Las Vegas Aces at Phoenix Mercury
October 3, 2021 3:00 pm EDT
The Line: Las Vegas -1.5 / Total: 172.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury face off on Sunday in Game 3 of their WNBA playoff series at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Aces won the first game 96-90 but the Mercury bounced back in a big way winning the second game 117-91.
At the end of the first period in the last game, Phoenix was up 37-20 and they never looked back as they cruised to the victory. Diana Taurasi looked like the player of old, as she put up 37 points, six rebounds, and one assist. Brittney Griner also added 25 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. The top player for Las Vegas was Kelsey Plum who finished with 25 points, three assists, and one rebound.
The Aces defense hasn’t been great in either of these games, but in the last game, it was especially bad as they gave up the 117 points. On the season Las Vegas is averaging 89.3 points per game while their defense is giving up 80.2 points. A’Ja Wilson has been the best player for Las Vegas averaging 18.3 points while shooting 44.4 percent from the field. Seven different players are averaging at least 10 points per game and in the playoffs, it’s been Kelsey Plum who has been a big difference-maker.
On the other side of this matchup is the Phoenix Mercury who have had a little better defense this season so it’s a bit shocking how bad the defense has been during the playoffs. The Mercury are averaging 82.1 points per game while their defense is giving up 79.5 points per game. Griner has been the best player for Phoenix all season averaging 20.5 points while shooting 57.5 percent from the field. Taurasi is averaging 15.2 points but she was a difference-maker in the second game of this series.
Both teams have really struggled to play defense this season, and that is going to continue in this game. I expect both teams to get close to 100 or even go over it, and the over is going to cash with ease.
