Sports
GAME PREVIEW: Game 2 of WNBA Finals Slated For Wednesday … – Las Vegas Aces
October 10, 2023
LAS VEGAS (October 10, 2023)—The Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty head back to the hardwood for Game 2 of the WNBA Finals, Wednesday, October 11 at 6 pm PT at Michelob ULTRA Arena. The game is being broadcast nationally on ESPN.
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The Aces lead the best-of-5 series 1-0, and a win Wednesday would give them what has historically been an insurmountable advantage. There have been 17 5-game series in WNBA postseason history in which one team has won the first 2 games. All 17 of those teams have gone on to win the series—13 via a sweep, 3 in 4 games, and 1 who got pushed to a decisive Game 5.
Game 1 of the 2023 Finals saw the Aces pick up a 17-point victory over the Liberty, 99-82. That tied New York’s largest margin of defeat of the season which also came at the hands of the Aces back on June 29 (98-81). It was also the Liberty’s largest margin of defeat in a WNBA Finals game, and the most points they have allowed in a game this year.
All of the Aces scoring Sunday came from 5 players—Jackie Young (26), Kelsey Plum (26), Chelsea Gray (20), A’ja Wilson (19) and Alysha Clark (8). Las Vegas connected on 61.3 percent of its shots after the intermission, and outscored New York 53-33 to secure the come-from-behind victory.
Defensively the Aces limited the Liberty to 41.2 percent shooting from the field in the second half, and 11.1 percent from distance. Las Vegas also wore out a path to the free throw line making 20 of 23 attempts in the game, as compared to 9 of 13 for New York.
Breanna Stewart (21 points, 9 rebounds), Jonquel Jones (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Betnijah Laney (8 points) went a combined 20 for 39 from the field on the day, but the Liberty’s starting guard duo of Courtney Vandersloot and Sabrina Ionescu missed 12 of 18 shots from the floor. Marine Johannés helped New York, which was up by 8 points in the opening 2:12 of the second quarter, to its early lead by scoring 14 points off the bench in the first 20 minutes, but missed all 3 of her field goal attempts in the second half.
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Alysha Clark has played in 7 WNBA Finals Games in her career and never lost. Her former Seattle Storm teammate Breanna Stewart also entered the 2023 WNBA Finals with an unblemished record, but Sunday’s loss dropped her from the ranks of the undefeated. Two other members of the 2018 and 2020 Storm still boast 6-0 marks in the Finals—Jordin Canada and Jewell Loyd.
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