Missing injured star Chelsea Gray, the Aces have lost three straight games for the first time under Becky Hammon, who has been Las Vegas' head coach the past three seasons. 

Clearly, the Aces are in stop-the-pain mode. Hammon is the best coach in the WNBA in my view. I'm confident she'll have the Aces ready for this matchup. I don't see them losing for a fourth consecutive time. 

Phoenix has upgraded its roster and coaching staff from last year's 9-31 disaster. The Mercury are improved. But they are far from elite. They are what their 6-6 record says they are - a .500 team. 

The Aces are dropping down in class after losing, 100-86, to Minnesota at home this past Tuesday. The Lynx are one of the top-three teams in the league right now. 

Even without Gray, the Aces still are the No. 3 scoring team in the WNBA and second-best free throw shooting team. A'Ja Wilson is the most dominant player in the league. Wilson, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young give the Aces the three best players on the court. 

The Aces have gotten a boost from rookie spark plug Kate Martin and veteran Tiffany Hayes, who came out of retirement to join the Aces and is getting more comfortable with each game. She still brings something. 

Phoenix has gunners in Kahleah Cooper and ageless Diana Taurasi. But the Mercury ranks third-from-last defensively. The Aces are going to get their points here. The key question is can the Aces' defense be good enough for them to cover this mid-range number? I'm betting it will be after Hammon expressed her extreme unhappiness following the loss to Minnesota.