WNBA Free Picks: Aces vs Storm Game 2 Spreads and Best Bets on September 24

(Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images)

The Las Vegas Aces go for the kill when it takes on the revenge-seeking Seattle Storm in Game 2 of their best-of-three series this Tuesday at the Michelob ULTRA Arena.

Las Vegas used a massive fourth quarter run in Game 1 to turn back Seattle 78-67 on Sunday and drew first blood in their playoff series.

• Three-time league Most Valuable Player A’ja Wilson led all scorers with 21 points but Tiffany Hayes’ 20 markers off the bench proved to be the X-factor in the Aces’ double digit victory.
• Bookmakers expect another dominant win for the Aces here in Game 2 as the home team opened as nine-point favorites.
• Excluding Game 1, the Aces and the Storm faced four times this year with the former winning three.

Can Seattle regain the winning formula and force a sudden death Game 3 or will the Aces imposed comfortably advance into the next round. As of press time, here’s how the current Las Vegas Aces vs Seattle Storm betting lines look.

Las Vegas Aces vs Seattle Storm FanDuel WNBA Odds for September 24

Moneyline

• Las Vegas Aces: -470
• Seattle Storm:+340

Spread

• Las Vegas Aces: -9 (-110)
• Seattle Storm: +9 (-110)

Over/Under (Total)

• OVER 160 (-110)
• UNDER 160 (-110)

Las Vegas Aces vs Seattle Storm Injury Report

Las Vegas Aces Injury Report

1. Queen Egbo – Illness – Day-to-Day

Seattle Storm Injury Report

1. Ezi Magbegor – Concussion – Day-to-Day

Best WNBA odds for Las Vegas Aces vs Seattle Storm

• The Las Vegas Aces are currently riding a four-game Against-The-Spread (ATS) win streak. DraftKings offers the best Las Vegas Aces odds to cover the spread at -110.
• The Seattle Storm has beaten the Las Vegas Aces once in the regular season this year. Pinnacle has the best odds for the Storm to win outright at +376.
• The under hit in four of the last five encounters between the Las Vegas Aces and the Seattle Storm. The best Las Vegas Aces vs Seattle Storm odds for the under are available on Pinnacle at -106.

Why will the Las Vegas Aces cover the spread?

The Las Vegas Aces proved on Sunday why they are the defending champions for a reason. After bucking a slow start, the Aces went on 14-2 scoring barrage in the fourth to turn a 65-64 into a 78-67 blowout win over the Seattle Storm.

• Even more impressive is the fact they were able to cover the 10-point spread against the red-hot Seattle team, who seemed to hit everything it attempted early on.
• Las Vegas are currently riding a four-game ATS win streak and with how they played on both ends in Game 1, are seemingly headed for fifth straight here.
• Against a league-leading defensive team like Seattle, the Aces proved to be better defensively in Game 1 recording nine steals and eight blocks while forcing the former to commit 13 turnovers.
• The Aces, for their part, did incredibly well in taking care of the ball as it only committed eight turnovers, which is three shy of their average of 11.

Putting all things into perspective, backing the Aces to cover the nine-point spread at these current odds makes total and complete sense, especially if you consider how they played in Game 1.

One thing Las Vegas has to do here though is to hope A’ja Wilson will shoot better in Game 2 and Kelsey Plum can find her scoring rhythm. Wilson shot 9-for-21 in Game 1 while Plum was only limited to two points on Sunday.

Why will the Seattle Storm cover the spread?

Looking back at what happened, one could argue that Game 1 was Seattle's game to lose.

Unlike their previous losses against the Las Vegas Aces this season, the Storm were actually in the thick of things and even led before the start of the fourth.

However, what’s done is done and the Storm will want to move on from that loss quickly if they don’t want their season to end.

• A positive thing the Storm can take in that game was their strong start where they raced to an 18-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Should the Storm maintain that play across all 40 minutes, backing them to cover the nine-point spread at these current odds could offer potential value for punters wanting a betting spot on the underdog.

It is also worth noting that Seattle was without its star center Ezi Magbegor in Game 1 who was sidelined due to a concussion.

Magbegor still remains questionable for this game. But if she does play, the Storm will have a massive boost inside to counter Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson.

• In three appearances against the Aces this year, the 25-year old Magbegor has averaged 14.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.

Also expected to play with a chip in her shoulder in Game 2 for the Storm is Jewell Loyd, who was only held to six points, three rebounds, and two assists in 26 minutes of play last Sunday.

• Prior to Game 1, Loyd has been averaging 18 points, 4.7 rebounds, and three assists per game against the Aces this year.
• In the Storm’s lone victory against the Aces this season, Loyd exploded for 25 points and nine rebounds while Magbegor added 14 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and three blocks.

Should Magbegor play and Loyd get her rhythm going, it is not far-fetched to see the Storm cover the nine-point spread and maybe even win this game outright.

Final Las Vegas Aces vs Seattle Storm WNBA Prediction: Seattle Storm ML +340

The Seattle Storm had Game 1 in their fingertips and they let it slip away in the fourth as a result of their terrible defense and poor shot selection. Scoring just two points in a playoff game against a loaded Las Vegas Aces team just won’t cut it.

If Seattle can address those issues, there is a good chance they could pull off the win here and force a deciding game. Of course, this is a low confidence pick that could very well backfire but the value is on the underdog here.