The Las Vegas Aces aren’t taking place that simply.
After becoming the first defending WNBA champion to fall behind 2-0 in a series, the host Aces responded with a 95-81 Sport 3 win over the New York Liberty. Sport 4 is scheduled for Sunday in Vegas at 3 p.m. ET.
All it took was a 17-2 run to finish the third quarter and energize a sold-out Michelob Extremely Enviornment crowd. After an in depth first half, during which neither crew constructed a lead of greater than 4 factors, the Aces clamped down on protection for 10 minutes. By the tip of the body, the Liberty had totaled six factors and dedicated 5 turnovers.
It was the lowest-scoring quarter for an opponent in Aces playoff historical past. New York had its starters out of the sport halfway via the fourth quarter, however the Aces’ stars stayed in for a bit longer. They exited up 90-68, with the message despatched.
Jackie Younger and Kelsey Plum led the way in which on offense for the Aces, with a mixed 44 factors, six assists and solely two turnovers, whereas A’ja Wilson saved trying just like the MVP with 19 factors and 14 rebounds.
After getting gashed in Video games 1 and a couple of, Vegas went out of its technique to cease Sabrina Ionescu from doing what she wished. Younger and Plum had been the first defenders, however they got all the assistance they wanted.
Little issues from the Aces protection vs. Sabrina Ionescu
-Stress to begin screens increased.
-Clark stays hooked up to Stewart, Hayes in early on the weakside. Gustafson in a drop however holds, Plum recovers
-Aces working to take the automated reads away. pic.twitter.com/EKc19lAQEj— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) October 5, 2024
Ionescu completed the sport with 4 factors on 1-of-7 capturing with 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 turnovers.
It was the sort of efficiency that makes you keep in mind how the Aces steamrolled the WNBA, and the Liberty, for the previous two seasons. It was a protection that appears like top-of-the-line within the WNBA and a well-balanced offensive assault — each led by the WNBA’s finest participant in Wilson — and a raucous crowd.
That present of power reframes the remainder of this sequence. The Liberty appeared like the higher crew in Sport 1, however Sport 2 acquired fairly uncomfortable towards the tip. The Aces smelled blood and got here up simply brief, then acted on it once more within the second half Friday.
They nonetheless want two extra wins towards a New York crew that hasn’t misplaced three straight video games all season, however the model of the Aces we noticed in Sport 3 positively appears to be like able to it.
