The Seattle Storm and the Las Vegas Aces came into the 2021 season as the favorites to reach the WNBA Finals again in a rematch of last year’s championship series. As the season reaches its midpoint, the two teams have only solidified their positions as the squads to beat this year.
The Storm hold the WNBA’s best record at 12-2, with the Aces (10-3) just 1.5 games back.
Storm match WNBA record for road wins
Seattle recently wrapped up a 5-0 road trip. That allowed the franchise to match a WNBA record by winning 14 straight road games, including both regular season and playoff contests. On Thursday, they hit that mark with a 79-69 win over the Indiana Fever.
“With this team, we’re just growing every step of the way, happy with our effort and just happy to be going home with a successful road trip,†Storm coach Noelle Quinn told reporters.
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Storm as the +225 favorites to win the 2021 WNBA Championship. That puts them just ahead of Las Vegas, which stands as a +275 pick to take the title.
| WNBA Odds – To Win Championship (via DraftKings Sportsbook) | |
| Seattle Storm: +225 | Las Vegas Aces: +275 |
| Minnesota Lynx: +600 | Connecticut Sun (via FanDuel): +700 |
| Chicago Sky: +700 | Washington Mystics: +800 |
| Phoenix Mercury: +1400 | New York Liberty: +2500 |
| Dallas Wings: +3000 | Los Angeles Sparks: +3000 |
| Atlanta Dream: +10000 | Indiana Fever: +20000 |
The Aces also played their last game on Thursday, blowing out the New York Liberty at home by a 103-76 margin. Las Vegas showed off its depth, extending its lead in the second quarter even as both A’ja Wilson and Liz Cambage sat on the bench.
“When we’re able to get stops and then play in transition, it makes a lot of things very easy,†point guard Chelsea Gray told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We’re getting paint touches and we’re getting fouls called, and we’re kicking out for threes. Everything is flowing.â€
Jones, Stewart battling for MVP honors
The Connecticut Sun sits atop the Eastern Conference standings at 9-5. While DraftKings doesn’t currently list the Sun on its board, FanDuel Sportsbook rates Connecticut as a +700 choice to win the WNBA Championship.
Meanwhile, the WNBA MVP race is turning into a two-woman contest. Connecticut forward Jonquel Jones is making a case as the early favorite after sitting out the 2020 season. Jones is averaging a career-best 21.6 points per game along with 10.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocked shots. She’s also shooting from deep more, and making them at her best rate ever: she’s hitting at a .489 clip from three-point range.
| WNBA Odds – MVP Award (via DraftKings Sportsbook) |
| Jonquel Jones: +100 |
| Breanna Stewart: +160 |
| A’ja Wilson: +600 |
| Jewell Loyd: +800 |
| Napheesa Collier: +1200 |
That’s been enough for DraftKings to install Jones as the +100 favorite to win the WNBA MVP award. Her main competition comes from 2018 league MVP Breanna Stewart. The Seattle forward is once again dominating for the defending champions, scoring 21.1 points per game and grabbing 10.1 rebounds a night. Stewart currently sits as the +160 second choice for MVP, ahead of A’ja Wilson (+600) and Jewell Loyd (+800).
