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Aces and Liberty renew their rivalry in WNBA Semifinal matchup

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  • What: WNBA Playoff Semifinals
  • When: Sunday, September 29
  • Who:  Las Vegas Aces vs. New York Liberty
  • Time: 6:30 p.m. PST (Game 1)
  • Where: Barclays Center (Brooklyn, NY)

The 2024 WNBA Finals won’t feature a rematch, as the finalists from last season will meet in the semifinals. The Las Vegas Aces, aiming for a historic three-peat, will face the top-seeded New York Liberty.

The Liberty, with a 32-8 record, have been the team to beat in 2024, but the Aces, with a 27-13 record, have regained their championship form, winning nine of their last 10 games.

Las Vegas Aces

The key matchup to watch out for is the showdown between the two MVPs.

A’Ja Wilson, the star center for the Aces, secured her third MVP award this season. With her exceptional skills, the Liberty will have to strategize on how to contain her during this series. Throughout the postseason, Wilson has averaged 22.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks.

But Wilson isn’t the sole MVP in this faceoff. The Liberty’s forward, Breanna Stewart, has also clinched two MVP titles in 2018 and 2023.

Stewart has been a key player for the Liberty throughout the season, even though she has had a relatively quiet postseason, averaging only 16.5 points in two games.

The Liberty will rely on Stewart to deliver significant offensive and defensive contributions, especially after her struggles in last year’s 2023 finals against the Aces.

New York Liberty

This season, the Liberty have been playing with purpose, especially when facing their 2023 WNBA Finals opponent. They dominated the 2024 regular season series, winning all three games.

The first victory came in Las Vegas on June 15 with a score of 90-82, followed by another win in Las Vegas on Aug. 17 with a score of 79-67.

They sealed their dominance with a 75-71 home win on Sept. 8, which was the Aces’ only loss since Aug. 27.

Keep an eye on the matchup between Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu and Aces guard Kelsey Plum. Ionescu has been outstanding in the postseason, averaging 26.5 points and seven assists over two games.

She delivered a standout performance in the closeout game against Atlanta, scoring a career-high 36 points.

However, she will face a tough challenge against defensive specialist Chelsea Gray in the Aces backcourt.

The Liberty needs to be wary of Plum, who bounced back from a subpar Game 1 to score 29 points and grab six rebounds in the closeout game against Seattle.

With their championship experience, the Aces will pose a formidable challenge for the Liberty.

Aces-Liberty Series Best Bet

This is going to be a great series. These two teams matchup very well against each other. It’s very difficult to determine who will win this series. Both these teams are so evenly matched, ultimately I think the series will go five games.

Regardless of which team you like, you can get great odds on this series going five games, I’m seeing +150 out in the market. The series to go five games is the best bet.

However, if you want to take the Aces in five, the odds jump to +450, while the Liberty in five is +390.

Watch: Aces Move a Step Closer to Three-peat

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Tony Reyes is a sports betting analyst and reporter for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X @TonyParlay.

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