Las Vegas Aces vs. Connecticut Sun Prediction, Preview and Odds - 6/1/21
It’s an interconference clash on the parquet floor in WNBA action in the Nutmeg State. The Las Vegas Aces are on the road as they travel to face the Connecticut Sun Tuesday night. Las Vegas swept a two-game home set with Indiana as they rolled to a 101-78 victory on Sunday night. Connecticut was edged 79-74 in overtime on the road by Minnesota in their previous game Sunday night. The Aces have won six of the last 10 meetings between the teams but it was the Sun taking a 72-65 road victory in the first meeting this season May 23. Can Las Vegas avenge that defeat and even things up between the teams?
Las Vegas Aces Seek to Stay Hot
Las Vegas won their third straight game and their fifth in the last six contests as they took care of the Fever in both ends of their two-game home set. The Aces enter this one tied for the third seed in the WNBA playoff picture with a 5-2 mark on the year. On Sunday, Las Vegas trailed 8-3 just over two minutes into the game before getting into gear. The Aces reeled off a 21-2 run to go up 24-10 with 1:52 to play in the opening quarter and didn’t look back. Las Vegas didn’t let the lead slip below 12 the rest of the way en route to the one-sided win. The Aces shot 56.7% from the field, including seven of 14 from three-point range, and held a 36-32 edge on the glass. Dearica Hamby led Las Vegas with 22 points and four rebounds off the bench in the victory.
The Aces come into this contest near the top of the pack in scoring offense, ranking first with 91.4 points per game. Las Vegas is seventh in the league in rebounding (35.3 boards a game) and stand third in the league in assists by handing out 20.6 dimes per contest. The Aces have been solid on the defensive end of the floor as they are 2nd in the league in scoring defense by allowing 78.9 points a game. A’ja Wilson leads the Aces with 18.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Liz Cambage (12.9 points, 8.3 rebounds), Jackie Young (14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds) and Kelsey Plum (10.5 points) are all solid secondary options on the offensive end. Coach Bill Laimbeer also can call on Chelsea Gray (12.9 points, 6.7 assists), Dearica Hamby (13.7 points, 5.9 boards), Riquna Williams (10.1 points), Ji-Su Park, Emma Cannon 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 49.5% from the field as a team this season. The Aces are 11th in the league in threes per game (5.1) and sixth in three-point shooting at 35.3% on the year. Las Vegas is currently fourth in free throw shooting at 81.5% on the season. Plum is currently with USA Basketball for the three-on-three qualifying tournament in Graz, Austria for the Olympics and will be out until early June. Slocum is questionable with a concussion sustained May 30 against the Fever.
Connecticut Sun Trying to Bounce Back
Connecticut let one slip away as they suffered a road loss to the previously winless Lynx in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The Sun enter this game second in the WNBA playoff picture. Against Minnesota, Connecticut started strong, leading by 12 after the opening quarter only to see that trimmed to four at the half, to two after three quarters and then even at the end of regulation. In overtime, the Sun led 72-70 with 2:04 to play before getting outscored 9-2 the rest of the way to wind up with the loss. Connecticut shot 38% from the field, including seven of 24 from three-point range, and lost the rebounding battle 38-28. Jonquel Jones led the Sun with 22 points plus five boards in the loss.
The Sun is sixth in the league in scoring offense as they put up an average of 81.9 points per game so far this season. Connecticut is second in the league in rebounding (37.9 boards a night) while they stand sixth by dishing out 18.9 assists a game on the year. The Sun have been good defensively as they are first in scoring defense by allowing an average of 74.3 points per game. DeWanna Bonner is second on the Sun with 18.4 points, seven rebounds and 3.6 assists a game. Jonquel Jones (team-high 20.3 points, 10.5 rebounds), Natisha Hiedeman (10.4 points) and Brionna Jones (12.3 points, 5.5 rebounds) each average in double figures. Jasmine Thomas (12 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists), Briann January, Beatrice Mompreier, Stephanie Jones, DiJonai Carrington and Kaila Charles are important pieces for coach Curt Miller. Connecticut is sixth in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 44.1% as a team. The Sun are fourth in three-pointers per game (8.9) and second in three-point percentage (39.2%) on the year. Connecticut has sputtered at the charity stripe as they convert on 74.6% of their attempts, which is 10th in the league. Alyssa Thomas remains out as she recovers from offseason surgery for a torn Achilles.
Pick: Las Vegas Aces +1
We’re looking at a matchup of two of the top teams in the league at this point of the season. In the first meeting, Connecticut used their defense to shut the Aces down and earn a victory on the road. While the Sun has played well defensively since, leading the league in scoring defense, their loss to Minnesota was a bit vexing as they let a double-digit lead slip away. We’ve seen Las Vegas win five of six with four of those wins coming by at least 16 points. While the Sun held the Aces to a season-low in points in the first meeting, Las Vegas is clicking right now as Hamby has really developed into a dangerous scoring option off the bench. Look for the Aces to come up with the victory in this one to avenge their previous defeat to the Sun.
Total: Under 159.5
While we saw Las Vegas crack the century mark in both their games against Indiana, there’s a marked difference between the Fever and the Sun. Connecticut leads the league in scoring defense while Las Vegas is second in the league in that category. The Aces have seen the over hit in four of their seven games on the season while the Sun has had the under hit in five of their eight contests. We have seen the under hit in five of the last six meetings between the teams, including the meeting earlier this season. That contest fell 25 points under the 162-point total: while this one might not fall that far off the pace, it still comes in short of the mark.
