Dallas Wings vs. Las Vegas Aces Preview, Prediction and Odds - 6/13/21
A pair of Western Conference teams take the floor in the Silver State in a WNBA matchup. The Dallas Wings are on the road as they make the trip to face the Las Vegas Aces Sunday evening. Dallas closed a two-game road set with the Mercury in the Valley of the Sun Friday night, sweeping the series by picking up a 77-59 victory. Las Vegas knocked off Washington 96-93 on the road in their most recent game last Saturday. The Aces have won the last five meetings between the teams, including both contests in the bubble last season. That includes a 96-92 win as the “road” team in the most recent meeting on August 25, 2020.
Dallas Wings Close Out Five-Game Road Swing
Dallas earned their third straight win and their fourth in the last five games as they shut down the Mercury en route to a two-game sweep. The Wings improved to 5-5 on the season and entered Saturday holding the fifth seed in the WNBA playoff picture. Against Phoenix, Dallas never trailed Friday night as they jumped to a 23-12 lead after the opening quarter. The Wings saw the lead trimmed to three with 1:23 to play in the first half before reeling off a 12-0 run that spanned both halves to go up 48-33 with 7:55 to play in the third quarter. Dallas didn’t let Phoenix closer than nine the rest of the way. The Wings shot 41.7% from the field, including six of 22 from three-point range, and held a 40-29 advantage on the boards. Arike Ogunbowale led Dallas with 20 points in the victory.
The Wings come into this one third in the league in scoring with 86.3 points per game this season. Dallas is first in rebounding (39.5 boards per contest) but rank 9th in the league in assists with 18.3 per game. The Wings are struggling defensively, ranking 9th by allowing 83 points per contest. Allisha Gray is one of five players averaging in double figures as she puts up 11.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game on the year. Arike Ogunbowale (21.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists), Marina Mabrey (17.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists), Isabelle Harrison (eight points, 6.6 rebounds) and Kayla Thornton (10 points, seven rebounds) are all capable scoring options as well. Charli Collier, Tyasha Harris, Chelsea Dungee, Awak Kuier, Moriah Jefferson, Satou Sabally (12 points, 6.8 boards), Dana Evans, Kristine Anigwe and Bella Alarie all can be looked to for minutes for coach Brian Agler. The Wings are seventh in the league in field goal percentage as they hit 42.6% as a team. Dallas is fourth in three-pointers per game (8.6) and stand fourth in the league in three-point shooting as they hit 35.4% from long range. The Wings are fifth in free throw shooting as they convert 81.7% of their chances at the stripe.
Las Vegas Aces Seeking Third Straight Win
Las Vegas earned their second straight win and their fifth in the last six games as they took down Washington on the road in their previous game last Saturday. The Aces enter this one 7-3 on the year and went into Saturday holding the third seed in the WNBA playoff picture. Against Washington, Las Vegas trailed by five after the opening quarter and they were down 11 with 6:17 to play in the first half before regrouping. The Aces cut the deficit to one at the half, took a three-point lead after three quarters and opened the fourth quarter with a 12-2 run to take a 90-77 edge with 4:11 to play. Las Vegas gave up a 13-0 run to tie the game at 90 with one minute to play before A’ja Wilson gave the Aces the lead for good with 41.2 seconds to play. The Aces shot 43.4% from the field, including six of 16 from three-point range, hit 24 of 27 free throws and won the rebounding battle 44-35. Liz Cambage led Las Vegas with 24 points and 11 rebounds in the victory.
The Aces come into this contest at the top of the pack in scoring offense, ranking first with 89.7 points per game. Las Vegas is 6th in the league in rebounding (35.8 boards a game) and stand tied for third in the league in assists by handing out 20.5 dimes per contest. The Aces have been solid on the defensive end of the floor as they are 4th in the league in scoring defense by allowing 80.1 points a game. A’ja Wilson leads the Aces with 18.6 points, eight rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Liz Cambage (15.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.2 blocks), Jackie Young (14.7 points, 4.4 rebounds) and Kelsey Plum (6.8 points) are all solid secondary options on the offensive end. Coach Bill Laimbeer also can call on Chelsea Gray (12.2 points, 6.8 assists), Dearica Hamby (11.9 points, 5.6 boards), Riquna Williams (9.9 points), Ji-Su Park, Emma Cannon 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 47.9% from the field as a team this season. The Aces are 12th in the league in threes per game (4.6) and sixth in three-point shooting at 34.3% on the year. Las Vegas is currently third in free throw shooting at 83.9% on the season.
Pick: Las Vegas Aces -8
Dallas is closing out a five-game road swing here and that means that fatigue could take a bit of a toll on them here. The Wings have had issues on the defensive end of the floor and that’s not a good thing when you’re facing a Las Vegas team that is at full strength, not to mention well rested, heading into this contest. Las Vegas has momentum with five wins in their last six games and they are 3-1 at home while outscoring their opponents by an average of 20 points per game in those contests. The Aces have too much firepower for the Wings to handle, especially with the difference in defensive performances for both sides. Give Las Vegas the upper hand in this contest.
Total: Over 171
This one has track meet written all over it. Dallas is third in the league in scoring offense while the Aces lead the league in that category entering Thursday’s action. The potential for big offensive numbers are all over the place as both teams have a variety of weapons that can do damage on any given night. Dallas has seen the over go 4-5-1 though they could have easily avoided that push against the Mercury Wednesday had the teams not missed seven free throws or had Phoenix not missed 20 of their 25 three-point attempts. Las Vegas has seen the over hit in six of their 10 matchups this season and they pile up an average of 94 points per game on their home floor. This one winds up over the number in an up-and-down affair.
