Seattle Storm vs. Las Vegas Aces Prediction, Preview and Odds - 6/27/21
It’s a matchup of the top two teams in the league in WNBA action from the city that never sleeps. The Seattle Storm are on the road as they travel to face the Las Vegas Aces Sunday afternoon. Seattle was edged 87-83 at home by Washington in their previous contest Tuesday night. Las Vegas was edged 90-89 in overtime on the road Thursday night in their most recent game. The teams split two meetings this season with Seattle winning 97-83 on May 15 before Las Vegas answered with a 96-80 victory on May 18. Both games took place in Seattle. The teams have split their last 10 meetings entering this game.
Seattle Storm Hoping to Maintain Perfect Road Record
Seattle saw their five-game win streak snapped as they were knocked off at home by Washington in their last contest. The Storm fell to 12-3 on the season and held a 1.5-game lead over the Aces for the top spot in the WNBA playoff picture. Seattle trailed by three after the opening quarter and were down as many as 15 in the second quarter before cutting the deficit to seven at the half. The Storm cut the deficit to three after three quarters and held a 78-77 lead with 4:05 to play before giving up an 8-0 run to fall behind 85-78 with 1:39 to go. Seattle couldn’t get closer than two the rest of the way and went down in defeat. The Storm shot 45.1% from the field, including eight of 19 from three-point range, and were edged 39-36 on the glass. Jewell Loyd led Seattle with 23 points and nine assists in the loss.
The Storm comes into this contest second in the league in scoring offense with an average of 87.9 points per game. Seattle is fourth in rebounding (36.6 boards per contest) and is first in the league in assists by dishing out 23 dimes per night this year. The Storm are 4th in scoring defense as they allow 79.6 points a game so far this year. Breanna Stewart leads the team with 20.9 points and 10 rebounds per contest. Jewell Loyd (19.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists) and Sue Bird (11.1 points, 6.1 assists) are solid secondary options. Coach Noelle Quinn has a solid group to work with as her team can get production from Katie Lou Samuelson, Jordin Canada, Candice Dupree, Ezi Magbegor, Stephanie Talbot, Kennedy Burke, Epiphanny Prince and Kiana Williams. The Storm are second in the league in field goal percentage as they convert 46.2% of their shots from the floor this year. Seattle is third in the league in three-point field goals made per game (9.2) and first in three-point percentage as they knock down 40% percent from beyond the arc. The Storm are average at the line, ranking sixth in the league by converting 81.5% of their chances. Mikiah Herbert Harrington is out for the year as she is pregnant.
Las Vegas Aces Try to Tighten Up Race for Top Spot
Las Vegas had won five straight and eight of nine before falling on the road to Minnesota Thursday night in their last contest. The Aces dropped to 10-4 on the season and entered Saturday second in the WNBA playoff picture, 1.5 games behind the Storm for the top spot. Las Vegas was even after one quarter, led by four at the half, trailed by six after three quarters and trailed by 10 with 4:59 to play before closing regulation on a 13-3 run. In the extra session, the Aces last led at 87-86 with 2:19 to play before giving up four unanswered points. Las Vegas cut the deficit to one with 1:06 to play but neither side scored the rest of the way. The Aces shot 38.5% from the field, including four of 11 from three-point range, and won the rebounding battle 44-38 only to fall short. A’ja Wilson led Las Vegas with 28 points, 14 rebounds and four steals in the loss.
The Aces come into this contest at the top of the pack in scoring offense, ranking first with 91 points per game. Las Vegas is 1st in the league in rebounding (37.9 boards a game) and stand second in the league in assists by handing out 20.9 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 80.2 points a game. A’ja Wilson leads the Aces with 19.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Liz Cambage (15.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.9 blocks), Jackie Young (12.6 points, 3.9 rebounds) and Kelsey Plum (13.1 points) are all solid secondary options on the offensive end. Coach Bill Laimbeer also can call on Chelsea Gray (11.4 points, 6.4 assists), Dearica Hamby (11.7 points, 6.1 boards), Riquna Williams (nine 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 47.3% from the field as a team this season. The Aces are 11th in the league in threes per game (five) and third in three-point shooting at 36.3% on the year. Las Vegas is currently fourth in free throw shooting at 83.5% on the season.
Pick: Las Vegas Aces
This one is going to be a slugfest as Seattle is unbeaten on the road this season while Las Vegas is 6-1 at home on the year. These are the top two teams in the league and both have very deep rotations to work with in the scoring department. Las Vegas leads the league in scoring and rebounding, led by the 1-2 punch of Wilson and Cambage in the low block. Seattle has the perimeter shooting advantage, led by Stewart, Loyd and Bird. We saw the teams split two meetings in Seattle earlier this season. In this one, you have to give the slightest of edges to the Aces as the home court advantage pays dividends.
Total: Over
Seattle is the second-highest scoring team in the league this season behind only Las Vegas, a major reason they have won 12 of their 15 games. With that said, the Storm have been under machines of late as they have stayed under the mark in eight of their last 10 games after going over in each of their first five. 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 before posting 89 in the loss to the Lynx. The Aces have scored at least 90 points eight times in their first 14 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. We saw the teams go over the mark in both meetings earlier this season and five of the last six matchups overall. Look for Las Vegas to push the tempo and help this one over the total.
