The Aces made a statement in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Fever.
Indiana played at a high level against Las Vegas in the regular season, but in the WNBA playoff series opener the Aces’ message was clear: There’s a difference between high level and championship level.
Now, the two teams head to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for a potential closeout Game 2.
Despite the Game 1 outcome, oddsmakers opened the spread with the Fever listed as 1.5-point favorites and the Over/Under sitting at 183.5.
Aces vs. Fever prediction, best bet
Navigating a best-of-three series is always tough because the desperation is at peak levels, especially in Game 2.
The Fever have to flush the loss, turn around and get ready to defend home court or their season is over.
There are certainly some things they can clean up going into this game. They committed 17 turnovers and allowed a season-high 28 points off those turnovers.
On the flip side they were unable to take advantage of the Aces’ 17 turnovers, scoring just 18 points off those mistakes.
One thing it seems they won’t be able to do is stop A’ja Wilson, who was in rare form in Game 1.
She tied her playoff career-high with 38 points in the win, but the difference in this game compared to her others was the efficiency. She shot 15-of-19 from the floor, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc.
The Fever have no answer for Wilson, who was scoring at will.
Starters Aliyah Boston and Makayla Timpson were helpless up front, and their other bigs off the bench, Monique Billings and Mercedes Russell, were ineffective too.
Wilson is the rare breed of player who can raise her level in the postseason and whether the Fever can meet it or not, it’s clear she’ll bring the intensity again for Game 2.
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She has scored at least 30 points in three consecutive playoff games and has notched double-digit rebounds in every game against the Aces this season.
I’ll bet on Wilson to continue to dominate as a scorer and rebounder in Game 2.
The Pick: A’ja Wilson Over 38.5 Points + Rebounds (-108, BetRivers)
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Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.
