Las Vegas Aces vs. Minnesota Lynx Prediction, Preview and Odds - 6/25/21
A pair of Western Conference foes are on the parquet floor in WNBA action in the Twin Cities. The Las Vegas Aces are on the road as they make the trip to face the Minnesota Lynx Friday night. Las Vegas comes in off a 103-76 whipping of New York at home to cap a two-game sweep last Thursday in their previous contest. Minnesota edged Atlanta 87-85 on the road Wednesday night in their most recent game. The Aces won both meetings last season in the bubble, including a 104-89 victory as the “road” team in the most recent meeting on September 10, 2020. That gave Las Vegas four wins in the last five meetings between the teams.
Las Vegas Aces Seeking to Stay Hot
Las Vegas rolled over New York in back-to-back games to run their win streak to five heading into this game. The Aces improved to 10-3 on the season and held the second seed in the WNBA playoff picture entering Thursday, one game behind the league-leading Storm. Las Vegas trailed by four in the opening stanza against the Liberty before closing the quarter on an 11-0 run to take a seven-point lead after one. The Aces never saw their lead trimmed below five after that, taking a 21-point edge at the half and cruising the rest of the way. Las Vegas shot 44.2% from the field, including 11 of 23 from three-point range, and dominated the boards by a 52-36 margin. Kelsey Plum led six Aces in double figures with 18 points in the win.
The Aces come into this contest at the top of the pack in scoring offense, ranking first with 91.2 points per game. Las Vegas is 2nd in the league in rebounding (37.5 boards a game) and stand second in the league in assists by handing out 21 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 79.5 points a game. A’ja Wilson leads the Aces with 18.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Liz Cambage (15 points, 8.5 rebounds, two blocks), Jackie Young (13.2 points, 4.2 rebounds) and Kelsey Plum (12.9 points) are all solid secondary options on the offensive end. Coach Bill Laimbeer also can call on Chelsea Gray (11.8 points, 6.4 assists), Dearica Hamby (11.6 points, 6.3 boards), Riquna Williams (9.5 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 48.1% from the field as a team this season. The Aces are 11th in the league in threes per game (5.1) and fourth in three-point shooting at 36.3% on the year. Las Vegas is currently third in free throw shooting at 83.8% on the season.
Minnesota Lynx Hoping to Earn Home Victory
Minnesota rallied from a big first-half hole to stun the Dream on the road in their previous contest. The Lynx improved to 6-7 on the season and entered Thursday holding the final playoff spot by half a game over the Wings and Sparks. Against Atlanta, Minnesota led by five in the first quarter before giving up an 18-0 run that left them down 26-13. The Lynx were down 12 after the opening quarter and trailed by 18 midway through the second quarter before getting things going. Minnesota cut the deficit to six at the half and trailed by eight after three quarters. The deficit was nine with 8:47 to play but the Lynx outscored the Dream 17-6 the rest of the way to earn the win. Kayla McBride hit the winning bucket with 1:10 to play and neither side scored after that. Minnesota shot 52.3% from the field, including seven of 24 from three-point range, and won the rebounding battle 35-27. Sylvia Fowles led the Lynx with 26 points, 19 rebounds and five blocks in the win.
On the season, the Lynx are 6th in the league in scoring offense with an average of 81.8 points per game. Minnesota is 9th in rebounding as they collect 34.5 boards a night while the team is fifth in assists by dishing 19.8 dimes a night. The Lynx are ninth in the league in scoring defense as they give up an average of 83 points per contest this season. Sylvia Fowles is second on the team with 16.4 points plus 9.6 rebounds per contest. Kayla McBride (12.6 points), Crystal Dangerfield (10.5 points, 3.9 assists) and Aerial Powers (10 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists) are solid secondary scoring options. Damiris Dantas, Napheesa Collier (17.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists), Jessica Shepard, Layshia Clarendon (7.6 points, 5.2 assists), Bridget Carleton, Rachael Banham, Natalie Achonwa and Linnae Harper are looked at to be contributors for coach Cheryl Reeve. Minnesota stands third in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 44% from the field as a team this year. The Lynx are tied for 6th in the league in three-pointers per game (7.3) and 8th in three-point shooting as they hit 33.7% of their attempts from beyond the arc. Minnesota is 6th in the league in free-throw shooting as they hit 81.3% of their attempts at the charity stripe. Powers is out eight to 10 weeks after undergoing thumb surgery on June 18 for a torn UCL. Shepard (groin) is questionable here while Achonwa (knee) and Rennia Davis (foot) are out indefinitely at this point in time.
Pick: Las Vegas Aces
Las Vegas has won five straight games and they are coming off a pair of demolitions of the Liberty at home. While the Aces are on the road for this contest, they also are rested, having not played in eight days. Perhaps more importantly, Las Vegas is healthy, which is something that you can’t say for the Lynx right now. Minnesota had to expend a ton of energy to rally back against the Dream Wednesday night and you have to be concerned about how the Lynx’s defense will hold up against the Las Vegas attack. With the way the Aces are clicking right now, it’s hard to go against them: look for Las Vegas to run their win streak to six.
Total: Over
Las Vegas flexed their offensive muscle against the Liberty in both games as they hit the century mark for the third and fourth times this season. The Aces have scored at least 90 points eight times in their first 13 games and the only team to keep them below 83 points this season was the Sun, who held them to 65 and 67 points in two meetings. On the season, Minnesota has seen the over hit in eight of their 13 games, including six of their last eight contests. We saw the Lynx surrender 87 and 104 points in the two meetings last season. Each of the last three meetings between the teams has ended up over the total and this one follows suit.
