- The WNBA Finals matchup is set with the Las Vegas Aces meeting the Seattle Storm in the best-of-five series beginning Friday, Oct. 2nd
- The Aces and Storm were both 18-4 in the regular season, tying for the best record in the league and sharing the Western Conference title
- Get the odds, preview and best bet for the WNBA Finals below
The seeds have held to form in the WNBA Playoffs.
The top two teams will meet in the Finals, starting at 7 p.m. Friday (Oct. 2). The top-seeded Las Vegas Aces and second-seeded Seattle Storm square off at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., for Game 1 of the best-of-five series.
Seattle has been a wire-to-wire favorite in season long WNBA Championship odds, and that has changed with their opponent now locked in.
2020 WNBA Finals Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Las Vegas Aces | -380 |
| Seattle Storm | +250 |
With the opener taking place on Friday night, the series goes every-other-night until a potential Game 5.
2020 WNBA Finals Schedule
| Game | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fri., Oct. 2 | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| 2 | Sun., Oct. 4 | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| 3 | Tue., Oct. 6 | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| 4 (if necessary) | Thur., Oct. 8 | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| 5 (if necessary) | Sun., Oct. 11 | 3:00 p.m. ET |
Aces Taken to Limit
The Aces needed all five games to beat the Connecticut Sun in their semifinal series. They held on for a 66-63 victory over the seventh-seeded Suns on Thursday night (Sept. 29) in the decisive Game 5.
A’ja Wilson, the 2020 WNBA MVP, led the way for Las Vegas with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Angel McCoughtry added 20 points and Kayla McBride scored 10.
No debate here.
MVP @_ajawilson22 was the most presidential person on TV tonight. Leads her team to the @wnba Finals for the first time. @lvaces pic.twitter.com/v4QquspU9D— Holly Rowe (@sportsiren) September 30, 2020
The Aces got all 66 points from their starters. The bench was held to zero after averaging a WNBA-record 35 points a game in the regular season when Las Vegas compiled an 18-4 record.
Wilson was the top player in the series, averaging 21.8 points and 10.6 rebounds a game. McCoughtry (16.0 PPG) and Danielle Robinson (10.2) also scored in double figures.
Having Wilson could bode well for the Aces. Each of the last four league champions had the MVP on its roster.
Storm Are Well-Rested
The Storm swept the Minnesota Lynx in three games in the other semifinal series. Thus, Seattle will have four days off before opening play in The Finals.
Because the Strom had a bye into the semifinals, they went eight days between their regular-season finale and first postseason game.
📽️ ICYMI: Check out all of our highlights from today's series-clinching win over the @minnesotalynx 📽️#StrongerThanEver pic.twitter.com/d9sMqBtk9P
— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) September 28, 2020
While there is always a fear a team could be rusty in such a situation, the rest should certainly help star guard Sue Bird.
Bird is 39 years old and wrapping up her 17th season in the WNBA. She also missed 11 of the 22 regular-season games with a bone bruise in her knee.
In the sweep of the Lynx, Breanna Stewart averaged 23.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists a game. That was even better than her regular-season averages of 19.7, 8.3 and 3.6.
Jewell Loyd (17.1 PPG) and Bird (11.3 PPG) also scored in double figures in the semifinals. Loyd averaged 15.5 points a game in the regular season.
Missing the Finals
The Aces’ Dearica Hamby is out for the series because of a knee injury. That is a big blow as Hamby was the league’s Sixth Woman of the Year this season.
Hamby logged as many minutes in the regular season as most starters with an average of 28.3 a game. She was also the Aces’ third-leading scorer with a 13.0 average.
on a related note, i am *terrified* of what the storm would do to [redacted] in pick-and-roll, especially w dearica hamby out for the rest of the season
— Karens In Paris (@NekiasNBA) September 29, 2020
The Storm will be without guard Sami Whitcomb in the Finals. She returned to her native Australia to be with her wife for the birth of their first child.
Whitcomb was the Storm’s top scorer off the bench during the regular season, averaging 8.1 points in 16.5 minutes a game. She also played in all three games of the semifinals, scoring 5.0 points a game.
Head-to-Head History
The Storm and Aces met twice in the regular season at the “The Bubble” in Bradenton on their way to tying for first place in the Western Conference.
The Aces won both games, notching an 82-74 on Aug. 22 and prevailing 86-84 in the season finale Sept. 13. Las Vegas was favored by two points each time.
Wilson led the Aces with 23 points and 14 rebounds in the first game. That helped her team overcome a big effort by Stewart, who had 29 points and 18 rebounds.
Robinson scored 16 points off the bench for the winners and McCoughtry added 13 points and 14 rebounds.
Also scoring in double figures for the Storm were Natasha Howard (16), Alysha Clark (11) and Jordin Canada (10).
The Storm hung tough in the rematch, even though Bird and Stewart missed the game with injuries. Loyd helped pick up the slack with a game-high 30 points and Clark had 16.
Wilson and Hamby led the Aces with 23 points. Robinson chipped in with 13 and Kayla McBride finished with 10.
Picking a Winner
As evidenced by their identical regular-season records, the Aces and Storm are evenly matched.
However, the Storm has been the better team during the playoffs. They are also more rested, a key factor in the latter stages of the season.
Also, it would not be wise to discount what Hamby’s loss will mean to the Aces.
While Seattle lost twice to Las Vegas in the regular season, look for the Storm to turn the tables in The Finals.
The Pick: Seattle Storm (-380)
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