Tag: Las Vegas Aces

The NBA is reportedly following the WNBA’s lead with a midseason tournament and fans should embrace it

The W is setting the tone for the NBA once again

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What’s good, family? It’s Sykes, once again, here with another edition of Layup Lines. A quick word on the potential of a midseason tournament for the NBA.

There seems to be a legitimate possibility that the NBA finally adds a much-discussed midseason tournament to its regular season, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

The NBA and NBA Player’s Association are still in discussions for the meat and potatoes of it, but the framework seems to have been decided. Here are the details:

  • The tournament games will play through November with all 30 teams participating.
  • 8 Teams will make a single-elimination final in December while the other 22 teams continue their regular schedule.
  • All games included will be part of the regular 82-game schedule with one extra game for the two finalist teams at the end.

If all goes well, this would reportedly start as soon as the 2023-24 NBA season. Essentially, we’re one season away from a midseason tournament.

Now, I know what you’re probably thinking. This is a little too weird, right? What’s the point? Nobody asked for a midseason tournament — just for the regular season to be shorter.

I totally get all that. But hear me out — this isn’t a bad idea!

The thing about regular season games is that they haven’t felt like they’ve actually mattered as much for years. The season is too long and there are too many games that feel like they come with no stakes.

This tournament adds stakes. It gives us drama. The players will have some incentive to play in this thing and there are a ton of possibilities as far as what that incentive could be.

Maybe it’s a locked in playoff spot or maybe it’s an extra $10 million in cash for the winning team to distribute. There will be some opportnuity of value attached to this and that’ll make it interesting.

If you’re skeptical, look no further than the WNBA. Last season the league institutded the Commissioner’s Cup as their midseason tournament and the results have been fantastic. The games are competitive, fun and the winning team gets a bonus check in the end which is great for their pockets.

Players were skeptical in the beginning at first in the W as well. It was confusing, as DeWanna Bonner pointed out to SportsNet Canada last year.

“At the beginning of the season, nobody really knew exactly what was on the line,” Connecticut Sun forward DeWanna Bonner said on Monday after her team’s practice. “Leading up to it, many players didn’t know what it was and what games counted.”

That’s changed though. The perception is different just two seasons in. It’s fun! Players enjoy it. The Las Vegas Aces won the cup this year and had a blast with it.

This is the sort of fun and excitement the NBA’s regular season needs. And fans should be here for it. It’s good to see the NBA learning a thing or two from the W here. Let’s hope it continues to push the league forward.

The Tip-Off

Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.

(Alyssa Pointer/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Our Bryan Kalbrosky got a chance to catch up with Shaq and they talked about a bunch. Among the subjects was his brilliant documentary on Lucy Harris, Shaq never having a resume and NBA 2K.

But what was most interesting to me was the advice he gave to his son, Shareef O’Neal, as he begins his NBA journey. It just seemed to sweet.

“Man, it was good. I set high standards like what my father set for me. He’s working hard. Of course, being an O’Neal kid, everyone thinks his journey is going to be like mine. But I tell my kids all the time: “I’m an Amazonian that walks through the jungle. I’m crazy. Your path will never be like my path. You’ll have to choose your own path. However you’ll make it, you’ll make it.” He decided to go early. He had a good summer league and he will be in the G League. He still has a chance to fulfill his dream.”

That’s some good dad-ing, man. You love to see it. Check out the rest of the interview here.

One to Watch

(All odds via Tipico.)

Aces (-5.5, -250) vs. Sun (-+5.5, +200) O/U 169.5, Sept 10 @ 12 Noon ET

Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

The stakes are incredible in these WNBA Finals. Both these teams are seeking redemption after failures on the biggest stage from 2019 and 2020. A’ja Wilson is trying stack that trophy case even more but the Sun really seemed to catch their stride defensively against the Sky. This is going to be tough, but I’m taking a fired up Aces team -5.5 in Game 1.

Get ready for an exciting series, folks.

Shootaround

— The most improved ratings on NBA 2K23 this year

—The extremely weird reason Breanna Stewart might not play in the WNBA next season

—A complete rookie rating guide for NBA 2K23 

— JR Smith thinks he and a bunch of other players have been blackballed from the NBA

That’s a wrap folks! Enjoy the weekend.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).

Chelsea Gray is having one of the most incredible playoff runs ever for the Aces

The Las Vegas star is doing things we’ve literally never seen.

Welcome to Layup Lines, our daily NBA newsletter where we’ll prep you for a tip-off of tonight’s action, from what to watch to bets to make. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every afternoon.

In case you missed it, the Las Vegas Aces advanced to the WNBA Finals on Tuesday night with a Game 4 win over the Seattle Storm. They overcome a halftime deficit and 42(!) points by Breanna Stewart to earn the 3-1 series victory and put a bow on the legendary career of Sue Bird, who had her own awesome moment.

At the center of it all was point gawd Chelsea Gray, continuing what has truly been one of the greatest playoff runs in WNBA history. Reminiscent of her Game 3 overtime heroics, Gray hit clutch bucket after clutch bucket in the fourth quarter, including the 3-pointer that broke a tie with around one minute left and the next basket to push the lead to five with 30 seconds left.

Gray finished the game with 31 points on 13-of-22 shooting, six rebounds and 10 assists, becoming the first player in WNBA history with 30 points and 10 assists in a playoff game. And that’s just the tip of what she’s doing this postseason.

Through six games and two series, Gray is averaging 24.0 points on 62.6% shooting from the field and 59.5% from three. She’s also averaging 7.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals. No one has been that efficient while scoring that many points and averaging that many assists in the short history of the W. According to The Sporting News, her 74.7 effective field goal percentage would be the highest of any player to average 20 points in a postseason.

All this is coming from Vegas’ fourth-leading scorer during the regular season! Now, the Aces await the winner of Game 5 between the Chicago Sky and Connecticut Sun on Thursday. And with a large thanks to Gray, they look very much the part of the favorites they’re supposed to be.

The Tip-Off

Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.

Federico Gambarini/dpa via AP

The WNBA playoffs aren’t the only hoops action happening right now. The group stage of EuroBasket 2022 is nearing a conclusion, and Luka Doncic put on an absolute show Wednesday against France to clinch the top spot in Group B for Slovenia.

His 47 points were the most in a EuroBasket game in 65 years. The 3-pointer that gave him 45 came over the outstretched arms of Rudy Gobert (who got him back later with this massive dunk). But the highlight of the game was an unbelievable one-handed three Doncic hit over Gobert in the first half.

And before you go calling it luck, my colleague Bryan Kalbrosky wrote that it’s not the first time the Mavericks star has pulled this off:

“Doncic, who scored 22 points in the first 14 minutes of the game against France, finished the first half with 27 points on 8-for-12 from the field and 5-for-8 from beyond the arc.

None were more impressive than the one-handed, running fadeaway jumper that he hit as the shot clock expired. It’s almost too much to comprehend.

But one aspect that makes it easier: Doncic has made a similar shot before. During his final game for Real Madrid before declaring for the 2018 NBA Draft, he made a comparably unfathomable field goal.”

Hey man, Doncic was already a problem. But if he’s gonna start making one-handed, running threes, we can all just pack it up.

Shootaround

— Speaking of Slovenia, one of the team’s players was injured on a tip-off after landing on a ref.

— NBA 2K23 ratings are beginning to leak out, and Klay Thompson made it clear he’s NOT happy about his 3-point rating. Kevin Durant simply wants to know why he’s not a 99.

— Bronny James shared some pictures of himself in Ohio State’s uniform, and fans loved it.

— Check out this awesome story of why people wear those tie-dyed Lithuanian basketball shirts at Grateful Dead shows.

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See the amazing moment A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces found out she won WNBA MVP

“Shots on A’ja!”

A’ja Wilson just finished playing 161 of a possible 165 minutes in the semifinals series between the Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm. Her stellar Games 2 through 4 helped earn the team a spot in the 2022 WNBA Finals and earned herself a few days extra days of rest.

While she rests, she’ll get to stare at some additional hardware.

On Wednesday afternoon, the WNBA officially announced A’ja Wilson as the winner of the league’s 2022 MVP Award. She averaged 19.5 points and 9.4 rebounds across 36 regular-season games while also leading the W in blocks per game and leading the Aces to the No. 1 seed in the standings.

Wilson and her teammates, however, found out about the award a bit earlier. And their locker room celebration looked absolutely epic.

Wilson received 31 first-place votes to edge out Breanna Stewart (23) for the award.

Wilson’s trophy room is getting crowded.

With Wednesday’s announcement, she is now a two-time WNBA MVP (2020, 2022), a Rookie of the Year (2018) and a Defensive Player of the Year (2022). Of course, Wilson is also a gold medalist as an Olympian, a John R. Wooden Award winner and a national champion, amongst many other things.

The only way the resume gets better is with a WNBA championship, which Wilson and the Aces are three wins away from.

Could more hardware be coming soon? We’ll know by the end of the month.

The Las Vegas Aces have -220 odds at Tipico Sportsbook to win the title.

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The basketball world showered Sue Bird with love after her final game and it was so awesome

Sue Bird got the sendoff she deserved from Storm fans after her final game

Sue Bird definitely didn’t go out the way she wanted to.

The Seattle Storm couldn’t eke out just one more win against the Aces in Game 4. Breanna Stewart’s 42 points weren’t enough to overcome 31 points and 10 assists from Chelsea Gray along with A’ja Wilson’s 23 points and 13 rebounds. The star-studded performances were everywhere on Tuesday night.

But when the final buzzer sounded, at least for a moment, it didn’t feel like any of those numbers mattered anymore. The series was over, and so was Sue Bird’s career.

Bird announced that this would be her final season at the beginning of the year, no matter where it ended. She didn’t win her final game, but she may have gotten something a bit sweeter.

After the final buzzer when things were all said and done and Bird, waved goodbye to her fans.

She did her final interview and everyone erupted in “Thank you, Sue,” chants. And, immediately, the emotions flared up for Bird.

“It has been my honor to play for this franchise, for these fans. I mean, I don’t know what else to say.” 

What a moment, man. A very well-deserved sendoff for a future Hall of Famer. Soon after, everyone showed Bird love, from some of her peers to her fans and everything in between.

The internet kept the party going.

A’ja Wilson’s rebounding prop is one of a few WNBA bets to make ahead of Tuesday’s Game 4s

Will there be a Game 5?

Just when you thought the WNBA playoffs couldn’t get any more interesting, a pair of Game 3s left the basketball world speechless over the weekend.

A little over 48 hours later, we’re all set to run it back. If Aces-Storm or Sun-Sky is anything in Game 4 like they were in Game 3, we’ll be in for a treat.

So much is on the line. Can A’ja Wilson or Chelsea Gray deliver another wild performance to lift the Aces to the WNBA Finals, or will Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart force a Game 5? Is Candace Parker going to deliver Chicago to consecutive Finals appearances, or will reigning MVP Jonquel Jones have something to say about that?

Game 4, ladies and gents — here are the players to bet on.

A’ja Wilson wins 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, with more hardware up for grabs

Can this be the first of a busy award season for A’ja Wilson?

A four-time WNBA All-Star, 2018 WNBA Rookie of the Year and 2020 WNBA Most Valuable Player, A’ja Wilson already has quite the resume as a fifth-year player.

She now gets to add to the list of accolades.

On Tuesday afternoon, the league officially named Wilson the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year award winner.

Wilson led the W in blocked shots and anchored a middle-of-the-pack Las Vegas Aces defense throughout the season en route to a finish atop the regular-season standings.

The South Carolina native earned 20 of the 56 total votes to narrowly beat out Alyssa Thomas (14) and Breanna Stewart (13) for the 2022 DPOY honor.

While Wilson will happily take ownership of the award, the prize money and the slick-looking piece of hardware, there’s more out there for her to get.

Las Vegas is three wins away from a WNBA Finals berth, and six wins away from hoisting the championship trophy for the 2022 season, which would be her and the Aces’ first. But after a rough game opening game of the semifinals for Wilson and the Aces, they find themselves down 0-1 in their series with the Breanna Stewart and the Seattle Storm.

The battle between the Aces and Storm is highlighted by the Wilson-Stewart matchup, who are both widely assumed to be the two leading candidates for the soon-to-be-announced 2022 MVP award.

So, Tuesday’s award could be one of a few for Wilson this summer. We’ll have to wait and see how many she ends up with.

(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)

The Las Vegas Aces have +210 title odds at Tipico Sportsbook.

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The Las Vegas Aces playing the Seattle Storm looks more like an All-Star game lineup than a playoff series

The Aces vs. Storm series is going to be WILD

Welcome to Layup Lines, our daily basketball newsletter where we’ll prep you for a tip-off of tonight’s action, from what to watch to bets to make. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every afternoon

What’s good, family? It’s your boy, Sykes, bringing you another edition of Layup Lines. Let’s chat a bit about the incredible basketball we’re about to see.

On Sunday, the WNBA is blessing us with one of the best playoff series that we might see on a hardwood court — anytime, anywhere in any league.

The Las Vegas Aces are suiting up at home against the Seattle Storm and this is going to be one for the ages.

The stakes are there, obviously. This is a rematch from the 2020 WNBA Finals in which the Storm had their way with the Aces. But this is a chance for revenge for Vegas as they try to make it back to the Finals.

Put all of that aside for a second, though. We need to recognize how much talent is actually going to be on the court for this series. A handful of the best remaining players in the playoffs will be on the court here.

There will be 3 MVPs on the court between A’ja Wilson (2020), Breanna Stewart (2018) and Tina Charles (2012). On top of that, Seattle collectively has 29 All-Star appearances and 23 All-WNBA appearances between Sue Bird, Jewel Lloyd, Stewart and Charles.

The Aces aren’t slouching much, either. They’ve got current All-Stars on their roster in Wilson along with Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum. All 3 of them will likely be All-WNBA selections this year as well. Let’s also not forget that Stewart and Wilson are MVP front runners this year.

This is going to be epic, y’all. We couldn’t have asked for a better series heading into the Finals. Don’t miss this one. You’ll be missing history if you do.

The Tip-Off

Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.

Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

Speaking of Sunday’s matchup, our Cole Huff put together an excellent preview of the Semi-Finals to get you brushed up on everything you need to know with betting odds, analysis and more. The playoffs have been epic already, but they’re getting ready to get even better.

“Each series provided its hint of suspicion, including Vegas nearly trailing an undermanned Phoenix Mercury in the fourth quarter of Game 1, the Sky and Sun surviving win-or-go-home games on the road, and the Storm putting away a sneaky longshot-favorite in Elena Delle Donne and the Mystics.

But when the dust settled, all four of the higher-seeded teams were left standing. And as we roll into the semis, the action is only going to get better.”

Cannot wait, y’all.

Shootaround

Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

— The two best players in the NBA going right at it in FIBA World Cup qualifying play? More please.

— It sucks that Chet Holmgren will be missing time this year, but he’ll be just fine. History tells us that.

—Dawn Staley thinks she’d have a ton of success on the NBA level and it’s hard not to agree with her.

—Vanessa Bryant got a big win for Kobe and Gigi on Thursday. Good for her.

That’s all, folks. Enjoy the basketball this weekend!

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA).

2022 WNBA Semifinals Preview: Odds, analysis and picks for Aces-Storm and Sky-Sun

Final Four!

What a heck of an opening round of postseason basketball we just witnessed.

Each series provided its hint of suspicion, including Vegas nearly trailing an undermanned Phoenix Mercury in the fourth quarter of Game 1, the Sky and Sun surviving win-or-go-home games on the road, and the Storm putting away a sneaky longshot-favorite in Elena Delle Donne and the Mystics.

But when the dust settled, all four of the higher-seeded teams were left standing. And as we roll into the semis, the action is only going to get better.

Can the Aces and Sun make it to the Finals to amend for their disappointing semifinal exits a year ago? Or will the Sky and Storm make it back to the finals for a shot at another title?

All odds via Tipico Sportsbook

WNBA Bets: A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum should be key in the Aces covering Game 2 spread

Aces -17.5? That’s a lot of points.

All four of the higher WNBA seeds are now clicking and looking like they’re in comfortable control of their playoff futures, following the Chicago Sky’s dismantling of the New York Liberty on Saturday afternoon to even the series.

And as Saturday evening approaches, the Las Vegas Aces can be the first team to punch their ticket to the semifinals.

For Becky Hammon’s squad to advance, the task is simple — win. And with the Phoenix Mercury suffering another blow to the lineup, there’s really no excuse for A’ja Wilson and Co. not to put Game 2 away relatively quickly.

Odds via Tipico Sportsbook

Game line bet: Aces -17.5 (-120)

Without having watched, you could look at the final score of Wednesday’s Game 1 between the Aces and Mercury and conclude that Vegas’ 16-point margin of victory came easily. But that honestly wasn’t the case.

Inexplicably, the Aces struggled for much of the game to pull away from the Brittney Griner-Dianna Taurasi-Skylar Diggins-Smith-less Mercury. Chelsea Gray ultimately had a fourth-quarter takeover take the Aces’ lead from four to as many as 18 in a matter of minutes.

The Mercury, now without the Shey Peddy due to a torn Achilles in Game 1, are somehow running even lower on bodies and production. On top of Phoenix’s bad luck, I’d assume A’ja Wilson won’t shoot 2/11 from the field and be held under 10 points again, which makes a Las Vegas blowout win highly probable.

(Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports)

Player prop bets: Kelsey Plum – O 20.5 pts (-114), A’ja Wilson – O 9.5 rebs (-146)

We’re running it back with Plum and Wilson’s props since we had success with them in Game 1.

Let’s keep it simple — Kelsey Plum is a bucket. She averaged more than 20.0 points per game during this past regular season and scored 22 in the opening game of this series. The only thing that would stop her from a repeat performance of this round’s opening game is a lopsided score that leads to fewer-than-usual minutes from Plum.

A lopsided score could also cause A’ja Wilson’s stats to be quieter than usual, but you just take the chance. But it shouldn’t be too difficult for her to get to double-digit rebounds, regardless.

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W Bets: Bet big on the Aces and Sky as home favorites, as A’ja Wilson, Kahleah Copper deliver on props

Playoff season is here and it’s time to bet.

Today is the big day!

The WNBA’s 2022 playoffs are slated to begin this evening with a pair of Game 1s. With the league’s new playoff format, gone are the days of the top two seeds getting double byes and avoiding the single elimination rounds.

Instead, the Las Vegas Aces (1) and Chicago Sky (2) will have first-round, best-of-three series against the Phoenix Mercury (8) and New York Liberty (7), beginning tonight.

In case you have the urge to get some bets in, we’ll walk you through some of the best wagers to make ahead of Wednesday’s opening games, including game lines and player props.