Friday, Oct. 4, 2024 | 8:35 p.m.
It was dire straits for the Las Vegas Aces on Friday night on the brink of elimination for the first time since 2021 and facing the possibility of getting swept for the first time since 2020.
Following an 88-84 Game 2 loss to the New York Liberty on Tuesday, Aces coach Becky Hammon said the team “did not have an edge” and let the Liberty put on a “layup clinic”.
In Game 3, with their backs against the wall, the Aces handed the Liberty their worst loss of the season in a dominant 95-81 win to keep their hopes of three-peating alive.
“The minute you get comfortable, that’s when you’re exposed,” Chelsea Gray said. “You just go one game at a time. We executed this game. We executed four quarters and so we start all over again Sunday.”
It was a completely different game from the previous two. New York shot 38.8% (26-of-67) from the field and was outscored, 21-6, in the third quarter as the Aces went on a 16-0 run.
Throughout the entire season, the conversation has been around the Aces finding their defensive mentality and playing better overall on that end of the court. Friday, they displayed the defensive mentality they’ve been looking for all season.
“We knew that they (New York) wanted to get into the paint,” Gray said. “They were killing us inside, whether it was layups, post-ups or O-boards, and so we knew coming to this game that was going to be our starting point, not on the offensive end.”
After Game 2, Hammon said she wanted “at least a C+ effort” guarding Sabrina Ionescu. Before Game 3, the guard had her way with the Aces, scoring 21 points in Game 1 and 24 points in Game 2. Friday, the Aces locked down on her as she finished with four points, making one basket and had five turnovers.
“Our attention to detail defensively was super sharp,” Gray said on shutting down Ionescu. “AC (Alysha Clark) was great. A’ja (Wilson) was able to get into passing lanes and not make it look so easy. They’re (New York) going to score the basketball. They’re a good team, but you want to make them take tough looks and it was the same with Sabrina.”
Hammon gave the Aces effort guarding Ionescu “an A+.”
The sound defense contributed to 52% (37-of-71) shooting from the field and 20+ points from Jackie Young (24 points) and Kesley Plum (20 points). A’ja Wilson had a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds and Chelsea Gray pushed a double-double with 10 points and seven rebounds.
The same night Tiffany Hayes was presented the WNBA Sixth Player of the Year Award, she gave the Aces a spark off the bench with 11 points.
“We’re super grateful that she (Hayes) came out of retirement and just kudos to her,” Plum said. “You know how many people could retire, decide to come back and then go out and perform the way she’s performed and win that award? It’s just mass respect and she’s going to be a big part of what we do moving forward.”
The Aces are aware that their backs are still against the wall. Sunday’s game is still a “must-win” to force a Game 5 in New York on Tuesday. Game 3 tips off at noon on Sunday at Michelob Ultra Arena and will be broadcast on ABC.
“We’re still down 2-1. We haven’t done anything,” Gray said.