The battle rages on. After facing off on Tuesday, the Washington Mystics and Las Vegas Aces will go at it again on Thursday. Will they give us another physical, star-studded rock fight? And will the Aces prevail again, or will the Mystics pull off the road upset?
The Aces enter as 6.5-point favorites with -278 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Mystics are +225 underdogs, with the game total set at 170.5 points.
Let’s dive into a preview, prediction, and pick for this Mystics-Aces matchup.
Mystics vs. Aces Prediction, Preview
In Tuesday’s game, it was the A’ja Wilson show, to the surprise of nobody. The M’VP went off with 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting while adding 13 rebounds and four blocked shots. The defense was crucial, as she held a red-hot Shakira Austin to 8-of-21 shooting, thoroughly dominating the paint on both ends of the floor. With Las Vegas’ typically strong defense around Wilson, it was enough to get the win over a scorching hot Mystics team.
The key to a repeat performance is, of course, A’ja. Playing such a frontcourt-heavy team in Washington, having the best player in the world as your anchor big makes a world of difference. She also damages Washington’s game plan with her ability to space the floor out. The Mystics want to dominate the rebounding battle, but Wilson’s shooting ability and handoff talent reduces some of their defensive rebounding capabilities.
For the Mystics to pull the upset, they need more from the frontcourt, plain and simple. Kiki Iriafen did her job in their last game with a double-double, but so much of Washington’s recent success has come from Shakira Austin taking her offensive game to a new level. If Wilson can contain Austin once again, it’s going to be difficult for Washington to generate enough offense to get the win.
One thing to watch for in this game is Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. After being claimed off waivers by the Mystics, Betnijah is getting back up to speed, playing 14 minutes in Tuesday’s game while providing an extra element of perimeter defense. If Laney-Hamilton can get a few more minutes under her belt on Thursday, it would go a long way towards helping the ‘Stics contain Jackie Young, who has torn them up so far.
Now that we know these teams a bit better, who is going to pull out the win, and how should we bet on this game?
Mystics vs. Aces Pick, Best Bet
Even with this low total, my eyes are all over the under. Washington has played excellent defense all season and will do enough to keep Las Vegas’ stars from piling on the points. I’m not confident enough that they can keep pressure on this Aces defense at a level that produces serious points. It feels like we’re due for a repeat of Tuesday’s rock fight.
