The trade deadline has come and gone, and now the true stretch run begins. Both the Seattle Storm and the Las Vegas Aces have loaded up to make final playoff pushes.
Las Vegas made its trades early, acquiring NaLyssa Smith from the Dallas Wings to bolster its depth. Then the Seattle Storm made the biggest swing of the deadline, picking up All-Star guard/wing Brittney Sykes from the Washington Mystics. With the playoff hopes of both teams hanging in the balance, they need big contributions down the stretch.
The two squads are currently tied for the sixth seed at 16-14. A loss puts them in striking range of the Golden State Valkyries and Los Angeles Sparks. This is a huge swing point in the season, with only 14 games remaining to solidify playoff spots.
The Aces are one-point favorites at home and hold -115 odds on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The total is set at 162.5 points. Let’s look at the best bets and predictions for this Storm-Aces contest.
Storm vs. Aces prediction, pick
Friday is expected to be Sykes’ debut game. Already one of the most potent defenses in the WNBA, Seattle got a lot deadlier on that end. The projected starting/closing five of Skylar Diggins, Sykes, Gabby Williams, Nneka Ogwumike and Ezi Magbegor features four players with a recent All-Defense selection. And when your “weak link” is Diggins, who defends her tail off at the point of attack, that’s a nasty group.
Sykes is not just a one-way addition. Seattle’s offense tends to bog down in the halfcourt. She brings more juice as a driver and paint pressure option than incumbent two-guard Erica Wheeler. Sykes driving hard on closeouts brings a lot to the table for this group. It also lets Wheeler provide the offense against second units more often. Tonight’s test should be a fun one against an Aces defense with some serious holes.
Unfortunately for Seattle, Las Vegas has unlocked something with Jewell Loyd coming off the bench. She’s hitting a new level of efficiency, scoring 16.2 PPG on 51% shooting and 43.6% from deep. Moving Kierstan Bell to the starting group insulates her offensive struggles. It also covers up the defensive deficiencies of the starting group. It’s made them a more dangerous offense overall without significantly compromising their already leaky defense.
This makes Vegas a strong home bet. Already 4-1 with Loyd on the bench, she’s going to have an extra edge playing her former teammates. That, combined with Seattle’s struggles and adjustment to a significant new player, gives me confidence in the Aces.
