Las Vegas Aces vs. Washington Mystics Prediction, Preview and Odds - 6/5/21
It’s an interconference clash on the WNBA hardwood in the nation’s capital in front of a nationally televised audience. The Las Vegas Aces are on the road as they travel to face the Washington Mystics Saturday afternoon. Las Vegas knocked off New York 94-82 on the road Thursday night in their most recent contest. Washington was dropped 86-81 on the road by Connecticut in their most recent game back on May 28. Last season, the Aces won both meetings in the bubble, including an 88-73 victory as the “home” team in the most recent matchup back on August 15, 2020. That gives the Aces three wins in the last four meetings.
Las Vegas Aces Look to Build Off Win in Big Apple
Las Vegas was in an up and down the floor affair with the Liberty on the road Thursday night but came away with a victory to win for the sixth time in their last eight games. The Aces entered Friday 6-3 on the year and took over the third seed in the WNBA playoff picture, one game behind the Sun and Storm, who occupy the top two spots. Against New York, Las Vegas never trailed and led by as many as 19 but found themselves in a close game down the stretch. Las Vegas led by only one with four minutes to go before coach Bill Laimbeer’s team clamped down. The Aces closed the game on a 14-3 run to put things on ice. Las Vegas shot 45.7% from the field, including four of 11 from three-point range, but won the game at the charity stripe. The Aces hit 26 of 29 free throws while the Liberty was seven of nine. A’ja Wilson led the way with 30 points and 13 rebounds in the win.
The Aces come into this contest near the top of the pack in scoring offense, ranking second with 89 points per game. Las Vegas is 10th in the league in rebounding (34.9 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 78.7 points a game. A’ja Wilson leads the Aces with 19 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Liz Cambage (14.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 blocks), Jackie Young (13.9 points, 4.4 rebounds) and Kelsey Plum (8.3 points) are all solid secondary options on the offensive end. Coach Bill Laimbeer also can call on Chelsea Gray (12.3 points, 6.7 assists), Dearica Hamby (13 points, six boards), Riquna Williams (8.8 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 48.4% from the field as a team this season. The Aces are 12th in the league in threes per game (4.4) and seventh in three-point shooting at 33.9% on the year. Las Vegas is currently third in free throw shooting at 83.3% on the season.
Washington Mystics Rested, Look to Prevail at Home
Washington hasn’t played since last Friday, when they were dropped on the road by the Sun. The Mystics are rested but sit 2-4 on the year, putting them ninth in the standings though they are tied with Dallas for the final playoff spot. Against Connecticut, Washington started strong, jumping to an 8-0 lead, and they were up four after the opening quarter. The Mystics led by three at the half and were up four early in the second half before giving up an 18-2 run that left them down 62-50 with 4:16 to play in the third quarter. Washington rallied with a 13-0 run the rest of the quarter to lead by one. In a back-and-forth final quarter, the Mystics trailed by one with 3:19 to go but went scoreless over the next 2:50 to allow Connecticut to pull away. Washington shot 39.4% from the field, including nine of 30 from beyond the arc, but allowed Connecticut to shoot 50% in the game. Tina Charles led the Mystics with 29 points and eight rebounds in the loss.
The Mystics are eighth in the league in scoring offense with an average of 78.3 points per contest this season. Washington comes in seventh in the league in rebounding (35.2 boards per game) and is 11th in assists by handing out 17 dimes a night. The Mystics are fifth in the league in scoring defense by allowing an average of 79.5 points a contest. Tina Charles leads the Mystics with 26.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest this season. Ariel Atkins is the only other player scoring in double figures as she puts up 16 points a night. Erica McCall, Natasha Cloud, Theresa Plaisance, Sydney Wiese, Kiara Leslie, Stella Johnson, Shavonte Zellous, Leilani Mitchell and Jillian Alleyne are key pieces for coach Mike Thibault. Washington is 12th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 38.4% from the floor as a team. The Mystics are third in the league in threes per game (9.2) and stand 10th in the league in three-point percentage (31.6%) on the year. Washington is excellent at the charity stripe as they are second in the league by sinking 86.7% of their chances this season. Elena Delle Donne is currently still out as she continues her recovery from offseason back surgery. Wiese (ankle) left the game against the Sun May 28 and has been ruled out here. Leslie (undisclosed) and Atkins (undisclosed) are both questionable here.
Pick: Las Vegas Aces -7.5
While Washington is at home for this contest, the fact simply remains that the Mystics are overmatched in the talent department. With Delle Donne on the shelf as she recovers from back surgery, it takes one of the most explosive players in the league out of the mix. Throw in that Atkins is questionable and it puts the fate of their second-leading scorer as murky at best. Las Vegas has a plethora of weapons that can go off on any given night and getting Plum back from the three-on-three Olympic qualifying. The Aces are the better team and their depth carries them to a road victory in this contest.
Total: Over 166.5
Las Vegas has seen the over hit in five of their nine games this season. Two of their games that fell short were contests against the Sun, who own the league’s top scoring defense. Washington is an average defensive team but we saw them push the pace against the Sun in a game that surprisingly ended up going over the total. The Mystics have seen the total go over in three of their six games but three of their previous four coming into this one have wound up over the mark. With the way the Aces can score and the sudden offensive surge by the Mystics, look for this one to be an up-tempo contest that goes over the total.
