The Phoenix Mercury and Las Vegas Aces meet in Game 5 on the WNBA Semifinals, with the winner advancing to face the Chicago Sky in the Finals.
Betting Odds
The Aces are favored by 6 points at SugarHouse (-105) and the total on the game is 169. Those who like Las Vegas can find 5.5 at FanDuel and DraftKings, where the total is 168.5. So it pays to shop for the best line available.
Phoenix Mercury
The Mercury had a chance to wrap up the series in Game 4 in Phoenix, but an ugly third quarter for them saw the Aces hold a 29-11 scoring edge, which was basically the difference in the game. The Mercury lost Kia Nurse less than a minute into the game and she’s been ruled out for tonight. She is the team’s fourth-leading scorer, averaging 9.5 points per game and plays
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The Mercury’s “Big 3” of Turasi, Brittany Griner and Skylar Diggins-Smith combined to score 41 of the team’s 76 points last game, but were only a combined 17 for 51 from the field. They were a combined 4 for 14 on 3-pointers and just 3 for 6 from the foul line.
Las Vegas Aces
The Aces stunk up the place in Games 2 and 3, but put things together last time on the floor to force tonight’s game. The Aces did most of their damage with its guards, with Riquna Williams, Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum going a combined 22 for 38 from the field and 10 for 18 from 3-point range.
Las Vegas forced 16 Phoenix turnovers, while making just 10 themselves, and were able to hold their own on the glass, which if they can do that again, you have to like their chances. A’ja Wilson looked more like herself last game, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, while posting a team-high +27 rating for the game.
Phoenix at Las Vegas Pick
This has the makings of a great game, but there really haven’t been any close games the entire series. Las Vegas’ 6-point win the opener was the closest game we’ve seen, with the others decided by double digits. Phoenix played better on the road this season and think they show up and make a strong effort. This could be Turasi’s last hope of making the Finals and while not what she once was, she still can take over a game. Will take the Mercury +6 in this one.