Unrivaled: Why Laces vs. Mist could be an early championship preview

Rarely do you not notice Alyssa Thomas when watching her team play a basketball game.

But, that’s what happened during Laces’ Unrivaled opener. At least for three quarters.

Thomas had tallied three missed shots, five rebounds, two assists, two turnovers and one foul committed during the first 21 minutes of Laces’ game against Vinyl. By Thomas’ standards, it was a whisper-quiet performance, with her club taking a four-point lead, 46-42, into the final, untimed fourth quarter thanks to a 15-point third quarter outburst from Brittney Sykes.

As soon as the fourth quarter began, with the target score set at 57 points, Thomas turned up the volume. AT set the tone for Laces’ dominant finish, scoring six-straight points to open the final period and propel Laces past the target in just over two minutes. That was the much more familiar AT.

In their second game, Laces will need that AT—aggressive, relentless and unflinching, all with a sneering smile—to prevail against Mist on Saturday night (8:45 p.m. ET, truTV).

The matchup between Thomas’ Laces and Mist profiles as a potential early-season championship preview. Laces’ late, AT-driven domination of Vinyl was an example of their upside, especially as Jackie Young likewise raised her level when the target was in sight for Laces. After Thomas scored Laces’ first six points in the fourth, Young scored the final six, including hitting the game-wining free throw.

Mist can match the two-way excellence Laces, as Allisha Gray demonstrated in their opening win over Hive. Gray wasted no time in showing what she can do on the Unrivaled court, starting the season with two triples on her way to a game-high 21 points. She also led Mist with nine rebounds.

Gray headlines Mist’s renewed supporting cast around captain Breanna Stewart. Last season, Mist relied on Stewie to do almost everything. Now, she not only has Gray, but Veronica Burton, who delivered a sterling Unrivaled debut with 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Alanna Smith likewise immediately made a positive impact with 10 points, eight rebounds and five blocks.

That trio would be more than enough to provide Stewie with the support she needs, but Mist also has Arike Ogunbowale, who looked comfortable in her off-the-bench scorer role. Li Yueru also appears ready to give good minutes as a more-mobile-than-expected big.

Laces, however, surely will make things more difficult on Mist than unseasoned Hive, as Thomas and Young are similarly surrounded with a strong supporting cast. Sykes injected her new squad with scoring and competitive spirit in the opener, while Jordin Canada flashed her off-the-dribble zip, Naz Hillmon was all over the glass and Maddy Siegrist contributed timely buckets and boards.

Barring an outlier shooting performance from one side or the other, it would be surprising if this one doesn’t go down to the wire.

Do Lunar Owls have a chance against Phantom?

Saturday night’s first game, however, might not be that exciting. Things tip off with Lunar Owls taking on Phantom (7:30 p.m. ET, truTV).

As Beckett Harrison recently outlined, what was expected to be revenge season for Lunar Owls, last season’s regular-season juggernaut that was upset in the semifinal round of the playoffs, is already looking like a lost season.

With reigning Unrivaled MVP Napheesa Collier sidelined for the season due to ankle surgeries, Owls are without their offensive and defensive fulcrum. Collier’s absence, plus returning Owl Skylar Diggins missing the opener due to injury, resulted in a very different and very underwhelming Owls squad getting blown out.

It’s hard to see that changing anytime soon, even when Diggins returns to the court. While Owls certainly will miss Collier’s consistent offensive production, as the likes Diggins, Marina Mabrey and Rachel Banham tend to be streaky shooters, her absence might be more glaring on the other end of the floor, as Collier will not be there to cover for Lunar Owls’ more limited defenders.

Phantom, last season’s cellar dweller, should find their way to a fairly easy first win.

Encouragingly for Phantom, Aliyah Boston might have had her best-ever Unrivaled game in their opener, even though her improved effort came in a loss. She not only scored 18 points, her Unrivaled career high, and grabbed seven boards, but also resembled her more confident, assured self in the 3×3 setting, something that was not the case last season.

Tiffany Hayes’ game continued to seem well-suited for Unrivaled, with Tip putting in 20 points. Although her shot was not falling, Kelsey Plum looked comfortable in her Unrivaled debut. That trio can be a winning combination, as long as foul trouble does not disrupt their rhythm. Hayes and Plum each had four fouls in their first game, while Boston committed five.