Connecticut at Phoenix

Connecticut just walked into this same building two nights ago and left with a 13-point win, Leila Lacan erupting for a career-high 26 points on 10 of 13 shooting as the Sun pulled away in the fourth quarter. Now they get an immediate return trip, and the number has barely moved to account for it. Phoenix has lost five straight, and its defense has been the story of the skid, letting opponents shoot at a rate that's climbed every week while the offense has gone cold from deep over the same stretch. Connecticut, for all its record implies, has been the more competitive team lately, covering the spread in seven of its past eight games and shooting better than 47 percent from the floor over its last five. Sharp money has already found its way to the Sun today, a sign the market isn't buying Phoenix as a real favorite off a result like Friday's, and neither am I. Nothing about this Mercury team suggests it fixes a five-game losing streak against the same opponent that just beat it. Side with Connecticut and the points today.