Great job by the U.S. women to win the Olympic gold medal in Paris. That happened this past Sunday. Three of the women on the team were Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner and Kahleah Cooper - all of whom play for the Mercury.

Now, just four days later, Phoenix's three best players have to take to the court for a road game against Chicago. The Sky will be well-rested, prepared and motivated. They should be able to take advantage of this letdown spot and jet lag situation for Griner, Taurasi and Cooper. The Mercury is in big trouble if those three don't play well. I don't see how they can bring their "A" or even "B" games given the circumstances.

The Sky entered the Olympic break winning four of their last seven games. Their last game was a road victory against the two-time defending champion Aces as 13-point underdogs. That left the Sky confident and feeling really good.

Chicago is the top offensive rebounding team in the WNBA and an above average defensive team. Phoenix is the worst rebounding team in the league and ranks 10th out of 12 teams defensively.

(Editor's note: Stephen Nover is one of the top WNBA handicappers in North America with the season record to back it up - 38-21-1 on his premium/free plays for 64 percent. Stephen has two premium WNBA plays going Thursday in addition to this free selection.)