A’ja Wilson explains how the Aces-Liberty rivalry will help bring new fans to the WNBA
Aces star A’ja Wilson talks about the budding rivalry between her team and the New York Liberty, and why it will help the league as a whole.
The Las Vegas Aces are one win away from winning back-to-back WNBA championships.
The Aces dominated the New York Liberty 104-76 in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on Wednesday in Las Vegas, handing New York back-to-back losses for the first time this season. The Aces remain undefeated during their postseason run and have not lost since the Liberty defeated them on Aug. 28.
“We know what’s on the line. We had to come out a take care of home court,” said Aces center A’ja Wilson, who finished with a game-high 26 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal. “This is something we’ve been working on … this is what we do. For us to execute at this time, it’s really cool.”
Wilson, who finished third in MVP voting behind New York’s Breanna Stewart and the Sun’s Alyssa Thomas, earned MVP chants as the Aces closed in on their second consecutive blowout win over the Liberty.
“You got to respect it,” Wilson said. Head coach Becky Hammon added, “Third in MVP voting?… That’s a joke.”
The Aces are looking to become the first team since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001 and 2002 to win back-to-back WNBA titles. The Liberty are vying for the franchise’s first WNBA championship. But New York has a lot of work to do – no team has ever come back from an 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five Finals series in WNBA history.
When’s Game 3?: WNBA Finals schedule, scores, matchups and award winners
Here’s a recap and the top highlights from Game 2:
Aces get off to historic start
The Aces couldn’t have scripted a better start, opening Game 2 on a 19-2 run. Kelsey Plum got Las Vegas on the board with a three and set the tone for the Aces, who outplayed, outhustled and were more physical than the Liberty. New York was outscored 38-19 in the first quarter; the Aces’ 38 points equaled the most points ever scored in a WNBA Finals quarter.
The Aces went 6-for-10 from the 3-point line in the first quarter. Every Aces starter hit a 3-point shot, including Wilson, who knocked down her first three of the postseason. Meanwhile, the Liberty shot 2-for-10 from beyond the arc in the first quarter.
“Things are just a little too easy for them honestly,” said Liberty forward Jonquel Jones, who finished with a team-high 22 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. “We have to respond… We have to dig deeper, be a little bit tougher and make things a little bit harder and come out with some grit.”
Liberty get back into game
Jones made her presence felt in the second quarter and single-handedly dug the Liberty out of a massive hole. Despite picking up three early fouls, she recorded 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in the second quarter alone to help New York outscore the Aces 25-14 in the frame, cutting the deficit to as little as six points.
“We knew they weren’t going to go away,” the Aces’ Chelsea Gray told ESPN’s Holly Rowe at halftime. “This is a great team on the other end. We have to focus in the third quarter.”
The Aces’ lead was just eight points at halftime, but the Liberty weren’t able to withstand an offensive onslaught from the Aces, whose lead ballooned to as many as 32 points in the second half. Las Vegas, which led wire-to-wire and never trailed, went on to win by 28 points.
Chelsea Gray shines
Gray was a walking highlight reel. She dished out numerous no-look passes, took a charge and knocked down big shots. With 4:42 remaining in the third quarter, Gray intercepted a pass from the Liberty’s Marine Johannes and pushed the ball up the court to Jackie Young, who made a layup and drew a foul for a three-point play. Gray celebrated with a high-step and some screams from Hammon.
Gray finished with 14 points, 11 assists and a steal. Young recorded 24 points and eight rebounds, while Plum added 23 points and eight assists. As a team, the Aces shot 52.9% from the field and 44.8% from three.
“They don’t leave me speechless very often, but they executed defensively, offensively, shared it, everything we’ve been asking them to do,” Hammon said postgame. “They are the real deal… Those girls hooped today.”
Hammon turned to the wise words of San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, whom Hammon served under as an assistant coach from 2014–2022: “My wine will taste better tonight.”
Liberty starters struggle
Aside from Jones, New York’s starters struggled mightily. Stewart recorded 14 points and 13 rebounds, shooting 6-for-17 from the field. Sabrina Ionescu was 2-for-10 from the field and scored 10 points. Courtney Vandersloot shot 3-for-9 from the field and had two turnovers.
The Liberty shot 36.1% from the field and just 22.9% from three. Stewart said the team has to “look from within.” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said her team is “disappointed” by its performance.
“Vegas is playing their best basketball at the moment. They are playing with confidence,” Brondello said after the game. “Very disappointed, because we are a way better team than we showed. I don’t know why… We are better than this. The challenge is to go home and win Sunday.”
When is Game 3 of the WNBA Finals?
The best-of-five series shifts to New York for Game 3 on Sunday at Barclays Center. Tipoff is 3 p.m. ET on ABC.
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