The Aces are hosting the Mystics on Thursday. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Las Vegas is favored by eight points and this game carries a total of 161 points.
Below, I break down this matchup between the Aces and the Mystics, and give a pick for the game.
Aces vs. Mystics preview, prediction
The Aces took care of business last night and dominated the lowly Sun by 26 points. Las Vegas now hosts the Mystics who haven’t played since Tuesday and this will be the first time this season that the Aces have played two games in two nights.
Las Vegas is 7-7 after the easy win over Connecticut on Wednesday and the club ranks eighth of 13 teams in net rating this season. The Mystics have been very comparable, ranking ninth in net rating with a 7-8 record. These two clubs have played each once this season and that came last month, when the Aces edged out the Mystics 75-72. In this nail biter, A’ja Wilson posted a double-double for Las Vegas and Jackie Wilson was also terrific with 25 points. For Washington, the team’s leading scorer in Britney Sykes missed this game, but in her absence, four players scored double-digits, most notably with a 17-point and 13-rebound double-double from Kiki Iriafen.
Listed as questionable with a lower leg injury, Sykes has a chance to miss tonight’s matchup with the Aces as well. Obviously, having the guard in the lineup would be more ideal, but with Sykes inactive this past Tuesday vs. the 12-2 Lynx, Washington upset Minnesota 68-64 for one of the team’s best wins of the season. Instead of another guard stepping up with Sykes sidelined, it was the Mystics’ frontcourt that elevated their game, with Iriafen posting another double-double and Shakira Austin leading the team with 19 points, to go along with eight rebounds and three assists.
Notably, Austin led Washington with a mammoth 36.5% usage rate. Following this excellent performance, there is certainly hope that the Mystics can continue to play well if Sykes remains out Thursday and if she returns, it will just be a further boost to this Washington team that has won three of it’s last four. The Aces have won back-to-back games and have a great chance to win again tonight with three-time MVP Wilson at the helm, but the team playing for the second night in a row is an obvious concern.
Aces vs. Mystics pick, best bet
The Aces and Mystics have been near equal teams this season and while Sykes injury for Washington isn’t ideal, the team has the ability to be competitive without her and the Mystics have a huge advantage in rest tonight, as the club hasn’t played since Tuesday, whereas Las Vegas is on the second leg of back-to-back set.
The Aces are 5-3 at home this season and conversely, the Mystics are 2-5 on the road, so the Aces deserve to be the favorite tonight, but being favored by eight points is tough to justify. Washington is a strong 9-6 ATS this season and the Mystics should be able to cover this aggressive eight-point spread.
