Can the Aces stifle the Storm in Seattle?

Specifically, Chelsea Gray’s return has been a game-changer after being injured during last year’s WNBA Finals. With their point guard and key defender back, the Aces have transformed into a different team.

Since Gray’s return, the Aces have gone 7-1 straight up and 6-2 against the spread, boasting a league-leading 14.8 net rating.

This mirrors the dominant Las Vegas team of the past two seasons. The team is expected to repeat and become the first WNBA three-peat champions since the Houston Comets.

Despite early struggles, the Aces maintained their defensive principles. They focus on preventing transition baskets and shots at the rim, forcing opponents to outshoot them, which is difficult.

Seattle Storm

This poses a challenge for the Storm. Although they have elite players, they rely heavily on bigs Ezi Magbegor and Nneka Ogwumike, who excel inside the arc.

Jordan Horston has potential, but her shooting remains unproven.

Jewell Loyd has been creating many of the outside shots for Seattle, but she’s off to a career-worst start from downtown at 26.7%

The Storm have performed exceptionally well at home this season.

Considering that this is a mid-afternoon game and they have had the chance to rest at home (Seattle has played its previous few games at home, avoiding travel for several days), their home-court advantage should be significant.

Storm-Aces Best Bet

The Aces have honed their defensive strategy to shrink the floor against teams with limited shooting, a tactic they effectively used against the Storm on June 19.

With Gray back in action, this strategy has only improved, posing a significant challenge for the Storm.

Given the Aces’ current form and the Storm’s shooting struggles, I’d pick Las Vegas to cover the 4.5-point spread on Wednesday afternoon.