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Las Vegas Aces Now Have Second Shortest Odds to Capture WNBA Championship After Winning 7 of Last 10

David Golokhov

by David Golokhov in WNBA

Updated Mar 29, 2020 · 3:52 PM PDT

Las Vegas Aces players battle for a rebound.
The Las Vegas Aces have now won seven of 10, and are at +275 to win the 2019 WNBA Championship. Photo by Lorie Shaull (Wikimedia Commons) [CC License].
  • The Las Vegas Aces have won seven of 10 after starting the season 1-2
  • The Washington Mystics have won five straight by an average of 21.6 points per game
  • The Connecticut Sun are 2-1 against Washington this season and 1-0 versus Las Vegas

The Las Vegas Aces are 8-5 on the season – just one win short of the leaders in the WNBA – but their trajectory is what has them shooting up the WNBA Championship odds board. They’ve won seven of their last 10 games and now have the second-shortest odds of winning the title. Are they a good bet at this point?

2019 WNBA Championship Odds

Team 2019 WNBA Championship Odds
Washington Mystics +200
Las Vegas Aces +275
Connecticut Sun +350
Los Angeles Sparks +600
Phoenix Mercury +700
Minnesota Lynx +2000
Seattle Storm +2000
Atlanta Dream +5000
Chicago Sky +5000
New York Liberty +6600
Indiana Fever +8000
Dallas Wings +10000

*Odds taken 07/05/19

Aces On the Rise

The Aces have won seven of their last 10 games after starting the season 1-2. They’re a balanced team that’s getting good production across the roster as four players are scoring in double-figures.

My concern here is that when you start to drill down on their recent hot stretch, it’s clear that they’re beating some bad teams. None of their seven wins have been against a team that’s better than one game above .500. Worse yet, one of the losses was to Washington, who smoked them 95-72 in Las Vegas.

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It’s nice that they’ve climbed up to third place in the standings and the oddsmakers have shown them some respect – bumping them from +400 to win the Championship to +275 – but I’m not jumping on the bandwagon as of right now.

Mystics Have Been Impressive

The Washington Mystics are the top team in the league at 9-3 and are the favorites to win the championship. They’ve only lost three times, but two of the losses were to the Connecticut Sun, who are the second-best team in the league at 9-4. Also keep in mind that both games were at Connecticut.

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What’s notable about the Mystics is that they’ve been quite dominant in their wins. They have a per-game point differential of 13.6; no other team in the league has a number better than 4.5 (Las Vegas). Even then, they’re the only team above 2.7.

The Mystics have a per-game point differential of 13.6; no other team in the league has a number better than 4.5.

The Mystics enter Friday having won five straight and they’ve won those games by an average of 21.6 points per contest. Only one of their nine wins has been by less than nine points.

Connecticut Worth a Shot?

I’m up for taking a flier on a Connecticut team that’s looked strong to start the year. There’s some value with them right now as they’ve lost three in a row to fall to 9-4, and therefore dip in terms of the odds to win a championship.

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With Connecticut, the issue for them has been going on the road. This is a team that’s a perfect 6-0 at home, which means all of their losses have come when they’ve been away from home. All of the road losses have come to teams with a winning home record too, so it’s nothing to be ashamed about.

What I like about Connecticut is that they’ve beaten Washington twice already (2-1 against them) and they’ve also won their only meeting with Las Vegas. At +350, I’m willing to take a flier with them.

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