Defending champions, the Las Vegas Aces are now one win away from becoming the first team since the 2001-2002 Los Angeles Sparks to achieve the double. Always in front of their audience, and always led by an immense A’ja Wilson (26 points, 15 rebounds), Becky Hammon’s players impose themselves 104-76 against the New York Liberty!
A one-sided encounter from the first moments with a barrage of 3-point shots to lead 19-2! A look at the stats sheet tells us that the Aces are 7 out of 8 on shots, including four winning shots, while the Liberty missed 9 out of 10 shots. With Chelsea Gray creating and a strong defense , the Aces take off with a gap which already reaches 21 points. The entry of Marine Johannès, despite a 3-pointer, changes nothing, and at the end of the first quarter, the WNBA champions have already scored 38 points. This is a record for a WNBA final, and their highest total of the season.
Mission impossible for the Liberty?
Fortunately for the suspense, the Liberty will sign a 12-0 to pick up the score, with Jonquel Jones untouchable in the 2nd quarter. At the break, the New Yorkers were only 8 points behind (52-44). Except that upon returning from the locker room, the same scenario as at the start of the match: the Aces scored a 17-3 to regain a 22-point lead. The defense is still stifling, and the Wilson-Young duo makes the difference. The match is over and Liberty loses by 28 points.
Trailing 2-0, Breanna Stewart’s teammates have their backs against the wall, especially since no team, trailing 2-0 in a WNBA final, has managed to be champion. So it’s mission impossible!
