Preview of Game 4 in the WNBA between the Phoenix Mercury and the Las Vegas Aces.
The Phoenix Mercury are close to making it to the WNBA Finals for the first time in seven years, with just one more win needed. Despite being ahead in the Western Conference Finals with a 2-1 lead, Arizona sports betting apps have deemed the Mercury as underdogs.
The biggest challenge they face is the No. 2-seeded Las Vegas Aces, who lost Games 2 and 3 to Phoenix following their six-point victory in the first game in Las Vegas.
The Mercury and Aces are set to compete at 7 p.m. Arizona time on Wednesday at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe. The game will be aired nationally on ESPN.
As of September 9, Arizona has officially legalized sports betting, allowing residents to wager on NFL games and WNBA playoffs.
Mercury pulls off upset in Game 4
The Mercury still need to complete some tasks to secure a victory in the best-of-five series at home on Wednesday night.
Sports betting operators in Arizona have listed the Mercury as 1.5-point underdogs in Game 4, according to Caesars, FanDuel Sportsbook, and WynnBET Arizona.
The odds for the Mercury differ depending on the operator, with Caesars Arizona and WynnBET both offering +105, while FanDuel Sportsbook has them at +100.
The Mercury-Aces game is not listed on BetMGM Arizona, but Phoenix is given +240 odds to win the 2021 WNBA title, making them the second favorite behind the Connecticut Sun at +180 odds.
The story of how we arrived at this point
The Aces suffered decisive losses to the three-time WNBA champions in Games 2 and 3, with the champions prevailing by a margin of 26 points in each game.
The Mercury dominated in their latest game with a commanding 87-60 victory on Sunday. They started strong in the first half, outscoring the Aces 46-31.
Brianna Turner’s outstanding performance in the game included scoring 23 points and grabbing 17 rebounds, leading the team to victory.
In the Mercury’s impressive win, only Turner and center Brittany Griner scored in double digits, with Griner leading the team with 18 points.
On Sunday, the Aces’ starting five struggled, with Liz Cambage as the sole Las Vegas starter to reach double digits by scoring 13 points in the loss.
The Mercury outshot the Aces on Sunday, boasting a shooting percentage of 44.3% compared to the Aces’ 30.9%. This victory gave the Mercury a 2-1 series lead heading into Game 4 on Wednesday.
The WNBA Playoffs have been a triumphant journey in Arizona.
A spokesperson from BetMGM stated that there is significant interest in WNBA Playoff betting among customers in Arizona.
The spokesperson stated that the operator, headquartered in Las Vegas, began operations in Arizona on September 9th, alongside six other operators, and has garnered notable support in the state during Mercury games.
A spokesperson told yengols.com via email that there is significant excitement among Arizona bettors when the Mercury are playing. In Game 3 on Sunday, half of all tickets for the game were purchased by fans from Arizona.
Craig Mucklow, the Vice President of Trading at Caesars Sportsbook, noted in an email to yengols.com that the Arizona Cardinals’ strong showing has had an effect on WNBA betting. Despite this, he expressed confidence that the market will rally behind the Phoenix Mercury for Game 4 on Wednesday.
In the email, Mucklow observed that the Cardinals’ success has been overshadowing the Mercury, but confidently predicted that the Mercury’s popularity will surge for the finals after their victory over Vegas.
WynnBET Senior Trader Motoi Pearson reports a steady rise in bets placed on Mercury games since the beginning of the WNBA Playoffs, suggesting a high level of interest from Arizona bettors.
Pearson informed yengols.com via email that there has been a surge in betting activity since the playoffs began. Since entering the Arizona market, there has been a significant uptick in wagers on the Mercury. Pearson expects the betting volume to increase further as long as the team remains in the playoffs.
Author
Peterson Christopher, with over seven years of experience covering sports and sports betting in Arizona, is now the lead writer at yengols.com. He has also written for ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly, and the Green Valley News in the past.
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