The 2023 WNBA Finals was thought to be a slugfest between two elite squads that would potentially go for the entire length of the series. However, the defending champion Las Vegas Aces are up 2-0 in their best-of-five series against the New York Liberty after a lopsided win on Wednesday (October 11).
Led by A’Ja Wilson, who notched a double-double with 26 points and 15 rebounds, the Aces routed the Liberty 104-76 despite hope that New York’s star players would likely bounce back from the Game 1 loss on Sunday (October 8). As it stands, the Aces are one game away from repeating as the WNBA champions and would be the first team since the 2001-02 Los Angeles Sparks to win back-to-back titles.
Aces head coach Becky Hammon expressed admiration for her team’s execution and play in toppling the Liberty with relative ease.
“The character of this team and their absolute buy-in to the person to the left or right’s success is authentic,’ Hammon said in a postgame press conference as reported by the Associated Press. “And it’s tough to deal with when you share the ball and people are skilled and competitive. They were good tonight. They don’t leave me speechless very often, but they executed defensively, offensively shared it – everything we’ve been asking them to do.”
Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello congratulated the Aces on their win.
“Vegas is playing their best basketball at the moment,” Sandy Brondello said. “They’re playing with a lot of confidence, you see the chemistry that they have. And for us, we haven’t taken the steps forward, we haven’t shown it. We’re disappointed, very disappointed, because we’re a way better team [than] what we showed.”
Game 3 of the WNBA Finals heads back to New York on Sunday (October 15) with the Liberty hoping to extend the series and snatch back momentum. To do so, the team will need more heavy lifting from stars Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu, and Breanna Stewart.
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Photo: Ethan Miller / Getty