Let’s dive in to the WNBA 2020 Playoffs Aces vs. Sun Best-of-Five Series.
No 1. Las Vegas Aces vs. No 7. Connecticut Sun
Las Vegas Aces
After a triumphant regular season in getting the top seed with an 18-4 record, Vegas remains the favorites to win this series. The biggest factor in their success is the newly crowned league MVP, A’ja Wilson. In just her third year, Wilson is dominating her team like a true veteran. The addition of Angel McCoughtry has elevated the Aces play with the veteran skills that McCoughtry brings to the table.
The Aces also have a big bench contribution from the reigning Sixth Woman of the Year, Dearica Hamby and Jackie Young. They are the only team with two bench players averaging in double figures. Even with Liz Cambage and Kelsey Plum out in their lineup, Bill Laimbeer had made an amazing team out of the pieces available. Hence, a deep post-season run is indeed expected in the league-leading team.
Connecticut Sun
Being the number seven seed, Connecticut Sun had to grind their way up to the semi-finals round. Beating the Chicago Sky in the first round, then went on to defeat the Los Angeles Sparks just two days ago. So far, they have been the most impressive playoff team in the running. The unmatched duo of DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas has been doing most of the damage.
In their match up with both Sky and Sparks, they managed to shut down the other team’s offense with their high-intensity defense. Their ability to take away playmakers like Courtney Vandersloot and Chelsea Gray to make plays for their teams is such a significant factor in their wins so far.
Players to watch
A’ja Wilson and Dearica Hamby
There is no surprise that A’ja Wilson will be the one to lead her team to a possible championship run this year. With her averaging 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2 blocks a game, Aces would need to run every play by her whenever possible. There are not many players who can guard someone as skilled as her. In the regular-season meetings, she scored 21 and 24 points against the Sun.
Though Aces need to match up the frontcourt Bonner and Thomas, Dearica Hamby would need to play big in this match up. Not only to match up the size that Sun would be parading. But also the huge energy she gives to her team. In their last regular-season game, Hamby dropped 23 points to take down the Seattle Storm. A big game like that would boost the Aces’ chances to defeat the Sun, especially the trend of Connecticut shutting down the other team’s guards.
DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas
DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas have led the charge for the Sun in the playoffs. Thomas is averaging 23.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.5 assists while Bonner is averaging 20.0 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals a game. They are the biggest factor in the two post-season games of the Sun. So far, no team have come up with a solution in trying to slow down this frontcourt.
Brionna Jones has also made her presence felt, averaging 11.0 points and 8.0 boards for her team in the postseason. A third scorer would be crucial for the Sun as the Aces have a lot of offensive weapons that could get hot in a hurry.
Prediction
With the way the Sun have been playing for the past two games; it is hard for anybody to count them out just because they are facing the top-seeded Aces. A team with such intensity as them, even a high offense team as Las Vegas could be slowed down. Even though the Aces swept the season series with the Sun, this could be a highly competitive series that could really go either way.
The key to Connecticut is to lessen their turnovers. The Sun are 10-1 this year when they commit fewer than 13 turnovers. Against the Aces, the Sun had 16 and 22 turnovers, respectively. If the Aces would get their defense tight; they would most likely succeed in this matchup for the WNBA 2020 Playoffs.
Pick: Las Vegas Aces
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