The Las Vegas Aces’ four-game winning streak was snapped on Sunday after a nail-biting matchup against the New York Liberty, who came out on top, 75-71. The Aces were without their star player, A’ja Wilson, but kept up the fight to the very end.
“We always come prepared for a war,” Aces’ coach Becky Hammon said in the post-game conference on Sunday.
The game was reminiscent of last season’s championship battle. Unfortunately, New York’s aggressive offense, led by Breanna Stewart who dropped 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead her team to victory, was tough to nail down. But Hammon says the referees ultimately contributed to the back-to-back champions' defeat.
“Ten free throws in a game like that, where it’s physical, and there’s stuff on the line,” Hammon said of the Liberty upset on Sunday. “That’s two free throws a quarter. That’s not right.”
Despite questionable calls by the refs and a missing-in-action two-time MVP, the Las Vegas Aces put up a magnificent fight, coming back from a 20-point deficit only to lose it in the end. As the 2x champs inch toward a three-peat, a W is all that matters.
“We’re professional athletes, there’s no moral victories here,” Plum said in Sunday’s post-game presser.
“The Plum Dawg’s” bite shines in A’ja Wilson’s Absence
Hot off of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Kelsey Plum has continued to show up and show out. After a short one-game hiatus, the All-Star has continued to help lead her teammates to victory.
“I try to evolve in my game. I know for me, being known as a shooter coming into the league, teams are really good. They scout, they take that away,” Plum said in the postgame presser.
Plum averages 18.1 points per game this season, with 41.5% of those from the field goal. Sunday night’s competition against the Liberty was an impressive show of tenacity and hustle for the 2017 first-round pick. She finished with a game-high 25 points and offered 3 rebounds. And five of those 10 points were from 3-point range. But beyond her stats, the six-year veteran stepped up as a leader for a missing Wilson.
Wilson was sitting on the sidelines during Sunday’s meetup with the Liberty due to an ankle injury, a first for the two-time Olympian after playing 125 games straight. Wilson sustained the injury late in the game against the Sun on Friday. Hammon said postgame on Friday she’d talk to Wilson about rest. There are currently no long-term concerns about the injury, according to Hammon.
Sunday’s competition against the Liberty was the first game Wilson had missed in the entire season. Actually, It’s the first regular-season game that she’s missed in three seasons. But Wilson contributed the best way she could in Sunday’s matchup against the Liberty, with advice and encouragement.
“She was fully locked into that game, just cause she wasn’t out there playing; she still knows and understands basketball, and she knows what we want and so yeah not surprised,” Hammon said during Sunday’s presser.
But where Wilson was missing on the court, Plum stepped in. She offered up the first field goal bucket for the Aces in Sunday’s game against New York. The Plum Dawg played aggressively, with intention and intelligence, and most importantly, in concert with her on-the-ready teammates, whether that’s Alicia Clark in the pocket or Chelsea Gray in the middle smoothly passing it to Jackie Young. Plum is vital to that trifecta and helps the back-to-back champions make it look easy.
“You gotta be able to get into the paint, get downhill, and then you’re able to create more separation when you are open on three,” Plum said after the game on Sunday.
“So, that’s something that I’ve tried to really take pride in and continue to try and get better and refine it. Still got a lot of work to do.”
Sydney Colson reigns as a closer
As New York’s lead ballooned to 63-43 late in the third quarter, Hammon emptied her bench, and Las Vegas started clawing its way out of the hole. Sydney Colson stepped into the game with energy and pizazz, closing New York’s Lead to just one point.
“Our bench coming in, the ball moved, good things happened, they got stops. They gave us really a chance to crawl back in there and stick our nose in where a lot of people didn’t think it was going to be today,” Hammon said in the post-game presser.
Colson attempted to tie up the game with a smooth layup but missed on a fluke as the ball danced around the rim before dropping out. The Aces got a run in and regained their first lead of the matchup against New York on Sunday since the first quarter. The game-changing three came from Colson, a little redemption for the Las Vegas guard known to go in and make the plays happen.
“Sydney’s a difference maker,” Alysha Clark said after Sunday’s game.
“She’s a high IQ player, she’s a defensive-minded player, and anytime that she gets in, she changes the course of the game.”
Colson serves as the unspoken closer for the Aces, always on the ready. Her final-hour efforts helped the Aces clinch the championship against New York last season. I wouldn’t be surprised if her skill to kill the game helps the back-to-back champions reach the three-peat.
“Those are moments that we need,” Clark said.
Ridiculous fouls pile up against the Aces
The Aces started the long-awaited competition with the Liberty on top. The 2022/20223 champions were settling into cohesion as everyone stepped up to finish the job. Plum, Gray, and Young were dancing down the court in motion. New York’s attempts at stops led to what Las Vegas says were uncalled fouls.
“Jack got absolutely assaulted, nothing. TIP assaulted nothing,” Kelsey Plum said after the loss on Sunday.
“It’s really hard to beat New York when the foul count’s 13 to 23.”
Plum stayed effective on her reads, Gray delivered incredible assists, and Young landed the shots. Gray offered 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and two blocks, while Young offered 13 points and 3 assists. The band of star athletes work so well together that those roles could change at any moment, and they’d still be effective.
“No lead is safe in this league,” Clark said at the post-game conference on Sunday.
“This league is too good. And the moment you think that, is the moment where trouble sets in.”
The Aces came into the game knowing what they were up against, which is one of the most effective teams in the league. Even with New York’s significant lead glaring in the face, there was not a lot of dribble anticipation, especially from Tiffany Hayes and Young.
Hayes has continued to regain her strengths and confidence throughout the season. The Atlanta Dream vet continues to offer aggressive play, enthusiasm on the defense, and beautiful shots. Hayes has active hands and great hustle, offering up 3 points, 3 rebounds, and a block.
But, the Liberty is a challenging team to take down. Going into Sunday’s game, New York led the league in standings with the Aces at the fourth seed. Las Vegas was indeed playing against the team with the best record in the 2024 season.
So far, New York is 16-2 at home and 13-4 on the road, but it is right under Vegas and before the Indiana Fever in points for the season. By the half on Sunday, New York had a considerable lead, and for the Aces, that often means bad news.
Stewart was a problem. The 2024 Paris Olympian collected stops on the defense and smoothly made crowd-shattering buckets on the offense. Stewart’s effectiveness and intensity was felt both on Vegas’ offensive and defensive ends, especially without Wilson, who would often be able to at least slow her down. But by the third, the two-time champions hadn't to collected any offensive rebounds as the Liberty continued to expand their lead from 12 to 15 points ahead.
In Sunday's rematch of last season's WNBA finals, New York shot 16 of 22 from the charity stripe on 23 fouls whistled on Las Vegas. The Aces made 10 of 10 on the 13 Liberty calls. As the Aces closed New York’s lead with the help of late-game addition Colson, Liberty had the chance to make 3 of 6 free throw attempts and a jumper down the stretch while holding the Aces scoreless. A chance to regain the lead was in sight. But, a missed call by the refs offered another challenge at a really bad moment.
“On the free throw line block out, I told Lisa that I wanted a time when we had possession,” Hammon said during the post-game presser.
“I went up and told her, ‘During the free throw, I want a timeout as soon as we have possession,’ It didn’t happen.”
Young had a chance to tie the game in its final seconds, with Liberty leading 73-71. But Stewart blocked the Silent Assassin's layup attempt, solidifying New York’s win. In the end, the Aces’ valiant comeback was not enough to take down the Liberty.
The Aces shot 23 of 64 from the field and 15 of 33 from 3-point range. But New York outscored Las Vegas 36-16 in the paint, while the Aces edged the Liberty 12-9 on second-chance points and 10-7 on the fast break. It was a magnificent show of athleticism and team cohesion on both sides of the bench.
New York is now the first team to sweep the defending WNBA Champions since 202.
The Aces fell to 22-13 with the loss. The defending champions landed a playoff berth on Aug. 30 after defeating the Atlanta Dream. New York improved to a league-best 29-6.
The Las Vegas Aces are back on the road with back-to-back competitions in Indiana against the Fever. The first game of the two-game stretch against Caitlin Clark and the Fever is on Wednesday, Sept. 11, at 4 p.m. PST.
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