- With four teams remaining, the Las Vegas Aces are betting favorites to win the 2023 WNBA Championship.
- The Aces are significant favorites to defeat the Dallas Wings in the WNBA Semi-finals.
- A’ja Wilson overtook the New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart in the final week of the regular season to close as the favorite for league MVP.
As we approach the WNBA Semi-finals, the 2023 WNBA Championship odds continue to favor the Las Vegas Aces. The Aces entered the season as a +115 favorite to win back-to-back WNBA titles. According to the latest WNBA Championship odds, at BetUS, the Aces are -160 to win the championship trophy.
Becky Hammon’s squad dominated the Western Conference en route to a regular season record of 34-6. The Aces finished with a 12-game advantage over the second-place Dallas Wings.
They wrapped up the regular season on a four-game winning streak and then swept the Chicago Sky in a best-of-three series to reach the WNBA Western Conference Semi-finals.
The Aces’ opening-round playoff series against the Sky wasn’t close, in the least. After an 87-59 win, the Aces pummeled the Sky for a 92-70 victory in Game 2. The Aces’ performance solidified their position as the betting favorite to repeat as champs.
A year ago today we won our first-ever @WNBA Championship and brought the first major professional championship home to Vegas 🏆#ALLINLV pic.twitter.com/67fzQO3h79
— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) September 18, 2023
Aces Expected To Boat Race The Wings
Oddsmakers at online betting sites do not foresee the 2023 WNBA Western Semi-finals being a competitive series. Currently, the Aces have a series price of -1100 to beat the Wings.
At -1100 odds, the defending WNBA champs have an implied probability of winning the Western Conference title of 91.7 percent. There aren’t many people giving the Wings much of a chance in this best-of-five series.
It isn’t anything new for the Wings. They were big underdogs going into this season. In May, the Wings had +3300 odds to win the 2023 WNBA Championship.
Now, the Wings’ WNBA Championship odds sit at +2500, which is the worst of the teams left in the playoffs. They had little issues with the Atlanta Dream to open the playoffs.
The Wings looked sharp in two double-digit wins to sweep the Dream. However, it wasn’t good enough in the eyes of oddsmakers, as they’re not expected to make this a competitive series.
After the Aces and Liberty, there isn’t much money coming in on the Wings or Connecticut Sun. The Wings are +2500 while the Sun are +2000 to capture the WNBA title in 2023.
Aces and Liberty Split Regular Season Series
All attention is on the Aces and Liberty in the WNBA Semi-finals. The WNBA odds heavily favor the Aces and Liberty reigniting their rivalry in the 2023 WNBA Championship.
New York has -400 odds to make it to the championship round. While the Aces ran the Western Conference, the Liberty did the same in the Eastern Conference. Hammon’s former team went 32-8 to put them two games off the pace of the Aces.
It was an evenly played series between the Aces and Liberty in the regular season. The Aces won two games, while the Liberty won three games. Although, New York has had the upper hand recently.
The Liberty have won two of their previous three meetings, including the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup Championship on August 15.
Jonquel Jones was in impressive form, as she scored 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in the win. Meanwhile, Marine Johannes was efficient from deep, with five three-pointers and 17 points.
The Liberty have been getting production across the board in the playoffs. Four players averaged at least 18.5 points per game in a first-round sweep of the Washington Mystics.
A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart Battle Down Stretch For MVP
The 2023 WNBA MVP odds did not overwhelmingly favor Wilson or Stewart in the final days of the regular season. Wilson was able to close as a small favorite over Stewart for the WNBA’s top individual honor.
After a red-hot final week of the season, Wilson edged ahead as a -110 favorite to win the MVP. Earlier this month, Stewart held the best MVP odds at even money.
Stewart was the most prized free agent in the WNBA this past year. The Liberty were able to attract her to New York, where she turned the franchise around and set a single-season WNBA points record with 861.
In her first season with the Liberty, the 29-year-old native of North Syracuse averaged 23 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. Conversely, the Aces’ Wilson notched 22.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.
Stewart and Wilson are on a collision course for one final duel at the 2023 WNBA Championship.
