Las Vegas Aces vs. New York Liberty Prediction, Preview and Odds - 6/3/21
It’s an interconference clash on the parquet floor in WNBA action in the Big Apple. The Las Vegas Aces are on the road as they travel to face the New York Liberty Thursday night. Las Vegas was dropped 74-67 on the road by Connecticut in their most recent contest Tuesday night. New York was defeated 90-87 in overtime at home by Atlanta Saturday in their most recent game. The Aces have won four straight matchups and eight of the last 10 meetings between the teams entering this contest. That includes an 80-63 victory as the “home” team in the bubble in the most recent matchup on August 29, 2020.
Las Vegas Aces Hoping to Get Back in Win Column
Las Vegas had won three straight and five of their previous six contests though they were unable to earn the road win against Connecticut. The Aces enter this one 5-3 overall and holding the fifth seed in the WNBA playoff picture as they look to pick up a road win against a team above them in the standings. Against Connecticut, Las Vegas battled but they were behind most of the way in the contest. The Aces were down five after one quarter, by three at the half and four after three quarters. Las Vegas rallied to lead by one with 7:33 to play before giving up a 15-5 run that left them down 70-61 with 3:01 to play. They couldn’t get closer than seven after that. The Aces shot 43.8% from the field, including zero of five from three-point range, and were beaten 34-29 on the glass. Liz Cambage led Las Vegas with 28 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
The Aces come into this contest near the top of the pack in scoring offense, ranking third with 88.4 points per game. Las Vegas is 11th in the league in rebounding (34.5 boards a game) and stand third in the league in assists by handing out 20.5 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 78.3 points a game. A’ja Wilson leads the Aces with 17.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Liz Cambage (14.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.6 blocks), Jackie Young (13.6 points, 4.6 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 (12.5 points, 6.4 assists), Dearica Hamby (13 points, 5.6 boards), Riquna Williams (8.9 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 48.8% from the field as a team this season. The Aces are 12th in the league in threes per game (4.5) and seventh in three-point shooting at 33.6% on the year. Las Vegas is currently fifth in free throw shooting at 82.2% on the season. Slocum is questionable with a concussion sustained May 30 against the Fever: she missed Tuesday’s game.
New York Liberty Rested and Ready to Go
New York has been off since Saturday, when they were knocked off at home in overtime by the Dream. The Liberty enter this game 5-2 on the season, putting them third in the WNBA playoff picture, one game behind the Storm and Sun for the top two spots. In the game with the Dream, New York trailed by 11 after the opening quarter and by as many as 13 in the first half before rallying. The Liberty cut the deficit to four at the half, to three after three quarters and used an 8-0 run to take a two-point lead with 25 seconds remaining in regulation before giving up the tying bucket to force overtime. In the extra session, New York took their last lead at 87-84 with 1:17 to play but gave up the final six points, including the game-winning three-pointer with 1.6 seconds to go. The Liberty shot 39.1% from the field, including 14 of 34 from three-point range, and turned the ball over 20 times. Michaela Onyewere led New York with 29 points in the loss.
The Liberty comes into this contest 5th in the league in scoring offense with an average of 84.1 points per game. New York is ninth in rebounding (34.7 boards a night) and second with 20.9 assists per contest. The Liberty ranks eighth in the league in scoring defense by allowing 83.4 points per game. Betnijah Laney leads the Liberty with 22.3 points plus five assists a night this season. Sabrina Ionescu (16.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 7.1 assists) and Michaela Onyenwere (12.1 points, 3.3 boards) are also capable scoring options. Sami Whitcomb (10.3 points, 5.4 boards), Natasha Howard (14.5 points), Kylee Shook, Rebecca Allen, Jazmine Jones, Reshanda Gray and DiDi Richards are key contributors for coach Walt Hopkins. New York is 4th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 44.3% from the floor as a team. The Liberty is leading the league in made threes per game (11.9) while ranking first in three-point shooting at 43.2%. New York is 3rd in free throw percentage as they cash in 82.5% of their chances at the stripe. Howard is expected to miss four to six weeks with a sprained MCL sustained May 24 against Dallas.
Pick: Las Vegas Aces -7
New York has played leaps and bounds better than they did last season in the bubble but the fact remains that we have to see the Liberty beat a good team to take them seriously. Their five wins have come over Indiana (twice), Minnesota, Dallas and Chicago. Those teams went into Wednesday with a combined mark of 6-21, or a .222 winning percentage. Las Vegas is expected to get Plum back as Team USA earned a spot in the three-on-three competition in the Olympics. She has cleared health and safety protocols and is probable here. That’s a boost for the Aces, adding another weapon for Bill Laimbeer’s team. New York has to find a way to hit some shots from inside the arc and there’s no free trips through the lane with Wilson and Cambage. Give the upper hand to the Aces here.
Total: Under 170.5
Las Vegas has seen the over hit in half of their eight games this season. Two of their games that fell short were contests against the Sun, who own the league’s top scoring defense. New York isn’t a great defensive team as they are eighth in the league coming into this contest while the Aces are third in scoring offense. The Liberty has seen the over hit in five of their seven contests on the year. While the potential for a track meet is in the cards here, one has to consider that the under is 7-1-1 in the last nine meetings between the teams. This total likely ends up being set a little too high and the game winds up a couple points short of the mark.
