Las Vegas Aces vs New York Liberty game 2 prediction and odds: 2023 WNBA Finals

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The 2023 WNBA Finals began on Sunday with an expectedly tense battle in game 1 between the two top teams in the league. The defending champions Las Vegas Aces eventually found a way to take a 1-0 lead over the contenders New York Liberty. The teams are now about to do it all over again in the Nevada desert in game 2 before they fly across the country to the Big Apple. Here are our Aces vs Liberty predictions for game 2.

Las Vegas Aces vs New York Liberty – game predictions

It was a tense battle for three quarters in game 1 before the Aces took over. We expect to see more of the same with Liberty also playing with an extra edge as they try to avoid a 0-2 hole.

Prediction 1: Kelsey Plum under 19.5 points @ -135 (1.74)  

Kelsey Plum had an explosion in game 1 of the Finals. Her 26 points were largely why the Aces won. Plum benefited from the fact that she was the one left unguarded as the Liberty were double-teaming A’ja Wilson. This was way above Plum’s average though. She’s scoring only 17.7 points per game in the postseason. Her average for the regular season was 18.7. To expect her to go in back-to-back Finals matches over 20 points seems unrealistic for us and that’s why we think she will stay below her under in game 2.

Prediction 2: Breanna Stewart over 8.5 rebounds @ -130 (1.77)

With our next Aces vs Liberty prediction we focus on the freshly crowned 2023 MVP Breanna Stewart. The Liberty’s big is involved in a thrilling battle with A’ja Wilson in these finals. Breanna still posted 21 points and 9 rebounds in game 1.

Stewart is averaging 9.0 rebounds per game this postseason and in all of her last 4 playoff matches, she had 9 or more boards. We back her to continue the trend with another solid rebounding display in game 2. She seems to be dominating on the defensive glass against Wilson.

These odds were correct at the time of writing.

Aces vs Liberty preview – will Breanna lead a better charge in the Nevada desert this time?

This Fi

Las Vegas Aces news, injuries, and starting lineups

The Aces trailed 46-49 at halftime in game 1 and only a vastly improved second half helped them to claim the 99-82 win. For the best part of 3 quarters, the game was hanging on a knife edge before the Plum-Young duo took over for the Aces in the final period which they won 27-17.

Young ended up leading all scorers with 26 points. Plum finished with 25. Can the two talented guards do it again in game 2 as the Liberty continue to do a good job at defending A’ja Wilson and last season’s Finals MVP Chelsea Gray?

Aces Injury Report:

N/A

Aces Starting Lineup:

Kelsey Plum, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, A’ja Wilson, Alysha Clark

New York Liberty news, injuries, and starting lineups

New York Liberty played well for about three quarters in game 1 but eventually, their inability to score from distance proved costly. Liberty lost 82-99 largely due to the fact that they shot only 31.0% as a team from beyond the arc.

Defensively they dominated in the first half but then allowed Young and Plum to get way too hot. Neutralising all of the Aces was always going to be an impossible task but trying to limit that to only one of them getting hot is the goal ahead of game 2.

Defensive adjustments can be expected as Liberty try to improve their shooting percentage too.

Liberty Injury Report:

Han Xu (C) – out

Liberty Starting Lineup:

Courtney Vandersloot, Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, Betnijah Laney, Jonquel Jones

Aces vs Liberty head-to-head record in 2023

Las Vegas Aces vs New York Liberty game details

• Date & Time: Wednesday, October 11/12(UK), 2023, 02:00 a.m. GMT / 09:00 p.m. ET
• Venue: Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
• Where to watch the match: Sky Sports Arena (UK/Ireland), ESPN (USA), Hulu TV, fuboTV, or the WNBA App/League Pass

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