New York Liberty survive Las Vegas Aces 88-84 in epic Game 2
Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images
New York faced their toughest test yet, and by the skin of their teeth, passed it. They are now one win away from the WNBA Finals. If the Las Vegas Aces are going to achieve the vaunted three-peat, they were going to have to defeat the New York Liberty in Game 2 on Tuesday night.
Yes, their epic 2022 series against the Seattle Storm was full of whiplash high-and-lows, and they trailed 1-0 in that series as well. Vegas was the higher seed, though. And though their short-handed closeout win in the Barclays Center in 2023 was the stuff of pure legend, they did lead the series 2-1.
Game 2 against the revamped New York Liberty — the undisputed best team in the WNBA in 2024 — in their building likely stood as the single greatest obstacle of the Becky Hammon era. New York knew what they were in for.
“Vegas are going to come out and you know they’re going to throw a punch,” said Sandy Brondello. “But we’ll throw some punches back.”
And that’s what happened on Tuesday night. Game 2 is why these clichés exist, the heavyweight fight, heart of a champion, giving 110%. I write much about tactical adjustments and the individual skills and plays that swing games, and I will reflect on those in the coming days, but Game 2 of Liberty-Aces is why even the nerdiest basketball nerds watch basketball. It was drama.
Becky Hammon did the obvious and started Alysha Clark over Kiah Stokes, and it paid immediate dividends, as Clark hit a 3-pointer on the very first possession of the game, dwarfing Kiah Stokes’ offensive output from Game 1 in 15 seconds...
AC 3⃣ to start!@Alysha_Clark // #RaiseTheStakes pic.twitter.com/IkmO8j4xyt— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) October 1, 2024
The Aces took an early eight-point lead behind superb outside shooting, the first punch. And yet, it illustrated why the Liberty are favorites this season, how they are different. There was not an ounce of panic in from the home team, and a 27-19 deficit turned into a 46-40 lead by halftime. The only thing that didn’t feel inevitable is how it happened.
It was The Bench Game, or at least The Bench Half, an every title team gets in a pivotal game at some point or another. Courtney Vandersloot led the Liberty in scoring in the first quarter to keep them in it. Kayla Thornton did the same in the second to push her team in front.
Courtney Vandersloot with a couple real-deal buckets: pic.twitter.com/Rg8yNfXWrd— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) October 1, 2024
“It was great,” said Sandy Brondello of her sixth and seventh players. “We gave a little player-of-the-game [award] and the bench, those two: They were the player of the game.”
That was true at halftime; neither player needed to set foot on the floor in the second half to secure that award. They didn’t just play well, they were the ones who ate the opening right hook from Vegas and fired back with a body shot. The stat-sheet reflected a bit, but only the crowd, the increasingly raucous environment after every bucket and hustle play truly reflected their impact...
this has been the Kayla MF Thornton quarter: pic.twitter.com/Z2n23dx0cn— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) October 2, 2024
Said Vandersloot: “I feel like a broken record with this, but it just like they keep getting better and better. The crowd was amazing, tonight, it was so loud. Sometimes I just look up and I’m like, ‘Man, everybody’s having so much fun in here.’”
It was the Liberty having fun after halftime, pushing their lead to ten right out of the break. It felt like the coronation. They ate the punch, their starters had plenty left in the tank, they could not be rattled, it was everything that gave the team pause in 2023...
This Liberty possession doesn't look like anything special but it illustrates the biggest difference from 2023: They are patient without getting stagnant. They cycle through actions smoothly. A drive doesn't go anywhere and they move to the next option and keep going until... pic.twitter.com/yzMQ6QDL2K— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) October 2, 2024
But the scoreboard didn’t really reflect it. Hmmm, ten is a good start but against these Aces, you need to push it to like 15 to really feel comfortable. Okay, they’re playing well but why is the lead at seven? Four?
And so both teams stumbled bass-ackwards into a modern classic in the fourth quarter. It was everything playoff basketball is supposed to be, apart from a refereeing crew that wilted under the pressure of the moment. Hey, at least they were evenly incompetent.
Becky Hammon hadn’t quite maximized the force of Las Vegas’ hot start. A’ja Wilson sat a whopping three minutes in the first half, and while playing 37 minutes is no walk in the park, Wilson had enough to make an MVP push in the fourth quarter.
The Aces, down seven to start the frame, would need nothing less. Wilson started to deliver...
tunnel vision to the hoop @_ajawilson22 // #RaiseTheStakes pic.twitter.com/g0DYJ5ZXMu— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) October 2, 2024
You’d never know she took just four first-half shots when her final stat line showed 24/7/4 on 11-of-18 shooting. Numbers aside, Wilson had the look in her eyes when she attacked the basket, when she hit the floor hard and made a point to pop up even harder, yelling at her own bench to will them on her back. The last time Wilson got into That Mode at the Barclays Center, the Aces won a title.
Kayla Thornton — not Leonie Fiebich — was on the court as the lead dipped to just a possession. She did not panic: “We really stuck together. I think last year, around this time, we were kind of broken down, and we’d have let this game slide by us.”
That didn’t happen on Tuesday night, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a nauseous experience. The Aces turned nine offensive rebounds into 18 second-chance points, thus turning each loose ball they got into a back-breaker. Turnovers were even but the Liberty pushed the break more effectively. The Aces shot poorly from the line but much better from three.
The stats, which margins dictate the game, that all ceased to matter, as it does in every classic game. The Liberty failed to pull away in the third quarter, A’ja Wilson tapped into her energy reserves, and we were destined for a thrilling finish.
New York would have lost it if not for Sabrina Ionescu, who hit Breanna Stewart on a backdoor-dime before scoring the team’s last seven points...
These were some huge buckets from Sabrina Ionescu. pic.twitter.com/JdKJRHGLzq— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) October 2, 2024
With the result of the most important game of this WNBA season hanging in the balance, Sabrina Ionescu, the oft-injured, overhyped non-savior of the league saw nothing but All-Stars and MVPs around her, got the basketball to attack ball-screens, where one A’ja Wilson would come into focus. She didn’t blink.
“Early on, I was kind of just dragging [Wilson] through, making her commit and dumping off, and then I saw some great openings,” said Ionescu.
She continued: “Something that I’ve always done my entire career is made a lot of big shots, missed a lot of big shots. My teammates are always continuing to just pour into me and, they need me in that moment, and they know that I’m built for it.”
A layup with 75 seconds left gave New York a lead they would not relinquish, though try they might. Missed free-throws, wild rebounds, and stomach-churning reviews followed, during which a packed house couldn’t muster a sound...
The way you could have heard a pin drop while everyone in Barclays waited for the ruling… pic.twitter.com/6ZlLkTvqFW— Kris B. (@KBelskey) October 2, 2024
...but the Liberty did not waver.
Ionescu gave the standard “we’re not satisfied” stuff in postgame, which they shouldn’t be, but added: “We’re really proud of every single individual that came in and stepped up and a big, big, big game for us.”
And everybody did. Breanna Stewart didn’t shoot the cover off the ball, but did enough. Jonquel Jones was more impressive than her 14/8/4 would suggest.
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton scored just eight points on 3-of-9, but toggled through every Aces guard on defense, handling just about all of them, and acquiring some bruises in the process. We asked her what her main focus was on such a frantic night.
“I’m just trying to make it through.”
On Tuesday, the New York Liberty made it through. They slayed the dragon. Now it’s time they bury it.
Final Score: New York Liberty 88, Las Vegas Aces 84
Next Up
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
Game 3 will take place in Las Vegas on Friday night, with tip-off scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET. A New York win will take them to the WNBA Finals.
Box Score: New York Liberty 88, Las Vegas Aces - WNBA
Game Highlights: New York Liberty 88, Las Vegas Aces (Video) - WNBA
How Liberty went up 2-0 vs. Aces, and how Lynx evened series with Sun - ESPN
WNBA playoff semifinal series shift locations with Aces headed home after losing two in New York - Doug Feinberg & Dave Campbell - AP
One more time Liberty beat Aces in thriller to move within win of WNBA Finals return - Peter Botte - New York Post
Liberty just one win from WNBA Finals as Sabrina Ionescu’s late heroics secure Game 2 victory over Aces ($) - Brian Heyman - Newsday
Liberty one step closer to revenge as they put Aces on brink of elimination with Game 2 victory ($) - Fiifi Frimpong - New York Daily News
WNBA Expansion Draft: How the Golden State Valkyries pose a threat to the Liberty’s depth - ($) - Fiifi Frimpong - New York Daily News
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