The Aces are the last team you'd want to face right now if you’re the Dream. On a seven-game winning streak, A’ja Wilson has been unstoppable. She’s been putting up MVP numbers again as she leads this team to an impressive 24-14 record. Though the Dream aren’t pushovers at 22-12, we’ll see if the streak ends tonight or if Vegas continues their hot run.
Jordin Canada Out
Cheyenne Parker-Tyus Out
The Aces have been the team you don’t want to see on your schedule right now. They’ve been blasting through the competition left and right. Behind Wilson, this team looks unstoppable as she makes a solid case for MVP again. It’s not all Wilson, though, as Young and Loyd continue to play critical roles by spreading the floor and keeping the ball moving. Offense is everything to this team, though. They’re one of the highest-scoring teams in the league, and on this run, they’ve been averaging well into the mid-90s per game.
Atlanta, on the other hand, has a much more balanced roster. They possess elite size in the post and can shut down an entire team’s post game. They are only behind Golden State and Minnesota in opponent points allowed. With a top 5 offense to go along with it, you can see why they’ve been tough to face all year. Even with Canada out tonight, Howard, Gray, and Griner have been more than enough to keep the wins coming.
This clash should reveal a lot about these teams. With Atlanta falling to Vegas in their last matchup, offense seemed to be the holdup for the Dream. Facing a high-powered offense like Las Vegas, the Dream struggled to keep pace when they were forced to shoot from the perimeter. However, Atlanta needs to avoid sending the Aces to the line. The Aces lead the league in made and attempted free throws; they live at the line. It’s hard to avoid with Wilson attacking the paint every play, but it’s the easiest way to slow down the Aces’ offense.
This isn’t going to be a walk in the park like it was the last time the Aces played. They managed to build a huge lead over the Dream previously thanks to some sloppy play. The Dream turned the ball over 19 times in that game, resulting in 24 points for the Aces. Assuming they won’t repeat those mistakes, this game should be much closer. It’s likely to be a toss-up, but I’m slightly favoring the Aces. You just can’t put into words how effective Wilson has been lately. She alone has been a wrecking ball no one has an answer for. So I’m taking the Aces’ moneyline, the over on the 166 points total, and Vegas at -2 on the spread.
Money line: ATL (+114) / LVA (-135)
Total Points: 166
Spread: +2 ATL (-108) / -2 LVA (-1.5)
Wilson has been outstanding during this seven-game winning streak. She consistently scores over 30 points. Although the Dream has a strong front court, I don’t think Wilson will slow down. She scored 23 points against them last game, so she’s capable of these performances. I believe she’ll do it again.
Gray continues to lead the team in the backcourt. Even though her scoring is slumping a little, she’s still getting a solid number of shot attempts. Averaging 13 shots a game, 15 points is right in her range, considering she’s also tacking on nearly 6 free throw attempts again. Especially with Canada still out, Gray should see plenty of ball time tonight as well. The over is looking great.
I’m not entirely sure why they have the Jones line this low tonight. She’s been doing well on the boards lately and has even been averaging 7 boards a game this year. Even against Wilson, Jones should be able to get close to the 7-rebound mark, and at even money, that’s not a bad gamble.