One thing you don’t ever want to do is give the Las Vegas Aces some breathing room in the WNBA playoffs. Liberty is up 2-1 in W semi-finals. A win and they go on to the finals. A loss and well, who knows…
Well…. That didn’t go as planned.
Instead of an away-from-home celebration for making it to the WNBA Finals, the Liberty were reminded why the Aces are the (two-time) defending champions. It is hard to win on the road, and unfortunately, the Liberty will have to make another attempt to win in the hostile Las Vegas environment Sunday afternoon in order to take a step forward in their journey to making it to the top.
Injuries
None to report for the Liberty.
Kiah Stokes (head injury) has been ruled out.
Where To Follow The Game
Catch the action at 3:00 PM sharp on ABC.
The Game
In Friday night’s matchup, the Liberty looked like a defeated team when playing in the second half. Whether it was the numerous travel calls called against Sabrina Ionescu and Courtney Vandersloot, or the 13 straight missed threes, the Liberty could not compete against an Aces team who looked like a rejuvenated squad in front of their home crowd. Even with how great and determined the Aces played, the Liberty was their own worst enemy, falling victim to the pressure of knocking off a champion in straight and letting their frustration get the best of them. This will need to change this afternoon, as the Aces will not go away. They didn’t win championships in 2022 and 2023 by giving up easily.
Players To Watch
Chelsea Gray played a beautiful game. Even with only 10 points, the passing she displayed girt on her 7 assists was just masterful. More specifically, that wrap around pass in the pick and roll for a layup on the first pass was genuinely the best pass I have seen this past year, she was that good. Just like our last preview, we have her again as a player to watch because of how important she is in Aces wins. When she is in her groove, the Aces are successful. If she can play with the energy and showmanship she has shown, the Liberty will be in trouble. A’ja will do her thing of course and Kelsey Plum will get her buckets, and talk while she is at it.
For the Liberty, Sabrina will be the player to watch. Though we’ve seen her get blitzed off of the pick and roll a million times, Ionescu was having trouble last game getting her shot off, not getting a single point until late in the second half as Becky Hammon went physical on the Liberty guard. Some off ball action will be good for her, as it will not only throw the defense off, but it will allow Ionescu to get some clean looks instead of worrying about dancing on the court just to launch a 30 footer at the end of the shot clock.
From the Vault
We don’t have to go back very far — Game 1 — to remind ourselves of what the Libs can do when everything is going according to plan. Breanna, Sabrina, Jonquel, Betnijah and Leonie need to get back to that and fast.
More reading: Las Vegas Review Journal, Las Vegas Sun, Swish Appeal, The Strickland, The Local W, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Athletic. Fansided, Just Women’s Sports, SI All Knicks, Winsidr, Her Hoop Stats, CBS Sports, and The Next
- New York Liberty Game Notes – New York Liberty