10:05 pm
August 17

Mercury @ Sky

Who will WIN this matchup?

Phoenix Mercury (15-21)

@ Las Vegas Aces (26-10)

 

Current odds:

Phoenix Mercury: (+1000)

Las Vegas Aces: (-2220)

 

• The line for this game is Aces by 16.5 points.

• Virtually everything has gone according to plan for the Las Vegas Aces, and virtually nothing has gone according to plan for the Phoenix Mercury. But both teams made the postseason and will begin a best-of-three first-round playoff series Wednesday night in Las Vegas.

• The Aces won their last four regular-season games, including against the defending champion Chicago Sky last Thursday to tie them for the league’s best record. They held the tiebreaker over the Sky and clinched the top seed by beating Seattle 109-100 on Sunday.

• Las Vegas forward A’ja Wilson has made a strong case to win the MVP award for the second time in three seasons. She has averaged 19.5 points, a career-high 9.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks.

• Las Vegas thrived under first-year head coach Becky Hammon.

• The Mercury ousted the Aces in five games to reach the WNBA Finals last season. But the team was rocked in February by the detention of star center Brittney Griner in a Russian jail, where she remains.

• They released her replacement, Tina Charles, during the middle of the season and stars Diana Taurasi (quad) and Skylar Diggins-Smith (personal) were sidelined for the final week of the regular season.

• Taurasi and Diggins-Smith will both miss Game 1 against Las Vegas, while teammate Kaela Davis is listed as questionable due to a right ankle injury.

• Still, Phoenix reached the playoffs for a 10th consecutive year.

• Las Vegas won all three regular-season meetings, but the teams haven’t played since May 21.

9/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Las Vegas Aces
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