Las Vegas Aces vs. Indiana Fever Prediction, Preview and Odds - 8/28/21
It’s an interconference clash on the WNBA hardwood between teams at opposite ends of the standings in the Hoosier State. The Las Vegas Aces are on the road as they make the trip to face the Indiana Fever Saturday afternoon. Las Vegas knocked off Atlanta 78-71 on the road in their most recent contest Thursday night. Indiana beat Dallas 83-81 on the road in their most recent contest last Friday. The Aces have won four straight matchups between the teams and nine of the last 10 contests. That includes a pair of one-sided home victories earlier this season as Las Vegas prevailed 113-77 on May 28 and followed up with a 101-78 triumph on May 30 in the most recent meeting.
Las Vegas Aces Fighting for Top Spot in WNBA Playoff Picture
Las Vegas bounced back from a loss to Connecticut for their fourth win in the last five games as they rallied to down the Dream Thursday on the road. The Aces entered Friday 18-7 on the year and held the second seed in the WNBA playoff picture, one game behind the Sun for the top spot. Against Atlanta, Las Vegas started slowly but regrouped in the second half to earn the victory. The Aces trailed by two after the opening quarter and by eight at the half before bouncing back. Las Vegas cut the deficit to one after three quarters and remained down by a point with five minutes to play before clamping down defensively. The Aces outscored the Dream 10-2 the rest of the way to earn the win. Las Vegas shot 43.8% from the field, including three of 13 from three-point range, and held a 43-34 advantage on the glass. A’ja Wilson led the Aces with 21 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in the win.
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 (39 boards a game) and stand third in the league in assists by handing out 20.9 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 80.4 points a game. A’ja Wilson leads the Aces with 18.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Liz Cambage (14.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.6 blocks), Jackie Young (11.8 points, 3.8 rebounds) and Kelsey Plum (12.7 points) are all solid secondary options on the offensive end. Coach Bill Laimbeer also can call on Chelsea Gray (11.2 points, six assists), Dearica Hamby (11.7 points, 6.9 boards), Riquna Williams (8.8 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 46.7% from the field as a team this season. The Aces are 11th in the league in threes per game (4.8) and fourth in three-point shooting at 36% on the year. Las Vegas is currently sixth in free throw shooting at 81.5% on the season.
Indiana Fever Rested, Seek Second Straight Win
Indiana snapped a two-game slide and won for the fourth time in six games after starting the year 1-16 by edging Dallas in the closing seconds. The Fever entered Friday 5-18 on the season and stood tied for last in the WNBA playoff picture, 4.5 games behind the Liberty for the final playoff spot. Indiana trailed by nine after the opening quarter and by 11 in the first half before cutting the deficit to three at intermission. The Fever trailed by five after three quarters and by eight with 3:46 to play in the game before rallying. Indiana closed the game on an 11-1 run, capped by Danielle Robinson’s three-point play with 7.2 seconds to play, to earn the win. The Fever shot 45.3% from the field, including seven of 20 from beyond the arc, and overcame a 30-28 disadvantage on the glass. Robinson led six Indiana players in double figures with 18 points, five rebounds and five assists in the win.
The Fever comes into this game 11th in the league in scoring offense with 75.2 points per game. Indiana is seventh in the league in rebounding (34.8 boards per contest) and is 11th in the league in assists with an average of 16.6 dimes per game. The Fever are 10th in the league in scoring defense by allowing 84.3 points a night. Kelsey Mitchell is one of four players for the Fever averaging in double figures with 16.3 points a night. Teaira McCowan (11.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.3 blocks) and Danielle Robinson (10.3 points, 3.8 assists) are good secondary options. Tiffany Mitchell (11.6 points), Jantel Lavender, Bernadett Hatar, Victoria Vivians, Jessica Breland, Lindsey Allen, Kysre Gondrezick and Chelsey Perry are looked at to contribute for coach Marianne Stanley. Indiana is 10th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 41.5% as a team on the year. The Fever are 12th in threes per game (4.6) while standing 12th by hitting 27.7% of their long-range attempts. Indiana is 10th in free throw shooting as they sink 79.2% of their chances at the stripe this season. Hatar is out indefinitely with an ankle injury while Gondrezick is taking a personal leave and has no timetable for return. Perry (knee) also has been ruled out for the year. Lavender (ankle), Breland (personal) and Tiffany Mitchell (concussion) are each questionable for this contest.
Pick: Las Vegas Aces
Las Vegas is a dangerous offensive team, as the Fever saw in the first two meetings back in May. The Fever are extremely shorthanded with three players out and three others whose status are a question mark heading into the contest. While Indiana has won four of their previous six games coming into this one and are rested without having played a game in over a week, the fact remains that they have major issues on both ends of the floor. We saw Las Vegas bounce back from the loss to the Sun by rallying in the second half to down the Dream. Look for the Aces to earn the victory here as they take care of business with another solid showing.
Total: Over
When Las Vegas plays, high point totals tend to follow. Seven of the last 12 games for the Aces have wound up over the mark entering this contest. Las Vegas has seen the over hit in 15 of their 25 contests this season and we’ve seen them pile up at least 90 points in 14 games, though they’ve stayed under the mark in each of their last two contests. Meanwhile, Indiana has gone over the mark in each of their last two games, moving the over to 10-13 in the Fever’s 23 games this season. The over has hit in each of the last four meetings and is 6-3-1 in the last 10 matchups between the teams. Look for Las Vegas to pile things up offensively and put this one over the total.