Las Vegas Aces vs Seattle Storm Prediction, 5/18/2021 WNBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Las Vegas Aces vs Seattle Storm

Date: Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Location: Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, WA

TV: ESPN2

Odds/Point Spread: Las Vegas (-2.5)

The Las Vegas Aces (18-4 last year) go to Angel of the Winds Arena on Tuesday where they'll meet the Seattle Storm (18-4 last season). The line on this matchup has Las Vegas as 2.5 point favorites. The O/U is set at 166.5.

The Aces stepped onto the hardwood against the Storm and went home with a loss by a final score of 92-59 in the WNBA Finals last year. Las Vegas walked away from the contest with a 34.4% FG percentage (22 out of 64) and made 2 out of their 5 shots from downtown. From the charity stripe, the Aces knocked down 13 of their 18 attempts for a rate of 72.2%. In the matter of getting rebounds, they compiled a total of 33 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 14 assists for the matchup in addition to creating 6 turnovers and getting 5 steals. In terms of the defense, Las Vegas allowed 47.5% from the field on 38 of 80 shooting. Seattle dished out 11 assists and had 8 steals for this contest. Moreover, Seattle grabbed 42 rebounds (11 offensive, 31 defensive) and had 2 blocks. Seattle ended up shooting 75.0% from the charity stripe by converting 9 of 12 tries. They also made 7 of 26 attempts from distance.

A'ja Wilson is one player who played a role in the matchup. She finished with 18 points on 7 out of 15 shooting. She was on the court for 31:41 mins played and totaled 6 boards. Wilson ended up shooting 46.7% from the floor and also distributed 4 dimes. One more player that was a determining factor in this contest for the Aces was Jackie Young. She grabbed 1 rebound in her 26:12 min on the basketball court. She finished the game shooting 25.0% from the floor for the contest by shooting 3-of-12 (11 points). In all, Young totaled 1 assist.

Las Vegas will enter this game after finishing with a mark of 18-4 last season. They lost possession via turnover 12.2 times per game and as a squad committed 15.0 fouls per game. As a squad, Las Vegas collected 37.4 rebounds per game and accumulated 456 assists over the course of last year, which was 3rd in basketball in terms of passing the ball. The Aces connected on 36.8% on 3-point shots (93 of 253) and 81.5% from the charity stripe. They averaged 88.7 pts per contest (1st in the WNBA) while hitting 47.7% from the floor. On the defensive end of the court, the Aces were able to force 13.5 turnovers per contest while drawing 20.6 fouls. They were ranked 7th in the league in giving up assists to their opponents with 424 relinquished throughout last season. The Aces defensively gave up an opponent FG percentage of 43.1% (674 of 1,564) and they surrendered 32.8 boards per game as a unit. They relinquished 31.1% from beyond the arc and they ranked 3rd in basketball in opponents PPG (80.1).

In their win over Vegas, the Storm earned 31 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards totaling 42 in this game. They also turned the ball over 6 times, while getting 8 steals in the matchup. The Aces committed 21 personal fouls in this contest which took the Storm to the charity stripe for a total of 12 shots. They were able to convert 9 of them for a clip of 75.0%. In terms of three-point attempts, Seattle made 7 of 26 tries (26.9%). When the final whistle was blown, the Storm ended up going 38 out of 80 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 47.5%. The Storm allowed the Aces to convert 22 of 64 tries from the floor which had them shooting 34.4% for this game. They went 40.0% from 3-point land by going 2 of 5 and ended up going 13 out of 18 from the free throw line (72.2%). With respect to rebounding, Seattle permitted Las Vegas to snag 33 in all (7 offensive).

Breanna Stewart ended up being a major contributor for the Storm in the matchup. She knocked down 10 of 14 in this matchup giving her a field goal percentage of 71.4%, and had 4 rebounds. Stewart accumulated 26 points in her 24:37 mins of playing time, but didn't get an assist. An additional player who was a determining factor for Seattle was Jewell Loyd. She came away with 4 assists in 29:50 minutes on the court, and she shot 9 of 18 from the field. Loyd walked away from this one going 50.0% from the field as well as earning 19 points and 9 rebounds.

Seattle had a win-loss mark of 18-4 last year. As an offensive team, the Storm shot 47.0% from the floor, which was ranked 4th in the WNBA. Seattle earned 1,926 pts last season (87.5 per contest) and they averaged 34.4 rebounds per game. Their rate of dishing out assists was at 21.9 times per game (1st in basketball) and they lost possession via turnover 13.2 times per game. The Storm committed 16.5 personal fouls per game and they hit 81.7% from the free throw line. The Storm on defense were ranked 1st in the WNBA in points allowed per game with 76.0. The Seattle defense allowed 30.6% from downtown (159 of 519) and opponents knocked down 82.7% of their free throw shots. They forced 15.2 TO's per game and allowed teams to shoot 40.1% from the floor (1st in the WNBA). They relinquished 17.9 assists and 34.3 rebounds per contest, which ranked them 2nd and 7th in basketball.

Who will win tonight's WNBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Las Vegas (-2.5)

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