Washington Mystics vs. Las Vegas Aces Prediction, Preview and Odds - 8/17/21
It’s an interconference clash on the parquet floor in WNBA action in the Silver State. The Washington Mystics are on the road as they make the trip to face the Las Vegas Aces in the second game of a two-game series Tuesday night. In the first game of the two-game set on Sunday night, it was Las Vegas scratching out an 84-83 home victory to ensure no worse than a split. As a result, Las Vegas has won five of the last six matchups between the teams, including both contests this season. Will the Mystics bounce back from a tough loss or will the Aces maintain their lofty perch atop the WNBA standings?
Washington Mystics Seeking to Split Two-Game Series
Washington went down to the wire but they came up on the short end of the stick in the contest against Las Vegas in the first game of the series for their fifth loss in six games. The Mystics enter this one 8-11 on the season and hold the final playoff spot in the WNBA by half a game over the Wings. Against Las Vegas, Washington was in cruise control most of the way only to see things fall apart in crunch time. The Mystics were up 12 after the opening quarter, by 15 at the half and by 21 with 2:49 to play in the third quarter before things unraveled. Washington saw the lead trimmed to 14 after three quarters before getting outscored 29-14 in the final quarter to end up with the loss. The Mystics shot 45.2% from the field, including 10 of 29 from three-point range, while losing the rebounding battle 38-33. Ariel Atkins and Tina Charles (eight rebounds) each had 20 points to lead Washington in the loss.
The Mystics are seventh in the league in scoring offense with an average of 82 points per contest this season. Washington comes in 9th in the league in rebounding (34.5 boards per game) and is 5th in assists by handing out 19.5 dimes a night. The Mystics are ninth in the league in scoring defense by allowing an average of 83.9 points a contest. Tina Charles leads the Mystics with 25.9 points and 9.9 rebounds per contest this season. Ariel Atkins is one of two other players scoring in double figures as she puts up 17 points a night. Erica McCall, Myisha Hines-Allen (14.2 points, 7.2 boards), Natasha Cloud, Theresa Plaisance, Sydney Wiese, Stella Johnson, Shavonte Zellous, Leilani Mitchell, Shatori Walker-Kimbrough and Megan Gustafson are key pieces for coach Mike Thibault. Washington is 11th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 41.1% from the floor as a team. The Mystics are second in the league in threes per game (9.7) and stand 8th in the league in three-point percentage (33.6%) on the year. Washington is excellent at the charity stripe as they are third in the league by sinking 82.4% of their chances this season. Elena Delle Donne is currently still out as she continues her recovery from offseason back surgery. Zellous (ankle) is out indefinitely at this point in time.
Las Vegas Aces Try to Keep Rolling
Las Vegas dug themselves out of a massive hole to earn an improbable victory at home in their first game since the Olympic break to stun the Mystics Sunday. The Aces improved to 16-6 on the season, putting them tied with the Storm for the top record in the league. Las Vegas owns the top spot in the playoff picture due to the advantage in the season series. On Sunday, the Aces trailed by 12 after the opening quarter, by 15 at the half and by 65-44 with 2:49 to play in the third quarter before regrouping. Las Vegas climbed with 14 after three quarters and still was down eight with 2:31 to play before closing the game on an 11-2 run. Chelsea Gray hit the game-winning jumper with 6.4 seconds to play to give the Aces a triumph. Las Vegas shot 47.8% from the field, including three of 10 from three-point range, and knocked down 15 of 21 free throws in the victory. A’ja Wilson led the way for the Aces with 20 points and 14 rebounds in the win.
The Aces come into this contest at the top of the pack in scoring offense, ranking first with 90.4 points per game. Las Vegas is 1st in the league in rebounding (39.3 boards a game) and stand fourth in the league in assists by handing out 21 dimes per contest. The Aces have been average on the defensive end of the floor as they are 6th in the league in scoring defense by allowing 81 points a game. A’ja Wilson leads the Aces with 19.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Liz Cambage (14.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.7 blocks), Jackie Young (12.6 points, 3.7 rebounds) and Kelsey Plum (13.2 points) are all solid secondary options on the offensive end. Coach Bill Laimbeer also can call on Chelsea Gray (11.3 points, 6.4 assists), Dearica Hamby (11.4 points, 7.1 boards), Riquna Williams (nine points), Ji-Su Park, Kiah Stokes, 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 46.8% from the field as a team this season. The Aces are 11th in the league in threes per game (4.9) and third in three-point shooting at 36% on the year. Las Vegas is currently sixth in free throw shooting at 81.5% on the season.
Pick: Las Vegas Aces
We saw the Aces rally from a massive deficit over the final 12-plus minutes as they took care of business against the Wizards down the stretch. Las Vegas outscored Washington 40-18 in that span to earn the victory after trailing by 21 points. The Aces are very good at home as they own a +12 ppg scoring margin in their 12 home games this season. Washington is trying to get by despite missing Delle Donne but when you blow a big lead like they did Sunday, that sort of meltdown is going to sting for a while. The Mystics are just 3-7 on the road this season and they end up with another defeat here as the Aces prevail.
Total: Over
The Aces are the league’s most dangerous offensive team. The only teams to really slow them down are the Sun (twice), the Lynx and the Sparks. All of those teams are good defensive teams, which is something that the Mystics won’t be confused with by any stretch, especially after the final 12-plus minutes Sunday. Las Vegas has seen the over hit 14 of their 22 games on the season. Washington has seen the over hit in 12 of their 19 games go over the total this season. The first meeting this season saw the teams combine for 189 points while Sunday’s game saw 167 points in a game that ended up 6.5 points short of the total. This one is another up-tempo affair that ends up edging over the total.
