Las Vegas Aces vs. Chicago Sky Prediction, Preview and Odds - 9/5/21
It’s the back half of a home-and-home interconference set on the WNBA parquet in the Windy City. The Las Vegas Aces are on the road as they travel to face the Chicago Sky Sunday afternoon. In the front half of the home-and-home set, which came in the Silver State, it was the Aces earning a 90-83 home victory on Thursday night to ensure no worse than a split. That snapped Chicago’s two-game win streak in the series and keeps the Aces hot on the heels of the Sun for the top record in the WNBA. Can Las Vegas sweep the two-game series or will Chicago earn a home victory to get a split of the set?
Las Vegas Aces Look to Sweep Home-and-Home Set
Las Vegas won their third straight and their sixth in the last seven games as they downed Chicago at home Thursday night in their most recent contest. The Aces entered Saturday second in the WNBA playoff picture, one game behind the Sun for the top spot in the league. On Thursday night, Las Vegas used a 23-5 run to close the first quarter to take a 17-point advantage. The Aces extended to a 19-point lead early in the second quarter only to see Chicago storm back. Las Vegas trailed by two with 4:41 to play before closing the game on a 13-4 run to earn the victory. The Aces shot 45.2% from the field, including four of 10 from beyond the arc, and won the rebounding battle 39-32. A’ja Wilson (10 rebounds), Kelsey Plum and Riquna Williams each had 21 points to lead the Aces.
The Aces come into this contest at the top of the pack in scoring offense, ranking first with 88.8 points per game. Las Vegas is 1st in the league in rebounding (38.9 boards a game) and stand third in the league in assists by handing out 20.8 dimes per contest. The Aces have been average on the defensive end of the floor as they are 5th in the league in scoring defense by allowing 80.2 points a game. A’ja Wilson leads the Aces with 18.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Liz Cambage (14.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 blocks), Jackie Young (11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds) and Kelsey Plum (13.1 points) are all solid secondary options on the offensive end. Coach Bill Laimbeer also can call on Chelsea Gray (11.4 points, six assists), Dearica Hamby (11.7 points, 6.9 boards), Riquna Williams (9.5 points), Ji-Su Park, Kiah Stokes and Destiny Slocum to contribute on both ends of the floor. Las Vegas is first in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 46.7% from the field as a team this season. The Aces are 11th in the league in threes per game (4.9) and second in three-point shooting at 36.9% on the year. Las Vegas is currently fifth in free throw shooting at 81.5% on the season. Cambage (COVID-19) is questionable here after testing positive despite being fully vaccinated. Hamby (ankle) and Angel McCoughtry (knee) are both questionable here. Each missed Thursday’s contest at home.
Chicago Sky Try to Get Back in Win Column
Chicago showed grit rallying from a big first-half deficit but ran out of gas down the stretch with the game hanging in the balance. The Sky entered Saturday 14-14 on the season and enter this game sixth in the WNBA playoff picture, 3.5 games clear of ninth-place New York to remain on the right side of the playoff cut line. Chicago led early but was blitzed over the final six minutes of the opening quarter to trail by 17 after one. The deficit reached 19 in the opening seconds of the second sky and was still 16 at the half. Chicago made a run in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to four, and took a two-point lead with 4:41 to play. Unfortunately, the Sky ran out of steam as they gave up a 10-0 run over the next three-and-a-half minutes and couldn’t recover. Chicago shot 44.1% from the field, including eight of 24 from three-point range, and turned the ball over 13 times in the loss. Candace Parker led the Sky with 30 points and 14 rebounds in the defeat.
The Sky is 3rd in the league in scoring offense as they muster 83.3 points per contest this season. Chicago is sixth in rebounding (35.6 boards a night) and first in assists by dishing out 21.6 dimes a game. The Sky is above average on defense as they are seventh in the league by allowing an average of 81 points a contest. Kahleah Copper is one of five players averaging in double figures for the team with 14.8 points plus 4.5 rebounds a night this season. Candace Parker (13.5 points, 8.6 boards), Astou Ndour-Fall (seven points, 5.1 rebounds) and Ruthy Hebard are solid secondary options. The Sky can also look to Diamond DeShields (10.8 points), Courtney Vandersloot (11.3 points, nine assists), Allie Quigley (13 points), Stefanie Dolson, Brittany Boyd-Jones, Azura Stevens, Natasha Mack and Stephanie Watts to contribute for coach James Wade. Chicago is 6th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 43.9% as a team. The Sky are in the middle of the pack in threes per game as they are 5th with 7.4 per contest: they are 6th in three-point shooting at 35.3%. Chicago comes in first at the free throw line this season as they are shooting 85.3% at the stripe.
Chicago has dropped two straight as they couldn’t slow down Phoenix in a one-sided contest before getting beaten in the front half of this home-and-home set. The Sky now has to contend with a Las Vegas team that has momentum on their side and who just beat them less than 72 hours prior to tip-off. Las Vegas has the potential to have Cambage and Hamby back here, which would make them even more dangerous. Still, the Aces are an extremely deep, talented team, which makes things easier for coach Bill Laimbeer, even with pieces potentially missing. Chicago doesn’t have the ability to keep up with Las Vegas, especially when you consider that the Sky is 4-8 at home this season. Las Vegas’ depth carries them to a victory here.
Total: Over
Chicago has seen the over hit in seven of their last 10 contests entering this game, including their last three. On the season, the Sky have seen the over hit in 16 of their 28 games on the year. Las Vegas has seen the over hit in half of their last 10 games with the under hitting in three of their last four contests. Even with those struggles, the Aces have seen the over hit in 16 of their 27 games on the year. We’ve seen the over go 6-3-1 in the last 10 meetings between these teams and even with the missing pieces for Las Vegas, the potential for a high-scoring game exists. One needs to look no further than the 173 points in Thursday’s game for proof of that. Look for this one to end up going over the total.
