The New York Liberty took on the Las Vegas Aces in a Finals rematch. For those who were living under a rock, these two teams met each other in the 2023 WNBA finals. The Aces won the series 3-1, capturing their second straight championship.
In the first meeting of the season, the Liberty were without Courtney Vandersloot. Sabrina Ionescu moved to the point guard spot and Kayla Thorton was inserted into the starting lineup. The Aces were without Chelsea Gray, putting Alysha Clark in the starting lineup.
Game Recap
The Aces started the game on a 6-0 run before Jonquel Jones got her team on the board by hitting a three pointer. The Liberty then went on a 22-8 to extend their lead. During the run, Aces got sloppy with the ball and had some miscommunications on defense.
Jones scored 11 points in the first quarter, shooting 3/3 from three. The entire team shot ⅞ from three. Las Vegas was able to cut into the deficit by going on a 10-2 run. They eventually tied the game before New York quickly answered with a 7-3 run.
After going scoreless in the first quarter, Kelsey Plum scored 14 points in the second quarter on 100% FG and hit a three to retake the lead on a 10-2 run. The Liberty once again answered with their own run to close out the first half.
Las Vegas began the second half on a 10-2 run, with half of those points coming from A'ja Wilson. She was getting it done on both ends of the floor, and that seemed to be working for the Aces. But once again, New York showed why their offense is so lethal.
They went on a 20-5 run. During that run, the Aces went almost five minutes without a field goal. They did not score again until the 1:47 mark thanks to a three-pointer by Kate Martin.
New York began the fourth quarter on a 14-4 to extend the lead, and they were simply too much for the Aces.
The Liberty beat the Aces 90-82, improving to 13-2. Jonquel Jones led the team with 34 points (career-high) and eight rebounds. Sabrina Ionescu finished with 15 points and 10 assists. Breanna Stewart finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Betnijah Laney finished with 12 points.
Kelsey Plum led the Aces with 22 points, followed by A'ja Wilson with 21 points and nine rebounds. Alysha Clark finished with 13 points, Jackie Young with 10 points, and Kiah Stokes led the team with 12 rebounds.
Facing Adversity
Last season, the Aces finished with a 34-6 record including a 19-1 record at home. This season, they already have six losses with three of them happening on their home floor. Not having Chelsea Gray to start the season has hurt the Aces on both ends of the floor.
"We don't have an edge and we have not had it since day one in training camp," said Becky Hammon in the postgame. Despite their struggles, Hammon believes that her team can turn it around and that they have the roster for it. She emphasized that it starts on the defensive end.
The Aces may not be the same dominant team as they were last season, but at the end of the day, they are the defending champions. Once Chelsea Gray comes back, it will be a scary sight for the rest of the league.
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