Sports
Liberty wins WNBA Finals Game 3 over Aces to avoid sweep – The Washington Post
NEW YORK — Seventy minutes before the New York Liberty faced elimination in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals, Jonquel Jones strode onto the court with a stoic look on her face. As the 2021 MVP began her pregame workout Sunday, “Super Gremlin” by Kodak Black played over the speakers at Barclays Center.
We could’ve been superstars. … Now it’s not safe for you.
For days, Jones and her Liberty teammates had talked about having some pride, and this raucous environment would be no safe haven for the championship-minded Las Vegas Aces. After being embarrassed for two games in the desert, New York trailed for just 19 seconds of its 87-73 victory Sunday to force Game 4 on Wednesday night. A sold-out crowd of 17,143 had the building shaking as the best-of-five series arrived in New York.
Jones set the tone and finished with 27 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, three assists and two steals, denying Las Vegas back-to-back titles on this afternoon.
“I just came in energized,” she said, “energized that we had a new opportunity. Just playing with a lot of passion and just not wanting to let the moment pass us by and have that ‘what if?’ type of feeling.”
Added Liberty Coach Sandy Brondello: “JJ’s voice has been heard these last few days.”
The defeat was painful enough for the Aces, but losing Chelsea Gray in the fourth quarter was even scarier; she was seen on crutches after the game. Coach Becky Hammon didn’t have an injury update when she spoke with reporters but said she believed it was a foot injury. If Gray is unavailable for Game 4, Hammon said Kelsey Plum would slide over and point guard responsibilities would be handled by committee.
Last year with the Connecticut Sun, Jones was in this same position, down 2-0 in the Finals after two losses in Las Vegas before her team returned home and took Game 3. (The Aces ultimately won in four games.) She knew what it would take Sunday, and the Liberty showed real fight by coming out with much more physicality. Brondello had preached for days about a need for urgency and to show some grit after her team was routed in Game 2, and the opening 10 minutes showed her players got the message.
Jones was flummoxed in the first two games, and she took it personally. On Sunday, she made three-pointers in transition, and she got to the rim and the free throw line. She finished 4 for 7 from three-point range, giving the Aces a different look.
New York took a 21-12 lead on a Sabrina Ionescu three that was set up by a Jones block of A’ja Wilson. That was the largest Liberty lead of the series at the time — and Vegas’s largest deficit of the playoffs. The Liberty was ahead 21-18 at the end of the first quarter.
“She hit threes on a consistent clip,” Hammon said. “There’s some things I think we can do better, but give her credit. … We can do a better job mixing up our looks, [show] more sense of urgency, getting out to shooters, [do a] better job of keeping the ball in front.”
Jones continued to set the pace in the second quarter; Plum (game-high 29 points) did most of the heavy lifting on offense for the Aces as her teammates struggled. Jones had 18 points by halftime, and Plum had 15; no other player had more than nine by the time Lil’ Kim came out to perform.
Still, the Aces trailed just 43-40. But the third quarter wasn’t what Las Vegas was looking for: The Liberty opened with a 12-3 run and took a 61-50 lead into the final 10 minutes. Las Vegas got within six in the fourth, but New York responded with a 12-3 surge to secure the win.
Las Vegas, which seemed to make everything in the first two games, shot 33.3 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from behind the arc. New York regained its touch and finished 13 for 30 (43.3 percent) from long range while shooting 52.4 percent from the field.
Breanna Stewart had 20 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocks for New York. Wilson had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Aces.
“We were stagnant — similar to the first couple times we played here this season,” Plum said. “When they’re able to like load up and come swarm the ball, it’s really hard to get good looks.”
The celebrity-heavy crowds kept coming after the series shifted to New York: Basketball Hall of Famer Tony Parker, South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley, broadcaster Robin Roberts, actor Michael Shannon, new Chicago Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon, coaching legend C. Vivian Stringer, singer Joan Jett, actor Jason Sudeikis, music producer Swizz Beatz, former WNBA star Sue Bird and a number of NBA players were in attendance.
They got to see the Liberty return to form — and the WNBA Finals become competitive again.
“Just taking a look at ourselves and taking a look in the mirror and understanding the basketball that we played those two games in Vegas wasn’t anything that we were proud of,” Stewart said. “And making sure that we came together even more as a team. … It’s a roller-coaster journey. Even though we were down, we wanted to continue to fight.”
Added Brondello: “We got back to our identity.”
