The Seattle Storm lost Game 1 against the back-to-back champion Las Vegas Aces in brutal fashion. Seattle now faces elimination because of its historically awful fourth-quarter performance, in which it scored just two points and didn’t make a single field-goal attempt.
Can the Aces send the Storm packing?
Check out my WNBA same-game parlay for Storm vs Aces Game 2, which can be seen live on ESPN at 9:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, September 24.
WNBA Same-Game Parlay for Storm vs Aces
- Skylar Diggins-Smith 6+ Assists (-172)
- Skylar Diggins-Smith Under 1.5 Made Threes (-225)
Parlay Odds: +126 on FanDuel
Skylar Diggins-Smith 6+ Assists (-172)
Las Vegas turned up the heat defensively and shut down Jewell Loyd to the tune of six points on a mere eight field-goal attempts. It was an ugly opening game, and there shouldn’t necessarily be supreme confidence in a Game 2 explosion.
Loyd has struggled mightily with her outside shooting all season, and Las Vegas’ defense thrives at protecting the paint. The Aces also possess the guard defenders to throw at Loyd. Seattle’s offense may pivot, at least a small degree, because the Aces are well equipped to limit Loyd.
Taking the under on the All-Star’s points prop is tempting, but she’s not shy about entering shot-chucker mode. Sheer volume could easily get her over the finish line despite poor efficiency.
Therefore, I’m taking Skylar Diggins-Smith to record six or more assists. She picked up some of the offensive slack in Game 1, scoring 16 points and tallying eight assists.
Seattle’s offense is hardly championship-caliber and desperately needs the playmaking boost that Diggins-Smith can provide. I expect the Storm to hand over more offensive responsibility and run their offense through Diggins-Smith at a slightly higher rate.
Finally, her track record against Las Vegas is perfect. She averaged 7.6 assists per game and notched six or more assists in all five matchups this season. Additionally, the veteran has hit this line in 25-of-41 games (60.9%) this season.
Skylar Diggins-Smith Under 1.5 Made 3s (-225)
It’s been a tough season for Diggins-Smith. During the regular season, she shot 29.1% from 3-point territory on 3.4 attempts per game, which translates to about one made 3 per game. In other words, the high-volume and efficiency boxes are both unchecked.
I expect a playmaking bump for Diggins-Smith in Game 2, but I don’t see the long-range scoring getting there. She understands that her best contributions will be setting up teammates and carving up Las Vegas near the free-throw line — the soft spot of their defense. High-volume 3-point shooting only plays into the Aces’ hands.
Diggins-Smith has gone under 1.5 made 3s in 30-of-41 games this season.
