During the last day of matchups before the WNBA takes a brief pause for the 2026 All-Star Game, the Las Vegas Aces hit the road for a trip to the nation’s capital. They face off against the Washington Mystics in this one, a battle that pits a high-powered offense against a defensive-minded group in a true clash of styles. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday evening.
Here’s a betting preview, prediction and pick for this Aces vs. Mystics game courtesy of WNBA odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Aces vs. Mystics prediction, preview
The Aces remain one of the W’s best teams at 18-7, good for the second-best record in the league in terms of winning percentage at .720. This offense is quite impressive, averaging 90.7 PPG, the third most of any franchise while pacing the field with a 48.8% FG%. They’re also fourth in 3P% at 35.5%, ranking middle-of-the-pack in made threes despite sitting near the bottom of the league in attempts from distance. Plus, Las Vegas is third in AST% and second in AST/TO ratio. By all means, this is an efficient unit, so it’s no surprise they’re second in OFFRTG. As for defense, they’re largely average at seventh in DEFRTG; however, they do rank third in rebounds (34.7) and first in blocks (5.1) per game.
Of course, the Aces are led by multi-time MVP A’ja Wilson. She averages a WNBA-best 25.6 points with 9.6 rebounds (fourth in the league) and 2.6 assists. She’s an incredibly efficient scorer and the most important cog in this machine by far. Jackie Young has been excellent as a co-star guard, producing 16.4 points and 6.8 assists a night. Plus, Chelsea Gray, Chennedy Carter and Nalyssa Smith all average around 12 points per game, with Gray posting 7.4 assists as well.
The Mystics are at the opposite end of the spectrum, to put it lightly. They’re just 13-12, so it’s not like this is a bad team. However, the offense is pretty paltry, averaging the second-fewest PPG of any team with 80.0 and slotting in at dead last in OFFRTG. Only the Connecticut Sun have a worse TS% than Washington’s 53.1%, as the Mystics are second-to-last in FG% (43.5%) and 3P% (28.4%). They aren’t efficient scorers and rely on the second-best OREB in the league to get extra possessions, since while they’re first in AST%, they’re second-to-last in AST/TO ratio with the worst TO% of any squad. They’re also second-to-last in pace as well. The defense is strong though, ranking third in DEFRTG and second in overall REB% while bringing in a WNBA-high 37.1 boards a game. To top it off, they hold opponents to the second-lowest FG% and third-lowest 3P%.
Sophomore tandem Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen are the clear leaders on this team. The former averages 17.0 points with 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists, logging nearly 34 minutes a night with a heavy workload. The latter produces 14.9 points and 9.2 boards, while center Shakira Austin also pitches in 14.5 points and 9.7 rebounds in a frontcourt duo that dominates the glass. Michaela Onyenwere averages 10.1 points as well.
Aces vs. Mystics pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Aces as a 6.5-point favorite with -253 odds on the Moneyline. The Mystics are a +203 underdog to win outright with the game total set at 164.5.
Offense vs. defense, what could go wrong? These teams haven’t squared off yet this season, so we don’t have a recent sample to look at for a baseline. However, it’s easy to see that Washington will look to slow the pace tonight and drag its opponent into the mud. I do think Las Vegas probably wins outright, but I think its scorers outside of Wilson may struggle a little bit. Both Young and Gray like to fire away from beyond the arc and may have a tough time connecting from deep against this perimeter defense, and even when a drive gets to the rim, there’s a reason opponents finish so poorly against the Mystics, who allow the third-fewest points in the paint. Personally, I’m feeling the under on 85.5 points for the Aces tonight, who have notably been held under that line in two of their last five games, both of which came against a much worse Indiana Fever defense.
