Total Play As Suns Take On Aces

Sun vs. Aces, 10:00 ET

I suffered my first WNBA Outkick loss the other day as the Liberty were defeated in the game against the Mercury. That's the bad news. The good news is that the game soared over the total, that was the other bet that I placed, and shared, on the game. So we went 1-1 on it and are now 4-1 in WNBA plays for the season. I have said this in every article, and I will continue to harp on it: WNBA plays cash the exact same as any other bet that you'll place on any other sport. Hopefully we can get another cash in the game between the Sun and Aces. 

The Sun are one of the best teams in the sport right now and have suffered just one loss this season. For the year, they are 13-1 and haven't lost on the road yet. After starting the season 9-0, they fell to the aforementioned Liberty team. Since then they have been able to beat some of the lower ranked squads in the league. This game should be more of a challenge as they have to face the reigning WNBA champions. This is only the second true test of the season for the team. For the first 14 games, they've had the opportunity to face the Fever three times - a team that is getting better, but not great. They've played the Mystics twice, a team that is terrible. They've had two games against the Chicago Sky, and another two games against the Wings. That's nine of their 14 games that are against the worst teams in the league. They struggled against the Linx, and they destroyed the Mercury. Those are the only two teams outside of the Liberty that I see as real competition. The team is very top heavy and doesn't have much of a bench. The top is very talented though with five players averaging double-digit points for the season. Their defense has been pretty strong as well, but they might not have an answer for probably MVP A'ja Wilson. 

Jun 12, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas (25) brings the ball up court against the Chicago Sky during the first half of a basketball game at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The Aces got back on track a bit in their last game against the Seattle Storm. Even that one, they weren't great, but it was nice to see them not have to stress to a victory. They are just 7-6 on the season, and it seems like they are finding ways to get the rest of the team involved in the scoring instead of just relying on Wilson to do it all. Over the last three games, they have had Jackie Young lead the team in scoring twice and Kelsey Plum led the team the other time. The Aces are 2-1 in those games. Obviously Plum is going through a lot since the offseason, but her game hasn't been quite as sharp as it was last season. The team is slightly more balanced than the Sun, but they are even more top-heavy with Wilson, Young, and Plum the only double-digit scorers for the season. They certainly miss Chelsea Gray, but that might not solve their defensive issues as the team is still allowing 85 points per game. The Sun move the ball well and are a good rebounding team, so there isn't much room for error in this game.

This is an interesting contest between two good teams. The Aces won't have to deal with the Sun in the playoffs, and didn't knock them out last year, but you still play with a target on your back when you're the champions. The Sun were eliminated by the Liberty last season. I doubt the Sun would've given a better battle to the Aces, but they can kick Las Vegas while they are down in this one and boost their own confidence. I lean toward taking the points with the Sun. However, my official play is to take the over 162.5 in this game. I think both teams will be efficient offensively, and more importantly, the Aces are playing such poor defense that I expect their only answer for winning right now is to rack up points. They just don't stop anyone. Back the over. 

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