The two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces came close to elimination in the WNBA semifinals on Tuesday, dropping Game 2 to the New York Liberty 88-84 at Barclays Center. No WNBA team has ever come back from an 0-2 deficit to win a best-of-five series, and no defending champion has ever been in this position.
The series will be a rematch of the 2023 Finals, which the Aces won 3-1. Las Vegas has lost five straight against New York since a 70-69 Game 4 victory in Brooklyn. This skid tied the franchise record for consecutive losses against the same opponent.
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Top-seeded Liberty has never won, but has reached the finals five times. WNBA teams are 18-0 in playoff history when leading 2-0 in a best-of-five series.
On the other side of the bracket, the Minnesota Lynx evened the series with the Connecticut Sun with a 77-70 win at Target Center.
The playoffs continue through Friday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), with the semifinal series moving to Las Vegas and Connecticut.
ESPN takes a look at how the Liberty came one win away from an overwhelming victory over the Aces, and how the Lynx fared against the Sun on Tuesday.
Liberty leads best-of-five series 2-0
Aja Wilson goes for a bucket with Brianna Stewart in the back
Aja Wilson made a nice shimmy move past Brianna Stewart to score the ace bucket against Liberty.
don’t erase the ace
It’s worth remembering that the sample of WNBA series that started 2-0 is small and reflects many games that weren’t this close. New York won the first two games by a combined 14 points, but only four of the previous 18 games have had a combined point difference that small — the team rallied to force a Game 5. was the only time the Phoenix Mercury tied the series with New York. Seattle Storm in the 2018 semifinals.
According to ESPN Research, when the NBA held a best-of-five series, there were six games that ended with a 2-0 lead. A winning percentage of 5.6% (6 wins, 102 losses) means a similar WNBA comeback is long overdue. Let’s see if Las Vegas can be that team. — Kevin Pelton
Has Liberty officially become Sabrina Ionescu’s team?
When New York’s superteam assembled ahead of the 2023 season, the arrivals in Brooklyn of three high-profile recruits in Brianna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot dominated the headlines.
However, Ionescu emerged as a dominant offensive force in the 2024 postseason. She led the Liberty team with 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists on Tuesday, becoming the only player in Liberty history to record 20 points, five rebounds and five assists in multiple postseason games. What made Ionescu’s performance stand out in Game 2 (besides the super packed stat line) was her impact in the fourth quarter, where she scored or assisted on 16 of New York’s 19 points. The Liberty looked to her for leadership, and she delivered. –Katie Burns
The second race was more competitive than the series opener. What was the difference?
When asked what he thought of his team’s play in the first half of Game 2, Liberty coach Sandy Brondello answered, “The second quarter was good.” she should have done that. At that time, New York won the game. The Aces were the better team for the final 30 minutes, but the second quarter showed New York why they are the best team of the regular season. Liberty defeated Las Vegas 24-13. Stewart scored or assisted on 13 of those points, a strategy that used the two-time MVP as a facilitator. (She finished with eight assists.) Five New York players scored, and Ionescu made two huge 3-pointers in the final 1:45 of the first half to turn things around.
Liberty’s defense also forced Las Vegas into eight turnovers and allowed just five field goals in the second quarter. –Charlie Creme
Alana Smith hits the sun with her third triple of the game.
Alana Smith sank her third 3-point shot in the fourth quarter to keep the Suns away.
Best of five series tied 1-1
Can the sun cheer up Breonna Jones?
Last year, the Sun entered the postseason without a core piece of their identity after Breonna Jones injured her Achilles tendon in June. The return of her interior presence this season and the addition of Marina Mabry gave Sun confidence that they could finally win the championship.
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Still, Jones has no presence in this series. In Game 1, he contributed 6 points and 2 rebounds in 18 minutes. He played 13 minutes in Game 2 and sat for the entire fourth quarter.
The Suns are at their best when Jones has an impact on both sides of the ball. We saw what that looked like in September when she scored at least 17 points in seven straight games. It may be incredibly difficult to face Minnesota’s inside defense with Collier, Alana Smith, and Misha Hines-Allen, but it’s possible the Sun will find a way for Jones to become a bigger element at the bottom of the offense. If possible, we can expect Sun to play an active role elsewhere. court. — Alexa Philippou
Did Connecticut miss a golden opportunity?
Before Game 2, Stephanie White said if her team averaged 33.0 points in the first three games of the playoffs and held league MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier to 3-of-14 shooting. If she had been told that this would happen, the Connecticut coach probably would have expected her team to do this. win. White ran multiple defenders against Collier and his nine points matched his season low. However, Connecticut’s offensive prowess was not matched by its defensive effort, and the Lynx were able to overcome their star player’s off night.
Perhaps winning one game on the road before starting a best-of-five series will be enough. Still, it feels like a missed opportunity to take control of the series, considering the job the Suns have done to slow down Collier. — cream
Will Minnesota’s depth be the key to another championship?
As Charlie pointed out, she got the help she needed on a night when Collier struggled offensively. Three Minnesota starters scored in double figures, and everyone who played for the Lynx scored at least four points in at least 12 minutes. Courtney Williams, who spent most of her career in a Sun uniform, was especially impactful. She led the Lynx with a team-high 17 points and also had five rebounds, four assists and one steal.
Minnesota has won four championships in seven years, most recently in 2017, and has a roster full of future Hall of Famers. This version of Lynx has a different structure, but is two wins away from a return to the finals. — Burns