Atlanta Dream vs Las Vegas Aces: Prediction, Injury Reports and Possible Starting 5 for Tonight’s WNBA Matchup

The Las Vegas Aces (4-1) will continue their road-game journey by meeting the Atlanta Dream (3-2) next. Except for one unexpected loss against the Mercury, the reigning champions seem to be doing just fine and are currently on their 2-win streak. However, their star performer A’ja Wilson believes that they have work to do. It holds correct as they try to take on the home of the Dream running at 1-1 on their home turf.

Hence, with a fine matchup soon to be in the books for all the fans at College Park, Georgia, let us see who all are expected to take the court.

Injury Report and Starting Lineup

The Aces will continue to miss their damaging hoopers as Chelsea Gray is out of the picture due to her lower leg injury. Kierstan Bell too might not participate in the next game. However, their injury status read GTD. Hence, it will be according to the game whether Becky Hammon will want them to take the floor or not.

On the other hand, the injuries will shorten the depth of Atlanta. Their second-best scorer Allisha Gray might not be joining the starting five tomorrow. She is currently facing a left thumb injury and is on the GTD status. Moreover, Jordin Canada is completely out for Friday’s game due to hand issues.

The starting five for the Las Vegas Aces will be their trusted group. These are A’ja Wilson, Alysha Clark, Kelsey Plum, Kiah Stokes, and Jackie Young. The hosts will be bringing out Cheyenne Parker, Tina Charles, Rhyne Howard, Aerial Powers, and possibly Haley Jones, will substitute for Gray.

Out of the available lot, there will be certain players that both teams will watch out for in the upcoming contest.

Players who can make an impact

For the back-to-back champions, it’s their kingpin A’ja Wilson who is the flag bearer. The 2023 WNBA Finals MVP is leading the scoring chart currently with a per-game average of 26.2 while shooting her field goals at a 49.5% efficiency. Moreover, she is spearheading the team’s defense as well by grabbing rebounds at the rate of 13.2 per contest. The hosts will have to deal with the play-making abilities of Jackie Young as well. The dynamic No.0 is the top distributor in the squad currently dishing out 8.2 assists each time she steps inside the court.

On the other hand, the Dream also possesses a certain set of ballers who can trouble the opposition on any given day. Leading their offensive numbers is the team’s No.10 Rhyne Howard. As it turns out, she is the team’s leading scorer with 95 points in 5 games which amounts to an average of 19 per game. Handling the defensive side is the 35-year-old center Tina Charles who can grab around 9.4 rebounds against any team. Meanwhile, the assisting responsibilities can be vested in Haley Jones who can produce 4.2 assists in each game.

With both teams having their own group of trusted ballers, who holds the upper hand before jump ball?

Prediction for Las Vegas Aces vs Atlanta Dream

The matchup predictor provided by ESPN favors the defending champions over the home team. As per its numbers, Las Vegas holds a 65.7 % probability of ending up on the winning side. Despite having the home advantage, Atlanta fans can hope that their franchise can help surge the remaining 34.3% and turn the tides in their favor.

The predictions may give Aces the upper hand but there is no denying that Atlanta can’t be taken lightly. On their day, they have the firepower to dictate the terms of any contest in their favor. As for the Aces, they’ll just need to make full use of their current momentum.

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