Can Chelsea Gray Help The Aces Defensively?
Suns vs Aces WNBA Betting Preview: The Sun Will Dictate Pace of Play
One of the most highly anticipated games on the WNBA schedule 2024 is on our television tonight. The reigning and defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces, will look to be only the second team to knock off the Connecticut Sun this season.
The Aces headed into this season looking for a three-peat. However, Las Vegas is only 7-6 when looking at the Las Vegas Aces standings.They’re trailing many teams despite being the team to beat before the season began.
The Connecticut Sun are one of them. The Sun are 13-1 on the season and currently on a four-game winning streak.
The only loss came against another powerhouse team, the New York Liberty. Therefore, the Sun have proven they can beat any team below them in the standings.
That said, at home, Las Vegas is still a 6-point favorite at -102, and the total is also at 165 for this game.
Read our Suns vs Aces WNBA betting preview for tonight’s game below.
🏀 Sun vs Aces 🏀
Day/Time:
Records: Sun (13-1)/Aces(7-6)
Location: Michelob ULTRA Arena
Streaming: ION
Suns vs Aces WNBA Betting Trends
The Las Vegas Aces have really underperformed this season. The Aces are only 7-6 on the season, but they’re also 4-9 against the spread.
The issue hasn’t been the offense; it’s been more the defense. Therefore, the Over has hit in eight of 13 Aces games this season.
On the other hand, Connecticut is 13-1 but has been reasonable against the spread. The Sun have only gone 7-7 against the spread this season. They’ve also hit the Over and Under seven times each this season.
This will be the first of three meetings between the Aces and Sun this season. The last time these two teams played was on July 1, 2023. The Aces earned a 102-84 victory at home as 11-point favorites.
The Connecticut Standard
Connecticut Sun coach Stephanie White has the Connecticut Sun at 13-1 and doesn’t want to let up. She spoke to the media about having a standard. The standard is that Connecticut can’t relax with a big lead and must chase a championship every game they play.
Right now, it’s working. Connecticut is playing disciplined and ultimately has a chip on its shoulder.
As long as they continue to execute their offensive and defensive schemes, the Sun will be a difficult out for the rest of the season.
Chelsea Gray Is Back!
While the Aces haven’t had the best start to the season, they’re 1-0 with Chelsea Gray on the court.
Gray entered her first game of the season against the Seattle Storm late in the first quarter and got a standing ovation from the fans.
The five-time All-Star and Team USA Olympics star with Team USA is finally healthy and could be the missed piece the Aces needed all along.
She’s played ten seasons in the NBA and has averaged more than 12 points per game. Last season, she improved on all those stats with 15.3 points, 7.3 assists, and four rebounds per game.
Gray was also the 2022 WNBA Finals MVP in Las Vegas’ first of two championships.
Her addition will be discussed more in our Sun vs Aces WNBA betting preview below.
Are The Aces Ready To Roll?
The Las Vegas Aces have to be feeling good about Chelsea Gray’s return. While she’s a dominant offensive player, her leadership and overall comfortability could help the defense more.
The Aces have allowed 85.5 points per game this season, which will not help them move forward. They even allowed 83 points to the Seattle Storm in their 94-83 win.
But the Sun aren’t known for their dominant offensive play like Seattle. Instead, the Sun only averaged 80.9 points per game and have held opponents to 70.7 points per game.
The Sun are way more defensive-minded and like to control the game’s pace a little more. If the Sun have it their way, they’ll try their hardest to keep the ball out of the Aces’ hand.
After all, the Aces still lead in many offensive categories, including possessions per 40 minutes and free throw percentage. They’re also second in points per 100 possessions.
However, the Sun lead the league in points allowed to opponents and have good ideas on how to limit possessions from the Aces.
That said, the Sun are still effective from the field. Although they move slower, Connecticut has still drained 49.3% from inside the arc and is shooting a 44.6% field goal percentage, which is third-best in the WNBA.
It’s unlikely the Sun find the foul line much against the Aces, but they’ll shoot at a high percentage. Don’t expect the scoreboard to light up even with a high rate.
After all, the Sun knows the best way to win this game on the road is by keeping this game as low-scoring as possible with a slow pace.
The Sun are fourth in the WNBA in offensive rebounding, and the Aces are 12th. Don’t expect Las Vegas to clean up misses.
So when the Aces spend more time than usual trying to find a good look, they won’t add second chance opportunities at a high rate.
The Sun are also fourth in the WNBA in steal per game and add 13.4 turnovers per game, which is third in the WNBA.
Therefore, we’ll be siding with the defenses in this game. One of our WNBA picks 2024 includes the Under 165 (-110) for tonight’s showdown.
For WNBA betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
