The Aces had lost five of six games and were mired in a six-game losing streak against the spread before beating Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever 89-81 on Sunday at T-Mobile Arena.
Their WNBA title odds shot up to double digits during their recent slide, which started with a shocking 95-68 loss to the expansion Golden State Valkyries on June 7 as 12½-point favorites. It’s the highest their title odds have been since their inaugural season in Las Vegas in 2018.
The Aces (6-7, 4-9 ATS), who won back to back WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023, were as high as 20-1 long shots at the Westgate SuperBook to win it all before settling at 18-1 after Sunday’s victory.
The New York Liberty are +120 favorites to repeat as WNBA champions, followed by the Minnesota Lynx (+220) and the Fever (5-1). The Aces are tied for the fourth choice with the Seattle Storm, followed by the Phoenix Mercury and Atlanta Dream at 20-1.
“I raised the Liberty a bit after having them lose three of four and losing (center) Jonquel Jones for four to six weeks,” Westgate WNBA oddsmaker Jeff Sherman said. “Minnesota keeps winning and they have a two-game cushion in the No. 1 spot, so I had to lower Minnesota a bit.
“I had room to lower some teams and with the Aces’ win over the Fever, I slightly lowered them.”
The Aces entered Tuesday as the eighth and final playoff seed.
“As poorly as they’ve been playing, I don’t know where things are going to change for them to compete with teams at the top, especially in a multi-game series,” Sherman said. “If they have to look up at teams like Seattle or Phoenix, or even Atlanta, those will be tough early series games for this team. They’re putting themselves in a poor spot with this play.”
Three-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson recently missed three games after suffering a concussion June 11 during the Aces’ 97-89 home loss to the Los Angeles Sparks as 9-point favorites. Sherman noted Wilson, guard Jackie Young and point guard Chelsea Gray combined to score 75 of their team’s 89 points in that game.
“The Aces just got three total points from their bench,” Sherman said. “The bench is worse than last season.”
Sherman also said guard Jewell Loyd has been a downgrade from guard Kelsey Plum after the Aces acquired Loyd for Plum in a three-team trade this offseason. Loyd is averaging 11.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, while Plum is putting up 20.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game with the Sparks.
“Jewell Loyd isn’t playing like they thought she’d be playing, production-wise, when they made the trade with Plum and her,” Sherman said. “This core four here (of Wilson, Young, Gray and Loyd), I don’t think anyone views them as a big threat like they used to on the Aces of a few years ago.”
The Aces will be heavy home favorites over the Connecticut Sun (2-12) on Wednesday before hosting the Washington Mystics (6-8) on Thursday.
“They only have a 44-game season,” Sherman said. “If they don’t go on a streak from this point forward, they’re going to have a very difficult path through the playoffs.”
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.
WNBA title odds
At Westgate SuperBook
Liberty +120
Lynx +220
Fever 5-1
Aces 18-1
Storm 18-1
Dream 20-1
Mercury 20-1
Valkyries 150-1
Mystics 250-1
Sparks 250-1
Wings 500-1
Sky 1,000-1
Sun 2,000-1
