Seattle is on their way to Vegas to take on the Aces. After a few losses, the Aces and Storm now have the same record at 16-14. With the playoffs sneaking up on us, this game is critical for both sides. We’ll see if the Storm can get back on their feet or if the Aces will continue their run!
Brittney Sykes Questionable
Tiffany Mitchell Questionable
Katie Lou Samuelson Out
Cheyenne Parker-Tyus Out
For a moment, this season it looked like the Aces and Storm were on completely different paths this season. The Aces were struggling to find wins while the Storm were dominating even against some of the top talent in the league. But here we are, both have the same record and are going head-to-head.
The Storms haven’t been the same team since the start of this year. Diggins has struggled recently, and some of their bench production has slowed down too. Ogwumike is still carrying the team at this point. She’s all over the court lately, but she really needs one of her guards to step up with her. If Diggins or Williams can’t find their scoring rhythm tonight, they'll have a hard time. Even with decent defense and some size, Wilson is going to slice through them. They’ve done a good job defending her earlier this season, but in Vegas, while the Aces are on the rise, it's not the place you want to be. We’ll see if they can break out of this slump and give the Aces a real challenge.
The Aces, on the other hand, have found their groove. Of course, Wilson has been doing her thing all year, but the guards finally found their footing. Jewell Loyd has been much more impactful alongside Young and Gray, giving the team a solid scoring dynamic. Defense continues to be the issue, though. They’re allowing 83 points a game from their opponents. That’s not exactly a sustainable number and turns all their games into rock fights. The Aces can keep up scoring, but at some point, the defense needs to show up.
In terms of the matchup, I’ve got to lean toward the Aces tonight. With home court advantage, much stronger scoring, and some momentum behind them, I think they’ll show up. Seattle just hasn’t demonstrated they have the same scoring ability as earlier in the season. Unless we get a big game from one of the Seattle guards, I believe the Aces will run away with it. That’s why I’m taking the Aces moneyline, the over on the 162.5 points total, and the Las Vegas spread at -1.5.
Money line: SEA (-102) / LVA (-118)
Total Points: 162.5
Spread: +1.5 SEA (-112) / -1.5 LVA (-108)
Wilson has been a bit slower as the season rolls on. She’s somewhat inconsistent with her scoring, jumping from 37 one night to 10 the next. Especially against the Storm, she hasn’t had a huge scoring night. In previous games against Seattle, she scored 20 and 15, which is decent, but still not enough to hit the over. The size advantage Seattle presents has been a problem, and if Seattle can keep her off the line, the under looks promising.
Man, they’ve really started to rely less on Diggins lately. It’s not surprising; she has been in a bit of a scoring slump. The team seems to be moving away from her, with her shot attempts decreasing. It just looks like the season is weighing on her, with her shooting percentage dropping and trips to the line also declining. With a little less burst in her game since the start of the season, I don’t think she scores 15 points tonight.
With a midseason stumble, the Storm have been heavily relying on Ogwumike. The remarkable thing is, the 35-year-old has responded well. She has been dominating lately, with some impressive scoring nights despite the losses. Over her last ten games, she is averaging more than 20 points per game. With consistent shooting percentages and two games over 20 points against the Aces this year, the over looks very promising.