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Las Vegas Aces

Will the Aces bounce back in game 2 against the Liberty?

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What: WNBA Playoff Semifinal Game 2

  • When: Tuesday, October 1st
  • Who:  Las Vegas Aces vs. New York Liberty
  • Time: 4:30 p.m. PST
  • Where: Barclays Center (Brooklyn, NY)

The Liberty sent a strong message to the Aces by winning the series opener 87-77. This victory for New York reminded the Aces they haven’t forgotten last year’s WNBA Finals loss.

Las Vegas Aces

It was surprising to see Las Vegas being pulled into a fast-paced game against New York in Game 1. In the last 10 games of the regular season, the Aces displayed lockdown defense with a 94.3 Defensive Rating, their best performance during the entire season.

Additionally, during the first two playoff games, the Aces recorded an impressive 92.9 Defensive Rating, the best among all teams in the postseason.

On the offensive end, the Aces need to get A’ja Wilson going. Her scoring and ability to create open shots for her teammates are crucial to this Aces offense.

Wilson just won her third MVP and averaged 26.9 points this season. She also became the first player in league history to score at least 1,000 points in a single season.

In Sunday’s game Wilson struggled, she managed to only score 21 points and grab six rebounds as the Liberty put in a lot of effort to limit her performance.

That game one performance did not showcase the same offensive abilities Wilson displayed this season. I expect a much better performance from her today.

If the Aces drop Game 2, they will have to win three straight games against the Liberty, which they would prefer to avoid.

Given the stakes of this game, the Aces will need Wilson to step up and display her scoring dominance, especially after a lackluster performance in the first game.

New York Liberty

The Liberty’s offense does not have much room for improvement. They shot 50% from the floor in the first game. New York appears locked in on getting another chance at a WNBA championship.

They were more aggressive in the game, shooting 23 free throws compared to 15 for the Aces. They also attacked the boards, outrebounding the Aces 31-22. Breanna Stewart was in the zone, scoring 34 points on 12-19 shooting.

In addition to Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu played well with 21 points and a team-high 5 assists. The Liberty looked like the more prepared team in all aspects of the game. They even outscored the Aces 16 to 6 on fast-break points.

This game will be key to the series, because if the Liberty can go up 2-0 on the Aces, they will be in the drivers seat on returning to the WNBA Finals.

Can the Liberty maintain that same intensity for two games in a row?

Liberty-Aces Best Bet

This series feels like it’s going to be a 5-game series. I don’t expect either team to let up and I don’t know which team will be able to win two in a row to advance.

I imagine it’s going to be very difficult for the Liberty to win any games in Las Vegas. Even though I expect the Aces to win this matchup and even the series up, I’m not advising to take them on the moneyline.

Instead I’m targeting a player prop. A’ja Wilson points total is sitting at 23.5 points and that feels like a mistake by the oddsmakers.

Wilson averaged nearly 27 points a game this season and is due for a strong comeback performance. The best bet in this one is Over 23.5 points for A’ja Wilson at -110 odds.

Aces vs. Liberty: Lisa Leslie’s Take on the Championship Showdown

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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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