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The defending WNBA champions Las Vegas Aces began their WNBA semifinal against the 4th seed Dallas Wings with a decisive 97-83 home win. The Aces were hugely dominant inside the paint and this is what gave them the win. Can the Wings do better in game 2? Will the Aces continue to be unplayable at home? Below you can find our Aces vs Wings game 2 predictions and the latest team news.
Las Vegas Aces vs Dallas Wings – game predictions
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The Aces look simply unstoppable at home right now. They are 21-1 in Las Vegas for the season and the defending champions seem to be only getting better with each passing match. The Wings are yet to give up though and they are probably the only team in the league with enough size to trouble the Aces inside the paint. The big question is can they do it?
Prediction 1: Las Vegas Aces under 93.5 total points @ -125 (4/5)
The Aces were steaming hot in game 1 inside the paint. A’ja Wilson dominated however she wanted. However, the Wings have the size and ability to defend much better in their painted area and we expect them to make positive defensive adjustments for game 2. This is why we don’t think the Aces will be scoring the basket so easily and as a result, we don’t think they will go over 93 points. Their average for the season is 92.8 points per game anyway so they are not that prolific in scoring more than 93 points as it is.
Prediction 2: Under 175.5 total points @ -125 (4/5)
If we don’t think the Aces will go over their point spread we also don’t think the total points in game 2 will exceed 175. There were 180 points in game 1 of this semifinal but as we said above we expect both sides to make defensive adjustments. This will make it a more interesting contest but one with fewer points.
The Wings ranked third in defensive efficiency during the regular season. The Aces were first. Both teams know how to protect their rim and we expect game 2 to produce fewer points.
These odds were correct at the time of writing.
Aces vs Wings preview – who can stop A’ja?
Can the Aces win even if Wilson is slowed down? Will the Wings improve their shooting percentage against the best transition team in the league?
Las Vegas Aces news, injuries, and starting lineups
The Aces obliterated the Wings in game 1 inside the painted area. The frontrunner for MVP A’ja Wilson scored 34 points without even taking a shot from beyond the arc. She shot 15 of 21 from inside and was simply allowed to do as she liked.
As we predicted Plum also exploited well her favourable matchup and she added 25 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
The Aces will be looking for more of the same and they are likely to be forcing the issue again with Wilson inside while giving Plum free lanes and open shots from distance.
Aces Injury Report:
N/A
Aces Starting Lineup:
Kelsey Plum, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, A’ja Wilson, Alysha Clark
Dallas Wings news, injuries, and starting lineups
The Wings shot 42.9% from beyond the arc (9 out of 21) in game 1 and yet they lost convincingly. The big issue was all the pressure they faced for 2s. As a team, they shot only 43.7% from inside, while also being dominated at the other end inside the paint by A’ja Wilson.
The Wings know they can’t slow both Wilson and Plum but if they are to stand any chance of progressing they need to slow down at least one of them. There is no suitable guard to stop Plum, there hasn’t been all season, but the Wings have enough size to disrupt A’ja inside and this is what we think they will try to do in game 2.
Doubling A’ja Wilson and daring the Aces to hit open 3s seems the likely gameplan. Will it work is yet to be seen.
Wings Injury Report:
Lou Lopez Senechal (G) – out
Diamond De Shields (G) – out
Wings Starting Lineup:
Odyssey Sims, Arike Ogunbowale, Natasha Howard, Satou Sabally, Teaira McCowan
Aces vs Wings head-to-head record in 2023
- 24.09.23 WNBA Las Vegas Aces vs Dallas Wings 97-83 [WNBA semifinals Game 1]
- 09.08.23 WNBA Dallas Wings vs Las Vegas Aces 84-104
- 30.07.23 WNBA Las Vegas Aces vs Dallas Wings 104-91
- 08.07.23 WNBA Dallas Wings vs Las Vegas Aces 80-78
- 06.07.23 WNBA Las Vegas Aces vs Dallas Wings 89-82
Las Vegas Aces vs Dallas Wings game details
- Date & Time: Tuesday, September 26, 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), ESPN2 (USA), Hulu TV, fuboTV, or the WNBA App/League Pass
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