Charlie Cummings breaks down his pick and prediction for Wednesday\u2019s game between the Atlanta Dream and the Las Vegas Aces.<\/p>\n
Does it get more exciting than the stretch run of this WNBA season? Playoff spots are changing hands by the day. Seeding across the board will come down to the last few games. The Las Vegas Aces and the Atlanta Dream go into this game tied for the second seed in the playoffs. The stakes speak for themselves, and it\u2019s going to be a star-studded affair.<\/p>\n
The Dream are 2.5-point favorites at home and hold -142 odds on the moneyline<\/a> on DraftKings Sportsbook<\/a>. The total is set at 162.5 points. Let\u2019s examine the best bets and predictions for this Aces\u2013Dream matchup.<\/p>\n Aces vs. Dream prediction, pick<\/p>\n Exactly one month ago, this matchup wouldn\u2019t have carried the same weight. The Dream looked like one of the best all-around teams in the WNBA, while the Aces sat on the playoff bubble. Then, coach Becky Hammon made one change that altered the course of the season.<\/p>\n On July 27, Jewell Loyd came off the bench for the first time. Her debut season in Las Vegas had gone poorly, and something needed to change. And change it did. At the time of the move, the Aces were 12-13 and rapidly sinking. Since then, they\u2019ve won 13 of 14 games, and ride an 11-game winning streak into this one. It\u2019s been nothing short of a historical turnaround. From playoff hopeful to the second team to clinch a postseason spot, hot streaks like this are rare, even in Vegas.<\/p>\n It worked to the benefit of everyone offensively. Loyd went from 10.4 PPG on 36.3% shooting to 12 PPG on 41.8% shooting. Jackie Young\u2019s field goal percentage went from 43.8% to 49.7% while her assists per game increased from 4.1 to 5.8. Most importantly, A\u2019ja Wilson is going beast mode on a nightly basis. She posted 22 PPG on 47.9% shooting before Loyd went to the bench. Since then, she\u2019s gone to 24.7 PPG on 50.6% shooting.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no wonder the Aces have taken off. But the Dream are not to be discounted.<\/p>\n Atlanta has the only starting lineup where all five players average double-digit PPG. All five players can defend extremely well, starting with an exceptional defensive frontcourt in Brionna Jones and Brittney Griner. Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard are fierce on the perimeter, while Jordin Canada more than holds her own despite her lack of size. <\/p>\n They also have Naz Hillmon cooking off the bench, who is the current favorite to win 6th Player of the Year<\/a>. Maya Caldwell and rookie revelation Te-Hina PaoPao round out a great bench. You can make a strong argument that this is the deepest team in the WNBA. Plus, coach Karl Smesko is absolutely cooking with this roster.<\/p>\n I love this action from the Atlanta Dream under new head coach Karl Smesko, where they twirl the pin-down out of Delay to set up a UCLA screen for the big. pic.twitter.com\/OjJQbwshBI<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Drew Munley (@Drew_Munley14) June 16, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Despite all the good concerning Atlanta, this Aces team is far too hot to be picked against at the moment. And at plus money, I\u2019m taking them all day.<\/p>\n