Liberty vs Aces Betting Preview: Battle of Super Teams in the WNBA

The WNBA’s two newly crowned “Super Teams,” the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty, will meet for the first time this season Thursday (10 p.m. ET). It’s a potential Finals preview, one that includes some of the biggest names in the sport in Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson. Las Vegas is a 6.5-point home favorite and -275 on the moneyline, with New York priced at +230. The projected total has climbed to 174.5 after opening at 171.5. Read on for our Liberty vs Aces betting preview.

Liberty on a Roll

New York has separated itself as a championship contender, and with a significant portion of the schedule still remaining, there’s an opportunity for the Liberty to do plenty more damage. Winners of four straight, the Liberty are 10-3, 2.5 games behind Las Vegas for the best record in the WNBA. Oddsmakers are obviously bullish, pricing the Liberty at +185 to win their first championship.

Frankly, how can they not be? The Liberty hit it big in the offseason, signing both Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot while trading for Jonquel Jones. The trio has accounted for 13 All-Star appearances and two Most Valuable Player awards, not counting this season. It was an incredible haul, one that put the original franchise in the conversation alongside the league’s best teams.

Stewart, a five-time All-Star and two-time Finals MVP, has been as good as advertised. She ranks second in the WNBA in both scoring (22.6) and rebounds (10.3) and fourth in blocks (1.7). The 6-foot-4 forward already has eight double-doubles in 13 games, including a remarkable 45-point, 12-rebound performance in a victory over Indiana on May 21. She’s currently a -125 favorite to win her second MVP, ahead of Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson (+350) and Connecticut’s Alyssa Thomas (+600).

New York is averaging 88 points per game. Additionally, it owns the second-best point differential in the league at plus-8.0. Keep that in mind as you assess the odds in our Liberty vs Aces betting preview.

Vegas Coming up Aces

The WNBA’s other “Super Team,” Las Vegas, has been dominant. That’s putting it mildly. The Aces are 13-1 and have outscored opponents by an average of 15.4 points. Nobody else, including the Liberty, are remotely close in that regard.

Las Vegas’ roster features a who’s who of top WNBA players, including Wilson, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum, Chelsea Gray and Candace Parker. Young leads the team in scoring (19.9) and is shooting a blistering 57.9%, including 63.6% from inside the arc. It’s a remarkable display of efficiency from a guard.

No surprise, the Aces have distanced themselves as a -135 favorite to defend their WNBA title. At this point, the only other team in close consideration is New York. Others like Washington (+1500) and Connecticut (+1500) have longer than 10/1 odds. There’s plenty of time, of course, for those odds to shift, but is there any reason to fade Las Vegas in your WNBA predictions? Not yet.

Keep in mind, Las Vegas has done much of its damage without a ton of help from its big-ticket acquisition, Parker. The seven-time All-Star and two-time MVP, signed in February to a free-agent deal, is averaging career-lows in points (8.2) and rebounds (5.6). She’s also playing the fewest minutes of her career (23.1), but at 37, it may just be that head coach Becky Hammon wants to conserve Parker’s energy for later in the season.

Handicapping the Game

We’re running out of superlatives to describe Las Vegas and New York. They’re the two best teams in the WNBA. There’s no debate. Stewart and Wilson are the frontrunners for MVP. This is the first time the Aces and Liberty are meeting as currently constructed. It certainly won’t be the last. Las Vegas is scheduled to visit the Barclays Center on Aug. 28, and if everything goes according to plan, a showdown in the Finals could soon follow.

Las Vegas is 7-0 at Michelob Ultra Arena, the league’s only unbeaten team at home. For now, that should be enough to give the Aces the edge in our Liberty vs Aces betting preview.

For WNBA betting news, analysis and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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