Aces at Dream Under 166 1/2
Atlanta could be missing its two top scorers. Allisha Gray is unlikely to play due to an ankle injury and Rhyne Howard is questionable with a knee injury. Those two players each average 17.5 points and provide the Dream with much of their firepower.
Las Vegas leads the WNBA in scoring at 93.1 points. But I don’t see the Aces having a big scoring night here. This has the makings of a grind-out, slow-tempo game. The Aces should have their defensive intensity up after losing as a 17-point home favorite to Los Angeles in their last game. Aces coach Becky Hammon wasn’t pleased with her team’s defense in that game.
The Dream aren’t going to want to push pace without their star players. If Howard plays, she could be gimpy. The Aces are dealing with a heavy fatigue factor. This is their sixth game in 11 days and they have three more games in the next six days.
The Aces are showing their weariness by making just 30 percent of their 3-point shots during their last three games. That’s the fourth-worst mark in the WNBA during this span.
Las Vegas has mainly used just six players with Candace Parker sidelined. The Aces’ sixth player, 36-year-old Alysha Clark, is dealing with a back injury and hasn’t been shooting well. Hammon is likely to give her reserves more minutes than usual in this matchup, which has blowout potential.
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