Washington Mystics at Las Vegas Aces Predictions, Picks, and Odds for Aug. 11

The reigning champion Las Vegas Aces enter tonight’s matchup with the Washington Mystics sitting at 25-3, a historic regular season team roughly three-quarters of the way into the season.

Things have not gone quite the same for the Mystics as injuries have hampered them since the opening weeks of the year.

Washington is 2-7 with the worst point-differential in the league post-All-Star-Break, struggling mightily on both ends of the ball. Understandable given injuries to their stars and key players, but notable considering that they will be far from full strength tonight.

PREDICTION

The Aces, on the other hand, are 6-1 over the same time frame with the second-best net rating. Coming off of a disappointing loss to the Liberty, Vegas blasted a good Wings team from start to finish in Dallas, scoring over 100 points for the seventh time this season.

Washington still plays strong defense with the personnel to get stops at a high level, but with such limited offensive output (10th post-ASB), their defense has struggled to keep up (10th post-ASB).

The Aces have instilled a habit of course-correcting after losses, sharpening their strengths, ironing out their weaknesses, and putting the hurt on opposition after rectifying their mistakes in practice.

Score Prediction: Aces 97, Mystics 81

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Aces lead guard Chelsea Gray is amidst a phenomenal season, on pace to finish with a vaunted 50/40/90 efficiency clip. Gray has been on another level over her last 5, scoring 18 points per game, dishing 7 assists per game, and shooting with 54.5/52.6/90.9 splits, unreal efficiency in any sense, but particularly considering how difficult her shots can be.

The Mystics have their hands full with the best starting lineup in the W, but Gray is the player I’m most curious to track in this matchup.

While the Mystics have dealt with a ton of injuries, Tianna Hawkins has stepped up in the frontcourt and produced in a career year. Over her last five, Hawkins is averaging 13.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game on good efficiency while shooting 37.5% from deep. She’s got a knack for timely plays and can prove a difficult matchup for frontcourts due to her skillset. 

HOW TO WATCH

The Las Vegas Aces will host the Washington Mystics at 10 p.m. ET on Friday, August 11th, 2023 at Michelob ULTRA Arena. You can watch the game on ION TV through cable and on WNBA League Pass.