Seattle Storm vs Las Vegas Aces Prediction, Picks, and Odds: Vegas Pounces on Early Lead

This season has gone in opposite directions for the Seattle Storm and Las Vegas Aces, but their matchup tonight means a showdown between two of the WNBA’s premier scorers — Jewell Loyd and A’Ja Wilson.

Loyd led the way with 25 points and seven assists in the Storm’s gritty 72-61 win over the L.A. Sparks on Thursday night, passing 800 points for the year as Seattle ended a three-game skid.

But the Aces have been an unsolvable opponent for the Storm this year, winning all three meetings. Las Vegas saw off a stubborn Washington Mystics team on Thursday to rebound from back-to-back losses, with Wilson pouring in 26 points.

WNBA odds love Vegas' chances in this matchup, and frankly, so do my WNBA picks and predictions for this Storm vs. Aces contest.

Storm vs Aces best odds

Storm vs Aces picks and predictions

The Las Vegas Aces haven’t been world breakers over the past few weeks — 4-4 over their past eight games — but an 18.5-point line reflects the talent gap here. Even without Candace Parker, the hosts have a quartet of capable scorers, an offense that’s averaging 92 points a game, and real urgency to hang onto the No. 1 seed.

The hosts’ victory over the Mystics this week featured some nervy moments but relieved some pressure that was building after some tired performances. Wilson’s dominant night, a 21-point effort from Chelsea Gray, and a solid contribution off the bench from Alysha Clark were good signs, and Kelsey Plum took on more of a playmaking role with 10 assists.

Now Las Vegas gets another home date against the Seattle Storm, a team it's run off the court three times already this year. On paper, this feels like a major mismatch — and I expect that to translate to a lopsided contest... especially as the Storm had allowed at least 90 points in each of their three games prior to locking down the Sparks.

The Aces are a godly 17-1 at Michelob ULTRA Arena and they’ve won their three outings against Seattle by a combined score of 280-190. A 16-point, 79-63 scoreline in July was Las Vegas’ smallest margin of victory in the season series.

Picking the monster spread for tonight’s game feels a little shaky with the potential for a blowout and major bench minutes, so I’m leaning toward the half-time spread and an early avalanche from the Las Vegas shooters.

My best bet: Aces -9.5 first half (-110 at bet365)

Storm vs Aces spread and Over/Under analysis

Predictably, the visitors are massive underdogs tonight, but Seattle has fared well on the road this season, with seven of its 11 wins coming away from Climate Pledge Arena. Though it’s hard to see a path to a tight game tonight, the visitors can count on Loyd and secondary scoring from Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb.

Keep in mind too that the Aces haven’t covered the spread in any of their last six games — part of the reason why I prefer the first-half spread for Las Vegas. Even if the hosts haven’t looked quite as unstoppable lately, Becky Hammon’s team is still 7-3 in its last 10 contests and has had no problems in disposing Seattle this year.

While the Over is 8-1 in the Storm’s last nine Saturday games, I prefer the trends for the Under, given that only the Phoenix Mercury are averaging fewer points per game than Seattle.

The Under is 5-1 in the Storm’s last six games after an ATS win and has hit in Las Vegas’ past five home games. The teams’ last two meetings have fallen well short of tonight’s line of 169 total points, and Seattle was held to 39% shooting in the most recent matchup.

It’s also worth noting that Loyd has struggled to break through against this Aces' D. The WNBA’s scoring leader has made just 17 of her 56 shots against Las Vegas this year, and I predict a similar swarming game plan from the hosts here. Why fix what's not broken?

Storm vs Aces betting trend to know

The Storm have frequently followed up good performances with lower-scoring outings — the Under is 5-1 in the visitors’ last six outings after a win. Find more WNBA betting trends for Storm vs. Aces.

Storm vs Aces game info

Storm vs Aces key injuries

Storm: Gabby Williams F (Out).
Aces: Candace Parker F (Out), Riquna Williams G (Out – Suspended).
Find our latest WNBA injury reports.

Stay updated with the latest picks, odds, and news! Tap the to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

Pages related to this topic