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Chelsea Gray injury update: Aces star leaves Game 3 of Finals with apparent lower leg injury – CBS Sports
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The Las Vegas Aces will be without both star point guard Chelsea Gray and starting center Kiah Stokes for Game 4 of the 2023 WNBA Finals versus the New York Liberty on Wednesday. Both are dealing with foot injuries sustained during the Aces’ Game 3 loss and are questionable to play in Game 5, if necessary.
“As a competitor, I obviously want to play,” Gray said. “You get to the Finals, and you don’t this time back. It sucks in that way, but I’m excited still to win a championship.”
Gray left Game 3 on Sunday in the middle of the fourth quarter after taking a wrong step while guarding Breanna Stewart. She came up hobbling but initially remained in the game as play continued. She even attempted a 3-pointer before Aces head coach Becky Hammon took a timeout to get her out of the game.
The veteran point guard first made her way to the bench, and appeared to mouth that something “popped,” though that’s not entirely clear. In any case, she soon made her way back to the locker room, but had to hop on one foot all the way there because she was unable to put any weight on her left leg.
Watching Chelsea Gray hopping to the back on leg is concerning pic.twitter.com/r5zVKH0Mpi
At one point, the cameras showed Gray yelling in pain and collapsing to the ground in the tunnels deep inside Barclays Center, before she had to be carried off by multiple members of the Aces’ staff. Based on the visuals, it seemed unlikely that Gray would be ready for Game 4, and now she is indeed out.
That is a massive loss for the Aces, who rely heavily on Gray’s playmaking and clutch shot-making. The reigning Finals MVP is averaging 15.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game in the postseason, and the Aces have a plus-16.3 net rating when she’s been on the floor. In addition to her production, the Aces will lose her on-court leadership, and have no way of replacing either.
If Gray’s absence wasn’t enough, the Aces will now also be without Stokes. That news was a major surprise, as nothing seemed amiss during Game 3. However, Stokes arrived to practice on Tuesday on crutches, and indicated she noticed the issue the day after the game. “I woke up in pain,” Stokes said. “I’ll have to see what the doctor says.”
Stokes’ numbers — 2.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in the playoffs — don’t jump off the page, but she’s a key interior presence for an Aces team that was already shorthanded in the frontcourt due to Candace Parker’s own foot injury. Without Stokes, the Aces will either have to play small the entire game and concede the size battle to the Liberty, who boast two former MVPs down low in Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, or give Cayla George some run. The Australian only averaged 8.5 minutes during the regular season and has barely played in the postseason.
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