WNBA Finals: Las Vegas Aces One Win Away from Securing Back-to-Back Championships

Liberty Desperate to Dig Out of 0-2 Hole

For the first time all season, the Liberty lost back-to-back games. The Aces held the Liberty to 36.1% overall shooting, including 22.9% from 3-point land. Their tight defense neutralized their perimeter offense.

We didn t execute anything we wanted to, said Liberty coach Sandy Brondello.

WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart had one of her worst performances of the season. She scored 14 points and added 13 rebounds for the Liberty, but missed 11 shots, including going just 1-for-6 from 3-point range.

Aces defensive star Young continued her stifling defense and harassed shooting guard Sabrina Ionescu for a second game in a row. Ionescu won the 3-point shooting contest at the WNBA All-Star Game. During the regular season, Ionescu shot 44.8% from downtown.

In the WNBA Finals, Ionescu connected on only 25% of her 3-point attempts and 3-for-12 overall. She missed four treys in Game 1 and missed five more in Game 2.

Plum also kept Liberty point guard Courtney Vandersloot in check. Vandersloot scored nine points and the league s assist leader dished only four assists. She shot 33% from the field and 25% from 3-point range in Game 2.

Betnijah Laney was the Liberty s hottest 3-point sniper, with a 43.8% clip. Laney missed 11 shots in Game 2 and shot 2-for-9 from 3-point range. In two games against the Aces, Laney missed 10 trey attempts, and the Aces held her to 16.6% from deep.

Forward Jonquel Jones led the Liberty with 22 points in a losing effort. Jones shot an efficient 8-for-12 from the floor and added 10 rebounds.

WNBA Finals Game 3 Betting Preview

Even though the to match the Aces, they’re on the brink of elimination in this best-of-five series.

If the Liberty can storm back and win three games in a row, they ll become the first team in WNBA history to rally back and win a championship after trailing 0-2.

Eight teams fell into a 0-2 hole in the WNBA Finals, and seven of them were swept.

We gotta figure out a way to win, said Ionescu.

Teams with a 2-0 series lead in WNBA playoffs are 17-0, so history is on the Aces side.

The Liberty are a +2.5 home dog in Game 3 on Sunday. The Liberty were 15-5 at home in Brooklyn during the regular season, and have a 3-1 home record in the playoffs.

The Aces didn t break a sweat covering the point spread in the first two games of the WNBA Finals. The Aces were a -4.5 favorite in Game 1 and easily covered in a 17-point victory. In Game 2, they were a -5.5 favorite and won by 28 points for another easy cover.