Aces Can Weather The Storm In Afternoon Game

Aces vs. Storm, 3:00 ET

80% winning rate is rather unsustainable, but it does feel good to have that position instead of the reverse results. For Outkick, I've gone 8-2 on WNBA plays and am now looking to push that record even further in the positive as we see a bunch of afternoon games for the WNBA. Someone asked why they would put a ton of games on the afternoon slate, and from what I've heard, it has to do with a few things, including summer camp opportunities for kids. Either way, this gives us something to bet on early in the day instead of waiting for the night. This game has an early start, so keep that in mind as the Aces take on the Storm.

The Aces are coming together and starting to look like the championship team they were last season. They won't have as clean of a record as they did last year, but that doesn't matter. They just need to get to the playoffs and then do their thing. Right now, I only see the Liberty as a true threat to them, just as they were last year. The Aces have the best player in the league on their team in A'ja Wilson. She is likely going to win the MVP award this season and probably will lead them to the Finals once again. Keep in mind, the team is 13-7 for the season, but they have had last year's Finals MVP Chelsea Gray, for just eight games. She clearly isn't quite in her best form yet, playing around 20 minutes per game and scoring just under eight points per game. It also helps that Kelsey Plum has found her shot now and is a more effective scorer. Jackie Young could also be the best player on most teams, but she is the third or fourth option of the Aces. 

Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike (3) is defended by Phoenix Mercury forward Natasha Mack (4) during the second quarter at Footprint Center in Phoenix on Sunday, June 16, 2024.

The Storm are a fairly legitimate threat to the Aces in the conference. They have a solid team, but I don't think they have anyone that is going to stop Wilson in a series. For the season, the team is 14-7 and have won five of their past six games. This is a very long homestand for the Storm as this is game seven of nine in a row in Seattle. For the season, they are 9-2 at home, so they've done a good job of protecting home court. They did place the Aces twice this season and are 1-1 for the two matchups. In the first game, the Storm were able to beat the Aces 78-65 in Las Vegas. This was during a stretch where the Aces were playing their worst basketball and lost three games in a row. This isn't an excuse, but if a team has lost 7 games, and they dropped five of seven games in a stretch, clearly they aren't playing well. The next time they played the Storm, they won 94-83 and it kicked off a run of six straight games. The Storm have four players that are averaging in double figures for the season, and have one of the more complete teams. 

The interesting thing with the two teams is that both have four strong players. The only issue is that the Aces have the better player in all four of the positions. Wilson is better than Ezi Magbegor, Plum is better than Jewell Loyd, Jackie Young is better than Skylar Diggins-Smith, and a healthy Chelsea Gray is probably better than Nneka Ogwumike. The Aces are coming off of a three-games in four-night stretch and this is the first game for them since that, so hopefully they are rested. Both teams are playing well, but I think the Aces are better. I know they are less rested and they haven't played great on the road - in fact their most recent loss was on the road. I'll back them to beat the Storm by -4 or more. 

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