Chicago Sky vs. Las Vegas Aces Prediction, Preview and Odds - 9/2/21
A pair of teams with momentum on their side take the floor in a WNBA tilt in the Silver State. The Chicago Sky are on the road as they travel to face the Las Vegas Aces Thursday night. Chicago saw their three-game win streak come to an end as they were dropped 103-83 on the road by Phoenix Tuesday night in their most recent contest. Las Vegas picked up an 87-71 victory over Indiana on the road Saturday afternoon in their last game. The teams have split the last 10 meetings with the Sky taking both meetings last season by two points. We saw Chicago prevail 88-86 as the “road” team in the bubble on July 26, 2020 and then picking up an 84-82 win as the “home” team on August 18, 2020 in the most recent meeting.
Chicago Sky Looking to Bounce Back From Loss
Chicago had won three straight games but they were run over by Phoenix on the road in their previous contest Tuesday night. The Sky fell to 14-13 on the season and enter this game sixth in the WNBA playoff picture, 3.5 games clear of ninth-place New York to remain on the right side of the playoff cut line. Against Phoenix, Chicago trailed by nine after the opening quarter and by as many as 11 in the first half before closing the gap. The Sky cut the deficit to three at the half and were within one with 6:08 to play in the third quarter before giving up a 10-0 run over the next two-plus minutes to trail 65-54 with 3:58 to go in the third. Chicago never recovered as they couldn’t get closer than seven the rest of the way. The Sky shot 45.1% from the field, including six of 20 from three-point range, and allowed Phoenix to shoot 52% from the floor in the loss. Diamond DeShields and Azura Stevens each had 15 points in the loss to lead the Sky.
The Sky is 3rd in the league in scoring offense as they muster 83.3 points per contest this season. Chicago is sixth in rebounding (35.7 boards a night) and first in assists by dishing out 21.7 dimes a game. The Sky is above average on defense as they are sixth in the league by allowing an average of 80.7 points a contest. Kahleah Copper is one of five players averaging in double figures for the team with 14.6 points plus 4.5 rebounds a night this season. Candace Parker (13.2 points, 8.4 boards), Astou Ndour-Fall (seven points, 5.1 rebounds) and Ruthy Hebard are solid secondary options. The Sky can also look to Diamond DeShields (11 points), Courtney Vandersloot (11.3 points, 9.2 assists), Allie Quigley (13.7 points), Stefanie Dolson, Brittany Boyd-Jones, Azura Stevens, Natasha Mack and Stephanie Watts to contribute for coach James Wade. Chicago is 6th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 43.9% as a team. The Sky are in the middle of the pack in threes per game as they are tied for 5th with 7.3 per contest: they are 5th in three-point shooting at 35.3%. Chicago comes in first at the free throw line this season as they are shooting 85.2% at the stripe.
Las Vegas Aces Battling for Top Spot in WNBA Playoff Picture
Las Vegas won their second straight and their fifth in the last six games as they dropped Indiana on the road Saturday in their last game. The Aces enter this game 19-7 on the season and stand second in the WNBA playoff picture, 1.5 games behind Connecticut for the top spot. Las Vegas trailed by two with 4:07 to play in the opening quarter against Indiana before closing the quarter with a 15-3 run to take a 10-point lead after one. The Aces opened the second quarter with an 18-4 run to take a 45-21 advantage and never looked back. Las Vegas shot 48.4% from the field, including seven of 12 from beyond the arc, and held a 38-31 advantage on the glass in the contest. Riquna Williams led six Aces in double figures with 15 points in the victory.
The Aces come into this contest at the top of the pack in scoring offense, ranking first with 88.8 points per game. Las Vegas is 1st in the league in rebounding (38.9 boards a game) and stand third 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 5th in the league in scoring defense by allowing 80.1 points a game. A’ja Wilson leads the Aces with 18.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Liz Cambage (14.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 blocks), Jackie Young (11.8 points, 3.8 rebounds) and Kelsey Plum (12.8 points) are all solid secondary options on the offensive end. Coach Bill Laimbeer also can call on Chelsea Gray (11.3 points, six assists), Dearica Hamby (11.7 points, 6.9 boards), Riquna Williams (nine points), Ji-Su Park, Kiah Stokes 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 second in three-point shooting at 36.8% on the year. Las Vegas is currently fifth in free throw shooting at 81.5% on the season. Cambage (COVID-19) is out after testing positive despite being fully vaccinated. Hamby (ankle) and Angel McCoughtry (knee) are both questionable here.
Pick: Las Vegas Aces
Chicago had won three straight but couldn’t slow down Phoenix in their last game as they were blasted in a one-sided contest. The Sky now has to contend with a Las Vegas team that has momentum on their side and who are at home. Las Vegas is going to miss Cambage’s presence in the contest and Hamby could be out again here as well. Still, the Aces are an extremely deep, talented team, which makes things easier for coach Bill Laimbeer, even with pieces potentially missing. Chicago doesn’t have the ability to keep up with Las Vegas, especially when the Aces are at home. Las Vegas’ depth carries them to a victory here.
Total: Over
Chicago has seen the over hit in seven of their last 10 contests entering this game, including their last two. On the season, the Sky have seen the over hit in 15 of their 27 games on the year. Las Vegas has seen the over hit in only four of their last 10 games with the under hitting in each of their last three contests. Even with those struggles, the Aces have seen the over hit in 15 of their 26 games on the year. We’ve seen the over go 6-3-1 in the last 10 meetings between these teams and even with the missing pieces for Las Vegas, the potential for a high-scoring game exists. Look for this one to end up going over the total.