not because the club isn’t capable; it’s because, Laces, who beat Vinyl on Friday, and Lunar Owls, their opponent on Monday, are just that good.

Not enough can said about how excellent Napheesa Collier has been through Owls’ first three games, authoring all-round, highly-efficient stat lines that have situated her club for confident wins. She’s complemented in the starting group by Skylar Diggins-Smith’s spunk and Allisha Gray’s grit, with Courtney Williams and Shakira Austin bringing more fearless play from off the bench. It’s an equation that appears to be becoming more and more difficult for opponents to solve.

Vinyl will attempt to do so through its own strong starting group, where the ignitable duo of Arike Ogunbowale and Rhyne Howard is supported by the indomitable Dearica Hamby. To try to trouble Owls, it would be interesting to see Vinyl try to involve Aliyah Boston more, both as a post scoring option and as an offensive hub. Some kind of curve ball will be necessary to throw off Lunar Owls.

Will AT, Jackie be ready when Laces face Rose?

It’s unclear if Alyssa Thomas will be available for Laces on Monday night, as she left Friday’s game after an on-court collision and did not return. Unrivaled indicated she would be re-evaluated on Saturday. Knowing Thomas, she’ll play if she’s able, although, as a WNBA unrestricted free agent, she may proceed with more precaution than usual. If Thomas cannot go and Jackie Young is not yet ready to make her Unrivaled debut, Laces would be down to four players, unless another relief player is named.

However, in her postgame interview following Friday’s win, Tiffany Hayes seemed to tease that Young might be close to taking the Unrivaled court.

Considering how dominant Laces have been, it might take them being down multiple players to lose a game.

Rose will be ready regardless, especially after Chelsea Gray ensured her team would not drop to 0-3 by closing out Mist on Saturday in characteristically clutch fashion. To compete with Laces, Rose again will need significant contributions from Lexie Hull and Azurá Stevens, in addition to more scoring bursts from Kahleah Copper. After a rough game on Saturday, expect Angel Reese to come out eager to benefit her club in whatever ways are required. Most likely, that’ll be by owning the glass. By corralling offensive rebounds that prevent Laces, the league’s best defensive rebounding team, from effectively ending possessions, Reese can help Rose win on the margins, which will be necessary to upsetting Laces.