A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart put Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty on brink of series sweeps
The WNBA Playoffs are upon us, and all eight teams played on Sunday. Instead of sending all of them back tonight, we have two games and four teams taking the court. I am going to share a play in both games. I know that the WNBA has a lot wrong with it, but I feel like the opening round being just a best-of-three is a bit rough (I feel the same about the MLB). Playoffs should be at least five games, and with these matchups, I want as many as I can get.
The Las Vegas Aces are defending champions and still turned in one of the better regular seasons this year. They have the best player on the planet, A'ja Wilson. They hosted the Fever in Game 1 and beat them by 17 points. It was an ugly game for Indiana, but it was a very impressive performance from Las Vegas. The Fever had no answer for Wilson, who poured in 38 points and hauled in 16 rebounds. She did it on an incredibly efficient 15-for-19 shooting as well.
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The starting lineup for the Fever just couldn't get much going. Caitlin Clark had 15 points, but wasn't overly efficient from the field, and she didn't even get to the free-throw line. She chipped in 10 assists, but also had six turnovers. Single-season scoring leader Kelsey Mitchell had 12 points, but she was just 4-for-16 from the field. If the Fever want to stay alive, they need to double Wilson and make someone else beat them, and they need to be much more efficient on offense. I think the right play here is to take the Aces at -102 on the moneyline. I just don't think the Fever have enough answers for the Aces, even though I picked them to win the series.
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Stealing a road game is almost always a requirement for teams looking to win a series. Getting a road victory is definitely a requirement for anyone who is an underdog in a series. The New York Liberty are the 8th seed, but as I mentioned in my preview of the series, the Liberty were picked preseason as the favorite to win the WNBA Championship. Now they are one game away from ending the season of the best team in the league (at least via regular-season record).
Game 1 went to the Liberty, even though they won the game on the road. It wasn't just a win; it was kind of a blowout, with the Lynx losing by 16. Breanna Stewart showed why she is one of the best in basketball and poured in 34 points. The Lynx didn't get much from their two best players, Napheesa Collier and Olivia Miles. They combined for just 23 points and 9-for-26 shooting. With their backs against the wall, I think the Lynx will get the win, but I do think it could be a very close game. The Lynx are 18-4 on the road this season so winning on the road shouldn't be new to them. I expect defense to be key for Minnesota tonight. Give me the under 173.5.
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