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Can the Aces avoid being swept by the Liberty?

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  • What: WNBA Semifinal Playoff Game
  • When: Friday, October 4th
  • Who: New York Liberty vs. Las Vegas Aces
  • Time: 6:30 p.m. PST
  • Where: Michelob Ultra Arena (Las Vegas, NV)

The Las Vegas Aces host the New York Liberty in the third game of the WNBA semifinals, with their playoff lives on the line.

The Liberty have not lost to the Aces all season, going 5-0 in their matchups against them. The closeout game of any series is always the most difficult one to win.

New York

The Liberty have played tremendously well all playoffs and have been able to run their offense to perfection in the first two games of this series. They are playing like a team with revenge on their mind after falling to the Aces in last year’s WNBA Finals.

Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu have taken turns leading the Liberty in scoring in these playoffs. Ionescu has saved her best basketball this season for the playoffs. She’s been a long-range threat, making at least three three-pointers in every playoff game this season.

New York’s offense has scored with ease in every playoff game this season. They’ve gotten open shots, as evidenced by their league-leading ten made threes a game.

Everything seems to be clicking on the offensive end at the right time, but when Stewart or Ionescu weren’t able to score, they had Courtney Vandersloot come off the bench and score 12 points.

On the defensive end they’ve been able to limit both A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum. Jonquel Jones and Stewart has been making life very difficult in the paint for Wilson.

Plum had one of her worst games of the season in the second game of the series, with a deflected inbound pass causing a turnover in the final seconds when they were trailing by two points.

Las Vegas

It’s do-or-die time for the Aces. Head Coach Becky Hammon was very upset at the way the last game ended. The Aces were able to match the pace of the game the Liberty played with but were unable to finish with the win.

Las Vegas has played much better at home against New York winning seven of the last ten matchups. The Aces offense was electric during the regular season averaging a league-high 86.4 points per game. However, in the playoffs it’s dropped to about 80 points per game.

A’ja Wilson was the best player in the league this season, but has not been playing like it during these playoffs. Her scoring has dropped from 27 to 23 points a game.

The Aces must find a way to get her the ball in spots she can score from easier. The Liberty have limited her in the paint and the rest of the team has not been able to step up and score when needed.

The Aces are trying to accomplish something no team in WNBA history has done in overcoming an 0-2 series deficit. Teams are 18-0 when they have a 2-0 series lead.

It’s difficult to imagine the Aces getting swept in this situation, but the Liberty have had their number this season.

Liberty-Aces Best Bet

The Aces were outplayed by the Liberty in both of the first two games of this series. However, I think they will bounce back tonight. Role players typically play better at home, and I’m betting on the Aces bench to step up and make the difference tonight.

The Liberty are their rival and I would be shocked if they were swept tonight. The Aces are favored on the moneyline with a price of -160.

The spread is Aces-3 and I’d rather lay the juice on the moneyline than risk the spread because I have a feeling this one is going to come down to the wire.

The best bet in this one is Aces moneyline.

Can the Sun take the series lead against the Lynx in game 3?

Welcome to Dice City Sports — where we provide premium, exclusive, up-to-date news and analysis surrounding the Las Vegas sports scene. Follow along on social media, and check back for new articles daily!

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

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