New York Liberty vs Las Vegas Aces Prediction, 10/8/2023 WNBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: New York Liberty vs Las Vegas Aces

Date: Sunday, October 8, 2023

Location: Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, NV

TV: ABC

Odds/Point Spread: New York (+5)

The Las Vegas Aces (34-6) play the New York Liberty (32-8) at Michelob ULTRA Arena on Sunday in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. The odds on this contest have Las Vegas as 5 point favorites. The O/U opens at 172.

The New York Liberty took the court against the Connecticut Sun and notched a win by a score of 87-84 in their last contest to close out their series. New York walked away from the contest having earned a 41.2% FG percentage (28 of 68) and made 10 out of their 22 shots from beyond the perimeter. At the free throw line, the Liberty made 21 of 25 tries for a percentage of 84.0%. In the matter of pulling down boards, they earned a total of 42 with 11 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 22 assists for this game in addition to forcing 10 turnovers and getting 5 steals. With respect to defense, New York allowed the other team to go 45.5% from the floor on 35 of 77 shooting. Connecticut distributed 7 assists and had 7 steals in the matchup. Additionally, Connecticut snagged 33 boards (7 offensive, 26 defensive) and added 6 blocks. Connecticut ended up shooting 37.5% when shooting free throws by burying 3 of their 8 shots. They knocked down 11 of their 25 tries from 3-point land.

Breanna Stewart is one player who came through in this matchup. She finished with 27 points on 9 out of 20 shooting. She saw the court for 40 mins played and also totaled 9 rebounds. Stewart finished 45.0% from the floor and totaled 1 assist.

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New York heads into this game with a mark of 32-8 this year. The Liberty are shooting 37.4% on shots from distance (444 of 1,187) and 82.9% from the free throw line. They are averaging 89.2 pts per game (2nd in basketball) while shooting 46.0% from the field. They cough up possession 13.5 times per game and as a team they commit 16.0 fouls per contest. As a unit, New York is snagging 37.9 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 965 dimes for the year, which ranks 1st in the WNBA in terms of passing the ball. When they are on the defensive end, the Liberty are forcing 11.8 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.2 personal fouls. They are giving up 34.1% from beyond the arc and they are 4th in the WNBA in PPG allowed (80.6). The Liberty defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 42.4% (473 of 687) and they surrender 33.0 boards per game as a unit. They are ranked 2nd in basketball in allowing assists to the opposition with 758 conceded so far this season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Las Vegas Aces walked away with a victory by a final of 64-61 against the Dallas Wings. The Aces recorded 34 defensive boards and 5 offensive boards totaling 39 for the game. They gave up possession of the ball 19 times, while getting 6 steals in this contest. The Wings committed 15 personal fouls in this game which got the Aces to the charity stripe for a total of 14 attempts. They were able to make 10 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 71.4%. In reference to 3-point attempts, Las Vegas buried 6 out of their 19 attempts (31.6%). When this game wrapped up, the Aces finished shooting 24 out of 59 from the field which gave them a percentage of 40.7%. The Aces allowed the Wings to convert 24 of 76 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 31.6% in this game. They finished 21.4% from downtown by shooting 6 out of 28 and finished the contest at 7 out of 15 at the free throw line (46.7%). When talking about rebounding, Las Vegas permitted Dallas to collect 41 in all (11 on the offensive glass).

Chelsea Gray ended up being important for the Aces in the matchup. She made 7 of 16 in the matchup for a rate of 43.8%, and had 6 rebounds. Gray racked up 15 points in her 39 mins of playing time and had 4 assists in the game.

Las Vegas has a mark of 34-6 this season. Las Vegas has totaled 3,713 pts for the campaign (92.8 per contest) and they pull in 34.8 boards per game. The Aces commit 16.0 personal fouls per game and they connect on 84.0% from the free throw line. On the offensive side of the ball, the Aces are hitting on 48.6% from the field, which has them ranked 1st in basketball. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 21.7 times per game (2nd in the WNBA) and they lose possession via turnover 11.1 times per game. The Aces on defense are ranked 2nd in the league in PPG given up with 80.3. They concede 19.5 assists and 34.3 rebounds per game, which ranks 4th and 6th in the league. The Las Vegas defense gives up 34.3% on shots from beyond the arc (306 of 893) and their opposition knocks down 77.4% of their shots from the free throw line. They are forcing 13.1 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 42.6% from the field (2nd in the league).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take New York (+5)

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