Aces vs. Valkyries Game 2 WNBA Odds, Prediction and Picks: Can Vegas Answer After Game 1 Loss?

The Las Vegas Aces look to even their semifinal series on Wednesday when they visit Chase Center for Game 2 against the Golden State Valkyries, who stole home-court advantage with a 71-60 win in Game 1 on Sunday.

A’ja Wilson managed just 24 points on 8-of-21 shooting with a season-low four rebounds in that opener, and the third-seeded Aces were held to their fewest points in more than a year while getting outrebounded 52-25.

It’s a stunning reversal: Las Vegas swept the regular-season series 3-0 by a combined 34 points, and Wilson bookended a three-game first-round win over Indiana with 38 points in the opener and 36 in the series-clinching Game 3. The second-seeded Valkyries, by contrast, are riding the high of the first playoff series win in franchise history after eliminating Dallas, with Gabby Williams emerging as the breakout story of their postseason.

Making matters worse for Becky Hammon’s club, the injury report keeps growing. Jewell Loyd left Game 1 early with a left leg injury and has no official update for Game 2, joining Stephanie Talbot (leg) and Dana Evans (knee) on the sideline, while forward NaLyssa Smith is out for the season. Tip-off at Chase Center is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET, so let’s dive into my Aces vs. Valkyries preview.

​Las Vegas Aces vs. Golden State Valkyries WNBA Odds and Betting Trends

Golden State opens as a 1.5-point home favourite, priced at roughly -125 on the money line with Las Vegas at +105. The total sits at 158, with both sides carrying standard -110 juice.

Game 1 finished well under that number at 131 combined points, a product of a Vegas offence hamstrung by injuries and a Golden State defence that allows the fewest points per game of any team left in the postseason. The season series tells a different story, though: the Aces beat the Valkyries three times during the regular season, winning by 19, five, and 10 points.

Las Vegas Aces

Wilson remains the WNBA’s reigning MVP and leading scorer at 26.2 points per game in the regular season, and she’s been even better in the playoffs, averaging a league-best 30.0 points. Game 1 was the exception, not the rule: her 38.1% shooting was the third-worst mark of her season, and Golden State’s Kiah Stokes made her work for every look inside.

Chelsea Gray added 16 points off a steady floor game in the opener, but the larger concern is depth. With Loyd’s status uncertain and Talbot, Evans and Smith already sidelined, Hammon will again be leaning almost entirely on her core trio of Wilson, Gray and Jackie Young.

Golden State Valkyries

Williams had the best game of her playoff career in the opener, posting 25 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists on 9-of-18 shooting for her first career postseason double-double, a huge jump from her 14.4-point regular-season average. Stokes added 14 rebounds and 4 blocks, and the Valkyries bench outscored the Aces’ reserves 27-7, led by Kaitlyn Chen’s 11 points.

Golden State’s defence, which ranks first in the league in points allowed, set the tone by grabbing a franchise-high 52 rebounds, including 17 on the offensive glass. The crowd at Chase Center will be a big boost too, even with coach Natalie Nakase working her way back from a brief sideline scare in the first round that she and the team have since called a non-issue.

WNBA Prediction: Who Will Win Las Vegas Aces vs. Golden State Valkyries?

Best Bet: A’ja Wilson Over 25.5 Points (-110)

Wilson has gone over this number in seven of her last 10 games and is averaging 30.0 points in the playoffs. A rough shooting night in Game 1 is more likely to mean heavier usage than less, especially with the Aces’ bench stretched thin, and Golden State hasn’t shown it can slow her down without fouling her all night.

Final Score Prediction: Valkyries 74 | Aces 78