By Dan Behringer for LVSportsBiz.com
Bam, that was easy.
Laying five points on the road vs. the Phoenix Mercury on Friday night, the Las Vegas Aces cruised to a win in their first game of the WNBA season, 106-88.
The Aces led 54-32 at halftime, and the final score easily went over the total of 174.
“We took care of business,” forward A’ja Wilson told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “This is just the beginning, we have a lot to grow and learn from one another, but this is huge, to get (coach) Becky (Hammon) her first win.”
Wilson had 15 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Dearica Hamby led the way for the Aces with 24 points. Notably, Phoenix was missing Brittney Griner as she nears the three-month mark of her detention in Russia.
High scoring was the rule on opening day in the NBA. Three of the four games went over the total, including the Los Angeles at Chicago game which saw 13 points in overtime and went over the total by 34 points. But both totals went under on Saturday, including Atlanta’s 66-59 win over Dallas game that saw only 25 points scored in the third quarter and the total go under by 34.5 points.
In their second game of the season Sunday vs. the Seattle Storm, the Aces covered -4.5 in an 85-74 win. They needed big differentials in the first and fourth quarters to overcome a weak third quarter in the win. Wilson scored 20 points, and she and Hamby posted double-doubles in the win.
But the total went under 177 by 18 points. It was one of two unders in the three games played on Sunday. So, if you spot a trend on totals in the young season, let us know.
The Aces (2-0) next face the Washington Mystics (2-0) on Tuesday.
At Covers.com, the Aces are +115 to win the WNBA championship.
Elsewhere:
— UFC mayhem: Charles Oliveira went off as a -140 favorite vs. Justin Gaethje on Saturday night despite missing the weight by a half-pound and being forced to vacate his lightweight title belt. Oliveira had opened at -155 and several locales had him at -180 or higher in the weeks before the main event at UFC 274 at Footprint Arena in Phoenix.
Oliveira won by submission in the first round.
“He’s the guy,” UFC President Dana White told reporters at the post-fight press conference. “He didn’t make weight. We have rules. He didn’t make the weight (we heard you the first time, Dana). The belt is vacant but I’m sure in the minds of the media and the fight fans, Oliveira is the champion. But technically, he is the number one contender now.”
CBS Sports noted that White was conspicuously absent from his customary role of strapping the UFC title around the winner’s waist after the win.
— Boxing upset: Dmitry Bivol upset Canelo Alvarez in their WBA light heavyweight title fight Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. The money moved steadily toward Alvarez in recent weeks and closed at around -550 with Bivol +400 on the buyback. Bivol rewarded ‘dog bettors with a win by unanimous decision.
Alvarez told The Associated Press afterward in the ring he wanted a rematch with the Kyrgyzstan-born Russian champion. Bivol: “No problem.”
— Reds scare: The woebegone Cincinnati Reds won another baseball game on Sunday as -120 favorites. Nothing too remarkable about that except it was only their fifth win of the season and third in the last 24 games.
But in fact, the Reds took two out of three from the Pittsburgh Pirates over the weekend. At 5-23, the Reds are dead last in the standings at TeamRankings.com with a 17.9 win percentage and an average -2.8 margin of victory (or in this case, margin of defeat). That last number might be notable for run-line bettors.
In fact, in their previous series vs. the Milwaukee Brewers, the Reds lost three straight with each loss coming on the money line, the run line and the alternate run line (-2.5 runs). One of those losses was an 18-4 drubbing on Wednesday.
If you have any kind of futures ticket on the Reds, you probably know what it’s worth.
— Laugher of the week: The Golden State Warriors were -7 vs. the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. But after trailing 28-26 after the first quarter, the Warriors overwhelmed the Grizzlies en route to a 142-112 victory. That was a cover by 23 points. And the total went over by 32.5 points. Square (and sharp) bettors parlaying the favorite and the over surely were laughing all the way to the window. Oddsmakers have moved the number to Warriors -10.5 for Monday’s Game 4. The total is 223.5.