Mercury face the Aces on 6-game win streak
Associated Press
Las Vegas Aces (7-8, 3-6 Western Conference) at Phoenix Mercury (12-4, 6-4 Western Conference)
Phoenix; Sunday, 6 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Phoenix Mercury comes into a matchup against Las Vegas Aces as winners of six straight games.
The Mercury are 6-4 in Western Conference games. Phoenix is 1-1 in games decided by less than 4 points.
The Aces' record in Western Conference action is 3-6. Las Vegas has a 3-5 record against opponents over .500.
Phoenix averages 10.4 made 3-pointers per game, 3.1 more made shots than the 7.3 per game Las Vegas allows. Las Vegas averages 80.7 points per game, 1.7 more than the 79.0 Phoenix gives up to opponents.
The teams square off for the second time this season. The Mercury won the last matchup 76-70 on June 15. Satou Sabally scored 22 points to help lead the Mercury to the win.
TOP PERFORMERS: Sabally is averaging 19.6 points and 7.9 rebounds for the Mercury. Sami Whitcomb is averaging 10.7 points over the last 10 games.
A'ja Wilson is averaging 21.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, two steals and 2.8 blocks for the Aces. Jewell Loyd is averaging 2.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Mercury: 8-2, averaging 86.7 points, 34.4 rebounds, 21.1 assists, 8.6 steals and 3.2 blocks per game while shooting 44.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 81.7 points per game.
Aces: 4-6, averaging 79.2 points, 33.1 rebounds, 16.5 assists, 6.8 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 41.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 82.2 points.
INJURIES: Mercury: Alexa Held: out (chest).
Aces: Cheyenne Parker-Tyus: out (personal), Megan Gustafson: out (leg).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mercury's Satou Sabally shows ‘mutual respect' for sister following record-setting win
The post Mercury's Satou Sabally shows 'mutual respect' for sister following record-setting win appeared first on ClutchPoints. PHOENIX– In a record-setting night for the Phoenix Mercury, it was the second battle between sisters Satou and Nyara Sabally. Both have been exceptional for their respective teams. Advertisement Satou has been the main piece while players like Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper battled injury. Her tenacity, improved playmaking, and unicorn-like abilities truly show what she's capable of. On the other hand, Nyara is earning valuable rotational minutes. She's been a key contributor off the bench, and some of her sister's game and finesse. Following the 106-91 Mercury win, Satou finished with 25 points and six rebounds. Meanwhile, Nyara finished with 16 points and six rebounds. Satou explained how she keeps her competitive drive, even when going against Nyara. 'I mean, if I go light against her, that would be a disrespectful act,' Sabally said. 'So I'm gonna go hard, and she goes hard on me. I think it just shows mutual respect because we have to keep each other on our toes. Advertisement 'She had a great game against us today. Obviously, like that makes me happy when she makes her buckets, but it always makes me happier when we're up.' Satou and Nyara Sabally are essential for Mercury and Liberty As mentioned earlier, both players are exceptional for their respective squads. They've also showed improvements during the Summer Olympics as a part of the German Women's National Team. Both sisters had the inside-out presence, and showed their unique abilities. Passing, defending, shot creation, you name it. Satou and Nyara did everything they could. Now, in the WNBA, it's more of the same. Advertisement Nyara is paving her way with meaningful minutes. After Liberty center Jonquel Jones suffered an ankle sprain, the younger Sabally sister has had an increase in her minutes workload. On the other hand, Satou has carried her team's offense, but has also played seamlessly off Thomas and Copper. The blend of finesse and physicality is integral for what Phoenix has aspired, and successfully done thus far. Either way, both squads will meet twice more before the season concludes. As of now, the Mercury hold a 2-0 season series lead, something that no one thought would be possible. At that time, though, Nyara could continue to improve her game, and see a more meaningful impact. Advertisement Simulatenously, Satou could continue to be the unicorn that Phoenix has needed on all sides of the court. Related: Mercury one-ups franchise 3-point record after torching Liberty Related: How Sami Whitcomb's career is the 'blueprint' for Mercury rookies
New York Times
40 minutes ago
- New York Times
UFC 317 odds, predictions: Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira headlines an action-packed card
The UFC is set with one of the best cards of the year this weekend at UFC 317. Both the lightweight and flyweight titles are on the line. I'll be breaking down both of those championship matchups below, as well as one additional fight from the undercard, which has a ton of potential for action. If there are any other fights you'd like to chat about, please let me know in the comment section. Advertisement A new lightweight champion will be crowned Saturday as former featherweight king Ilia Topuria squares off with Charles Oliveira. Oliveira has held the lightweight strap himself until he lost it to Islam Makhachev in 2022. Makhachev has now chosen to vacate his own belt in a corresponding move and should challenge for the welterweight title later this year. What better way to fill the void than two previous champions doing battle, though it seems the public has chosen their favorite. Topuria, who is coming off back-to-back knockout victories against Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski, is currently a -500 favorite on BetMGM, which is an implied win rate of 83.3 percent. It's a heavy number for a fighter who has only competed at lightweight once. You could argue that Topuria's vicious knockouts over Holloway and Volkanovski are the superior betting indicators, especially as Oliveira can be hurt. Topuria will continue to use his boxing to close the distance and land mixed-level combinations once he can break into the pocket. He has immense KO power in that range, and it does seem likely that if he connects on Oliveira, Oliveira will go down. Additionally, Topuria holds a 92 percent takedown defense rate, and it's difficult to project Oliveira for much wrestling success. If he cannot take Topuria down and this is a striking affair, Topuria will carry more power and more moment-winning upside, which could easily be enough to carry him to a win and another highlight reel knockout. Oliveira is a record holder in the UFC for finishes and submissions, and there's no doubt he's an offensive threat. He's a dangerous muay-thai striker, with some of the best offensive Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) in the UFC today, and his wrestling is quite strong. One of my concerns for Topuria is that he fails to out-volume most of his opponents. But Topuria's five-round victory over Josh Emmett is a good sign that he can at least sustain volume and power over 25 minutes. In his other fights, Topuria has differentials of -3, -8, +4, -2, +8, +15 and -4. He has a negative differential on average throughout his past four. Advertisement Oliveira isn't a high-volume striker, but he is five inches longer and three inches taller, and should kick enough at distance to stay competitive. He might get hurt badly once Topuria closes the distance, but Topuria has been rocked badly before, too, and Oliveira certainly has KO upside of his own. My other concern for Topuria is that although his wrestling defense is good and his BJJ is very good, the one time he was taken down in the UFC, against Bryce Mitchell, he never got back up. Oliveira may not have sustained wrestling success, but he lands 2.25 takedowns per 15 minutes and has elite BJJ on top. He is likely the best and biggest wrestling threat Topuria has ever faced. Ultimately, I think Oliveira is a great test for Topuria, and as long as Oliveira remains conscious, I believe he will be competitive. Considering Oliveira has size advantages, and is very skilled in multiple areas, I do consider him a live underdog. I'm personally not betting Topuria at a big price, although I don't mind Topuria to win by TKO at -180 if you're looking for a prop to play. Oliveira at +360 feels reasonable on paper, but it's still a difficult matchup for him, and if I were to play it, I'd only consider a sprinkle. Pushing his way up the pound-for-pound list, Alexandre Pantoja has now won seven consecutive fights in the flyweight division, which includes four championships. He'll aim to make that No. 5 as he squares off with Kai Kara-France in the co-main event. This is a rematch of sorts as the two fought back in 2016 on the flyweight season of The Ultimate Fighter. Pantoja beat Kara-France two rounds to zero to advance, but it was so long ago that I don't put much stock in it. Though he's now 35 years old, Pantoja seems to be getting better and is clearly in his prime form, coming off a dominant submission win over Kai Asakura in December. Despite the finish, I think Pantoja's success has primarily stemmed from his offensive output and round-winning abilities. Advertisement Not only is Pantoja a high-volume muay-thai striker, but he's elevated his wrestling output and has been crushing on that front in recent matchups. At his peak, Pantoja has landed 125 significant strikes and nine takedowns, 95 significant strikes and eight takedowns and 129 significant strikes and six takedowns. Over the course of 25 minutes, that kind of output is going to be challenging to beat. I do think Pantoja has vulnerabilities. He's not a devastating knockout artist, and he's not the most physical guy in the division. He can be hit a lot. He can also be taken down. His ground control is a bit one-dimensional. However, that one dimension is a pretty important aspect, as Pantoja is one of the best back-takers in the sport. There, he can also threaten for the RNC. In order to beat Pantoja, you have to hurt him. You have to keep up with his pace. You have to outwrestle him. Over 25 minutes, he's going to be a tough out. Kara-France definitely carries enough power to make this interesting. He's coming off a devastating KO win over Steve Erceg, and we've seen him score big KOs on a few occasions. He's a good kickboxer, and his striking is his primary strength. He is a solid volume fighter, landing 4.56 significant strikes per minute, while absorbing 3.22 per minute with a 65 percent defensive rate. What stands out there for me, despite the power, is the 65 percent defensive number, where Pantoja only holds a defensive rate of 50 percent. If we get a stand-up fight here, Kara-France can win it. However, Pantoja still has hope. He lands just as much, if not more volume than Kara-France outright. Kara-France has been knocked out before and dropped by multiple opponents. Pantoja could hurt him, too. Over 25 minutes, I'd expect both guys would win rounds, and it would be a competitive affair in general. Advertisement On BetMGM, Pantoja is lined at -275, which is an implied win rate of 73.3 percent. You can get this line near -250 on other books, though. I'm not sure how much more value is on the bone at this price, but I consider Pantoja fairly safe to win, and I don't mind him as a parlay leg if that sort of thing interests you. One of the best fights on the slate is a potential No. 1-contender matchup between former title challenger Brandon Royval and Joshua Van in the flyweight division. I'm a huge fan of Van. I think he's on the path to becoming the champion of this division. He's still only 23 years old, but I consider him one of the best at 125 pounds already. Van is a super high-volume boxer who can build throughout a fight, which is a great recipe for breaking opponents. He's currently landing 8.20 significant strikes per minute, while absorbing 5.26 per minute with a 59 percent defensive rate. We've also seen him top out at 165, 156, 125 and 120 significant strikes over 15 minutes, which is elite. I think Van can compete with anyone in the division on the feet, and especially so over five rounds, which he hasn't had the chance yet to prove. This is only a three-round fight. Van is more vulnerable as a grappler. We've seen him lose via grappling on the regional scene, and we've seen him taken down in the UFC. I thought Rei Tsuruya had a really good chance to upset Van, but Van completely shut him down. After that performance, I have confidence in Van's defense. I've been less high on Royval than Van, but I also respect who he is as a fighter. Royval is a pace machine, too, so this fight has the makings for fireworks. Royval lands 4.46 significant strikes per minute, while absorbing 3.06 per minute with a 47 percent defensive rate. He topped out at 145 significant strikes landed against Brandon Moreno in 2024. Advertisement More importantly, it was Royval's willingness to spam strikes that won him the fight over Moreno. He attempted 510 significant strikes compared to Moreno's 211. That's more than 20 strike attempts per minute for 25 minutes. Granted, Royval missed most of them, landing at only a 28 percent clip compared to Moreno's 53 percent. But the judges barely know what's landing and what's not, so offensive output like that is still a huge positive. Additionally, Royval is an opportunistic grappler and has secured a handful of chokes throughout his career, including one over Kara-France in 2020. Royval is a dangerous offensive fighter. He spams a lot of strikes and can threaten in volume and is not easy to grapple with. I do personally favor Van because I consider Van to be far more effective as a striker. The way I see Royval winning is by keeping Van at distance, throwing lots of kicks and jabs and not allowing Van to close the distance. Once Van does close that distance, he should carry a major power advantage and should be able to land far more effectively. It still gives Royval openings. He could hurt Van, who was knocked out by Charles Johnson in the third round of their July matchup. He could potentially find a takedown and immediately lock up a submission. I think the most likely outcome is that we'll have some fun early exchanges, where Royval is competitive, but he simply cannot keep pace with Van, who eventually finds his range and starts to land the bigger shots. On BetMGM, this fight is lined as a near pick 'em with Van sitting at -120 and Royval priced at +100. I do think Van is a slight value at this number, and I'm willing to play him. My primary hesitation is that Van just fought in June, and a short turnaround may affect his performance. I don't focus on those narratives, though, as ultimately Van looked phenomenal in that outing and cruised to a TKO win. I think he is live for a TKO here too, but I'd much prefer the moneyline at near even money. Betting/odds links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Ilia Topuria: Angel Martinez / Getty Images)
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
UFC 317 betting tips & Topuria vs Oliveira best bets: Topuria & Pantoja to hit the jackpot in Vegas
Ilia Topuria to beat Charles Oliveira via KO or TKO - 8/13 William Hill Alexandre Pantoja to beat Kai Kara-France via submission - 11/5 Bet365 UFC 317 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this weekend, with Ilia Topuria facing Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title in one of the biggest fights of the year. Topuria vacated his own featherweight title earlier this year, setting his sights on the lightweight belt given up by reigning champion Islam Makhachev, and betting sites make him a heavy favourite to beat former champion Oliveira for the strap at 155lbs. Oliveira, who holds the record for the most finishes and submissions in UFC history, beat Michael Chandler in his last fight for a shot at reclaiming the lightweight title, while Topuria comes into the bout after two recent knockouts of featherweight legends Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway. In the co-main event in Las Vegas, Alexandre Pantoja takes on Kai Kara-France as the current flyweight champion looks to defend his title for the fourth time since winning it in July 2023. The lightweight division will see a new champion this weekend for the first time since 2022 as Ilia Topuria bids to become a two-weight champ, while Charles Oliveira will be looking to regain the belt he was forced to vacate that year. These are two talented fighters with skills both on the ground and with their hands, but it feels like the contest will be defined by Topuria's striking and Oliveira's ground skills. Topuria will likely look to keep the fight as a standing contest and catch Oliveira with combinations, while the Brazilian will be aiming for a submission victory. The problem for Oliveira is that in order to get a submission he will need to get dangerously close to a fighter who has proven to have excellent knockout power, and even if he does, Topuria's takedown defence of 92 per cent means the Brazilian could have a difficult time executing his gameplan. Fight result Best UFC 317 Odds Bookmaker Ilia Topuria Ladbrokes Charles Oliveira Bet365 In fact, Topuria has only ever been taken down once in the Octagon, when he fought Bryce Mitchell in 2022. Add to that his explosive punching and accuracy – perhaps most notably demonstrated in a knockout of Holloway last year – and it becomes clear that Oliveira will have a tough time winning this one. At 35, Oliveira has lost some of the athleticism he used to have and has proven to be susceptible to powerful punchers, which perhaps explain why UFC betting sites make the veteran such a long shot to win on Saturday. There's little value on several of the main markets in this one, so with that in mind we're going for Topuria to win via KO or TKO, which is offered at around 8/13 with Willian Hill. UFC 317 prediction 1: Ilia Topuria to beat Charles Oliveira via KO or TKO - 8/13 William Hill Flyweight belt holder Pantoja faces the fourth-ranked fighter in the division in the form of Kai Kara-France, with the New Zealander having beaten Steve Erceg at UFC 305 to earn his title shot. This will be Pantoja's fourth title defence, and the Brazilian is another heavy favourite on the night as he looks to add to a seven-win streak on Saturday. The 35-year-old has not lost since 2020, and stands out as the clear best in his division thanks to an all-round blend of punching power, wrestling skills and ability on the ground. This has helped him greatly in a division where few – if any – fighters have a standout single skill, with the Brazilian's elite jiu-jitsu perhaps standing out. Fight Outcome Best UFC 317 Odds Bookmaker Kai Kara-France William Hill Alexandre Pantoja 10bet Kara-France will look to land the win via striking, but Pantoja has proven that he has the ability to submit the division's best strikers, as he did last time out against Kai Asakura. And the New Zealander's losses to Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval – the latter of whom has been beaten twice by Pantoja in recent years – show that he is susceptible to counters from the division's more technical fighters, which could well be the case again this weekend. Pantoja has won 11 of his fights via submission and 10 via decision, with the remaining eight coming via KO or TKO. In terms of the method of victory, bookies have Pantoja to win by decision as 'most likely' at 15/8, but the better option may be on a submission win for the champ. UFC 317 prediction 2: Alexandre Pantoja to beat Kai Kara-France via submission - 11/5 Bet365 NetBet, one of the UFC's official betting partners, are currently giving away a free UFC bet as part of their sign up offer. New customers can currently bank £20 in free bets and 25 free spins from NetBet when they sign up, deposit a minimum of £10 and then wager £10 or more at odds of evens or greater on the sportsbook. Once the qualifying bets has been settled, NetBet will credit punters with £20 in free bets, broken up into the following denominations: 1 x £5 bet builder (any sport, min odds 1.1) 1 x £5 acca (any sports, min 3 legs, min odds 2.0 per leg) 1 x £5 horse racing free bet (min odds 1.1) 1 x £5 UFC free bet (min odds 1.1) NetBet are also giving away £2000 if anyone can predict the outcome of five fights at UFC 317, while there's the opportunity to boost the winnings on any UFC accumulators by as much as 50 per cent with the UFC acca boost. Bettors should always practice responsible gambling. When using gambling sites be aware that sports betting can be addictive. Please take steps to remain in control of your time and budget. The same applies whether you're using new betting sites, slot sites, casino sites, casino apps, betting apps, or any other gambling medium. Even the most knowledgeable punter can lose a bet, so always stick to a budget and never chase your losses. It's particularly important not to get carried away by any free bets or casino offers you might receive, both of which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution. You can stay in control by making use of the responsible gambling tools offered, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs. You may also want to visit the following free organisations to discuss any issues with gambling you might be having: NHS Help GambleAware Gamblers Anonymous We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
