Two of the best teams in the WNBA will square off on CBS and Paramount+ on Saturday night when the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces host the first-place Minnesota Lynx. Both teams have already clinched playoff spots and are the only teams to do so. This is the third and final meeting between the clubs this season.
The Aces won a thriller back in June, while the Lynx cruised to a comfortable win last weekend. Whichever team wins Saturday's matchup will take the season series, which could be important for tiebreak purposes. Date: Saturday, Aug. 15 | Time: 8 p.m.
ETLocation: Michelob Ultra Arena -- Las Vegas, NevadaTV: CBS | Live stream: Paramount+Odds (via FanDuel): Lynx -2.5, O/U: 182.5 Tomorrow, two @WNBA powerhouses square off againThe @minnesotalynx take on A'ja Wilson and the @LVAces at 8 PM ET 📺 CBS | @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/ewN3pOgemd The Lynx have made it abundantly clear that their hot start this season without Napheesa Collier was no fluke. Now, the MVP runner-up in each of the last two seasons is back from offseason surgery on both ankles, and the Lynx are on track to clinch the No. 1 seed and homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. Winners of 13 of their last 14, they are now 28-7 and have a three-game lead on the Golden State Valkyries and a four-game lead on the Aces with nine games to play.
The Lynx do have the hardest remaining schedule in the league (average opponent winning percentage of .613), but it's going to be hard for either contender to catch them. A win over the Aces on Saturday would effectively end Las Vegas' hopes. Collier, who made her long-awaited season debut on July 22, has hit the ground running.
She's averaging 19.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.4 blocks on 52.2/48.5/82.6 shooting splits in her first eight games. Meanwhile, rookie sensation Olivia Miles has kept up her incredible play and Kayla McBride is putting up 22.8 points on absurd 53.1/50/95.2 splits since the start of July. Reigning MVP A'ja Wilson is well on her way to winning that award for a third consecutive season and a record-extending fifth time in her career, but she's gotten plenty of help in recent weeks.
Since the All-Star break, Jackie Young has matched Wilson's scoring while also leading the team in assists. In eight games since play resumed, Young is averaging 25.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists on 53.7/45.6/92 shooting splits. During that period, Young is third in the league in scoring and ninth in assists, and the Aces have a 118.9 offensive rating with her on the floor, compared to a 79.6 rating when she sits.
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