Sabrina Ionescu posted 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as the New York Liberty — helped by the injury absence of Aces star A’ja Wilson — rallied to defeat visiting Las Vegas 87-78 on Tuesday night.
Wilson, a three-time WNBA MVP, was injured with 4:13 left in the second quarter. She drove to the left of the hoop and was fouled by Leonie Fiebich. In trying to break her fall, Wilson injured her right wrist and did not return for the second half.
She finished with just two points and four rebounds.
Kennedy Burke and Ionescu pulled off back-to-back three-point plays to cap a 10-0 run that let the Liberty flip a two-point deficit into an 80-72 lead in the closing minutes.
The Aces got a team-high 19 points from Jackie Young and 16 from reserve Dana Evans.
New York received 15 points apiece from Breanna Stewart and Fiebich. Stewart added seven rebounds and five assists. Fiebich had nine rebounds and three blocks — both game highs.
For Ionescu, it was her third straight game with at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.
The game was a battle between the two most recent league champions. Las Vegas won WNBA titles in 2022 and 2023. New York won its first championship last season.
New York (13-6) has won six straight regular-season games against Las Vegas. Despite the win, the Liberty are just 4-6 over their past 10 games.
Las Vegas (9-10), relative to its pedigree, has struggled all season and dropped three of its past five.
New York led 19-16 after one quarter, but Las Vegas went into halftime on top, 42-40. Young made a layup with one second on the clock for the narrow lead.
The Liberty used a 10-2 run to pull ahead at the end of three quarters, 62-60, and New York carried on that momentum in the fourth.
Neither team shot the ball particularly well. New York shot 42.9 percent from the floor, including 7-of-27 on 3-pointers (25.9 percent). Las Vegas made 41.0 percent, including 7-of-26 on 3-pointers (26.9 percent).
But the Liberty found an advantage on fastbreak points (17-7) as well as paint points (38-32).
–Field Level Media
