Category: Las Vegas Aces

Aces vs. Sparks Prediction, Odds and Key Players for WNBA Commissioner's Cup
9 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Aces vs. Sparks Prediction, Odds and Key Players for WNBA Commissioner’s Cup

The Las Vegas Aces are off to a slow start this season – by their standards – going 5-3 through their first eight games. 

Last season, the Aces only lost six regular season games the whole year, so they’re certainly behind that pace heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks.

The Sparks are massive underdogs in this game, but they did pick up their third win of the season on Friday against Dallas. Dearica Hamby has played at an All-Star level for a Sparks team that is rebuilding around rookie Rickea Jackson and No. 2 overall pick Cameron Brink. 

The Aces are down two key players – Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray – in this matchup. Does that give the Sparks a chance at an upset?

Here’s a look at the latest odds and my best bet for this Sunday night matchup: 

Spread

Moneyline

Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Aces Injury Report

Sparks Injury Report

Las Vegas Aces

A’ja Wilson: A’ja Wilson is off to an incredible start this season, averaging 28.0 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.6 blocks per game for the Aces. Wilson has scored 28 or more points in five straight games and at least 21 in every game this season. She’ll need to do even more with Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray out on Sunday

Los Angeles Sparks

Dearica Hamby: A former Aces player, Hamby has been dominant for the Sparks in 2024, averaging 20.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. Hamby is coming off a 22-point showing in a win over the Dallas Wings on Friday night. Watching her and Wilson battle in the paint should be fun. 

Call me crazy, but I’m going to take the points in this game and bet on Los Angeles.

The Sparks have struggled so far this season, but they are coming off an impressive home win – their first time covering at home this season – and have the size down low to at least make things tough on Wilson at the basket.

Usually, this Aces team would be an auto bet at this number, but they’re missing nearly 40 points per game with Young and Gray out.

Maybe a veteran like the newly acquired Tiffany Hayes can step up, but she shot just 1-for-8 in the loss to Seattle on Friday.

In that game, the Aces scored just 65 points and 47 of them came from Wilson and Kelsey Plum. That was with Young playing 28 minutes as well. 

I am just not sold on the Aces getting enough production from their bench and role players to win this game in a massive blowout. 

Pick: Sparks +10.5 (-108)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Find Peter Dewey's betting record here You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

A'ja Wilson, Cameron Brink, Chelsea Gray, Dearica Hamby, Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces, Los Angeles Sparks
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Peter's Points: WNBA Best Bets Today (Predictions, Prop Bets for Sabrina Ionescu, Mercury-Wings)
9 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

Peter’s Points: WNBA Best Bets Today (Predictions, Prop Bets for Sabrina Ionescu, Mercury-Wings)

Sunday brings a loaded WNBA slate of Commissioner’s Cup games before Game 2 of the NBA Finals tips off, giving us a chance to watch basketball all day long.

It doesn’t get much better than that, does it?

The Washington Mystics and New York Liberty kick off the action on Sunday after 3 p.m. EST, but that’s not the only game I’m betting on today.

There are two player props that I’m targeting for some veteran players, as well as a moneyline pick in the Dallas Wings-Phoenix Mercury matchup with Brittney Griner and Rebecca Allen back for the Mercury. 

Let’s break down each of these picks for a basketball-filled close to the weekend: 

Find Peter Dewey's WNBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Phoenix Mercury Moneyline (-120) vs. Dallas Wings

The Wings have dropped four games in a row, and they lack the offensive firepower after Arike Ogunbowale to compete with a fully healthy Mercury team in my eyes. 

Satou Sabally and Natasha Howard being out has forced several Wings players to step up into bigger roles than they’d usually have. 

Even though Ogunbowale is scoring the ball at a high rate, she’s not shooting it efficiently, and neither are the Wings as a whole. They rank eighth in the league in effective field goal percentage, and that’s not the worst part of their advanced numbers in 2024. 

Dallas is also 10th in the league in defensive rating, which is a major concern given the weapons (Griner, Diana Taurasi, Kahleah Copper) that the Mercury have on offense. 

Now, I don’t want to act like Phoenix has been elite this season. It actually ranks 11th in defensive rating and 10th in net rating in 2024, but we have to remember that two starters were out for the first 10 games of the season.

The first game they came back? 

Phoenix promptly beat the best team in the Western Conference right now as a 5.5-point underdog. 

The Mercury have some big wins (over Minnesota and Las Vegas) and their defense should improve with Griner protecting the rim. Before Phoenix was running an extremely small four-guard lineup. 

I think this is a buy low spot on the Mercury before oddsmakers realize how deadly this team can be at full strength. 

Sabrina Ionescu OVER 18.5 Points (-105) – 0.5 unit

Sabrina Ionescu has been on fire as of late, scoring 22 or more points in four of her last six games, pushing her season-long scoring average to 17.8 points per game.

After a slow shooting start to the season, we’re starting to see what the two-time All-Star is truly capable of, and she’s coming off a huge 24-point game in a win over the Connecticut Sun on Saturday.

With Courtney Vandersloot (personal) likely out of the lineup for the second straight game on Sunday, Ionescu should play pretty heavy minutes against the Washington Mystics, who rank ninth in the league in defensive rating this season. 

Plus, Sloot usually initiates a ton of offense, so it’s likely that Ionescu will have the ball in her hands even more than usual in this game. Despite a poor 4-for-12 shooting game against the Mystics earlier this season, Ionescu is one of my favorite targets on Sunday. 

Nneka Ogwumike OVER 16.5 Points (-110) – 0.5 unit

For the third time this season, Nneka Ogwumike and the Seattle Storm will match up with the Minnesota Lynx, and Ogwumike has dominated this matchup in 2024.

The veteran forward had 20 points on 10-of-18 shooting in the season opener before dropping 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting in the next matchup. On the season, Ogwumike is averaging 17.7 points per game, clearing 16.5 points in five of her seven appearances. 

She’s seen her scoring drop in her last three games (10, 17 and 12 points), but Ogwumike has still attempted double-digit shots in all but one game. 

Given her success against Minnesota this season, I’ll buy low on this prop at 16.5 after it was nearing 20.5 earlier in the season.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Dallas Wings, Indiana Fever, Las Vegas Aces, Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Nneka Ogwumike, Phoenix Mercury, Sabrina Ionescu, Seattle Storm, Washington Mystics, WNBA
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LeBron James Had Three-Word Message For A’ja Wilson After Aces Star Made WNBA History
6 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

LeBron James Had Three-Word Message For A’ja Wilson After Aces Star Made WNBA History

Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson put on a show in Wednesday’s 95-81 road win over the Dallas Wings that dazzled everyone from the average WNBA fan to Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.

Wilson finished with 36.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 6.0 steals in the win to become the first player in WNBA history to record at least 35.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 5.0 steals in a game. The 27-year-old center is also the first player to drop 35.0 points and 5.0 steals in multiple games.

A day after the Aces’ win, LeBron James posted a three-word message congratulating Wilson on her latest feat.

James wrote on X, “THE ABSOLUTE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!”

Wilson, a two-time league MVP in 2020 and '22, is averaging 27.9 points and a league-leading 12.4 rebounds per game in seven appearances this season, also a WNBA first. Wilson and the Aces (5-2) are chasing a third-straight WNBA championship to become the second franchise in history to win the league three seasons in a row.

A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces, LeBron James, WNBA
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WNBA Fans Couldn’t Stop Laughing After Aces Left Kate Martin Behind on Team Bus
5 Jun 24 Jimm Sallivan

WNBA Fans Couldn’t Stop Laughing After Aces Left Kate Martin Behind on Team Bus

Does the WNBA hate rookies? An anonymous poll on X may tell one controversial story, but a recent video shared by Las Vegas Aces players tells a very different one. 

Aces’ A’ja Wilson and Emma Cannon posted to their Instagram Stories on Tuesday evening showing the team bus pulling out of a restaurant parking lot.

Both of their Instagram videos featured a small blonde-haired figure in the distance running toward the bus, desperately trying to catch up and wave her teammates down. That figure turned out to be rookie Kate Martin, who was nearly left behind in the parking lot as part of a hilarious team prank.

“Don’t be late to the bus,” Wilson captioned her video. 

“Hurry up @katemartin the bus leaving!!” Cannon wrote in hers.

WNBA fans will remember the wholesome moment captured between Martin and the Aces when the former Hawkeyes guard was gifted a Hello Kitty backpack during her rookie initiation earlier in the season. 

This team bus prank was just pure comedy.

The Aces (4-2) will play the Dallas Wings on the road on Wednesday. Kate Martin is averaging 5.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in five appearances this season.

Aces, Kate Martin, Las Vegas Aces
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