The New York Liberty are chasing a commanding 2-0 lead in their WNBA semifinal matchup with the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces when the best-of-five series continues Tuesday in Brooklyn.
Outside of a 3-3 score early in Sunday’s eventual 87-77 Game 1 win, New York led Las Vegas wire-to-wire in a rematch of the 2023 WNBA Finals. The Liberty overwhelmed the Aces with a swarming defense focused on limiting this season’s Most Valuable Player, A’ja Wilson.
Wilson scored 21 points Sunday on 9-of-16 shooting from the floor, but faced routine double- and triple-teams.
Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon said that both creating space for Wilson to operate, and Aces teammates getting to open spots for Wilson to pass when the defense collapses, will be critical.
“The best way is just keep the movement and keep the ball moving and let the ball naturally find who they’re cheating off of,” Hammon said, per the Las Vegas Sun. “It’s kind of everybody at different times.”
The Aces’ Kelsey Plum, who scored at least 23 points in three of the four games during last year’s Finals, opened this series in similar fashion. Her 24 points led the fourth-seeded Aces, but only one other Las Vegas player joined Plum and Wilson in double figures: Jackie Young with 17 points.
New York similarly leaned on a three-player rotation to carry the weight offensively in Game 1. Breanna Stewart dominated with 34 points, while Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones rounded out trio that was able to overcome the Las Vegas triple threat.
Ionescu scored 21 points and dished five assists, Jones had a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double, and the former two-time MVP Stewart was everywhere while shooting 12 of 19 (63.2 percent). Stewart had five rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked a shot to go with her game-high scoring total.
Stewart praised the Liberty’s connectivity as the top seed in the playoffs earned the Game 1 win. It was New York’s fourth straight victory over Las Vegas extending back to the regular season.
“It just feels like we have each other’s back, whether it’s offensively or defensively, (helping after a) mistake or not, we know where each other is going to be,” Stewart said.
–Field Level Media
