With just over a minute left in the fourth quarter of Game 1, the Aces knocking on the door of a potential comeback, Breanna Stewart drove into the lane at the end of the shot clock and converted a floater bank shot to extend New York’s lead to 10 and put the game out of reach. The entirety of Barclays Center rose to their feet in a frenzy, and the Liberty took a 1-0 semifinal series lead with an 87-77 victory.
Unlike the four games of the WNBA Finals last season, this game felt different. With the home court advantage, a refreshed and rejuvenated New York team looking to exact revenge after an Aces’ Finals celebration on their homecourt just a year ago, and dominant performances from multiple players on both ends of the floor, the Liberty are yet another step closer to this season’s ultimate goal.
Let’s look at some major takeaways from Game 1 ahead of Tuesday’s Game 2:
An MVP Battle: Stewart vs. Wilson
It was the first game of a much-anticipated playoff battle between Stewie, the 2023 WNBA MVP and Wilson, this season’s unanimous MVP. Game 1 went to Stewie, who was absolutely dominant after struggling in last year’s finals, averaging almost seven points less than her regular season average in 2023. Stewart came to play and never let up, finishing with 34 points on 12-19 shooting, good for 63 percent. Stewie seemed to take all the right shots at the right times during this game and was the catalyst every time Vegas tried to mount a comeback.
“I was able to get downhill, get in the post, and be confident shooting the three,” Stewart said.
It was Stewart’s 35th straight playoff game scoring at least 10 or more points, passing Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie for the longest double-digit scoring streak in league postseason history.
Wilson also had a quieter but nonetheless strong day with 21 points on 9-16 shooting. But unlike her complete dominance over the regular season, Wilson had to fight for almost every basket. The Liberty contested the majority of her shots, forcing her to rely on her midrange game, and made it difficult for Wilson to get into any sort of rhythm.
“She still ended with 21, but overall, we did a good job on her,” coach Sandy Brondello said postgame.
Kelsey Plum led Las Vegas with 24 points. Aside from Plum, Young and Wilson, who all combined for 73 percent of the team’s shots, New York was able to limit the high-powered Aces’ offense. Tiffany Hayes, a Sixth Player of the Year contender, finished with just two points on 0-2 shooting. Chelsea Gray was limited to four points on 2-7 shooting in 26 minutes of play.
If Stewart continues this hot play and timely shot making, it will be hard for the Aces to play from behind at any point during this series.
The Liberty start fast
New York benefited from a fast start to this game, which was also a large factor in sweeping the Aces 3-0 during the regular season. The Liberty shot 69 percent from the field in the first quarter, assisting on ten of their first 11 made baskets. While the Aces strung together small runs during the second, New York’s hot shooting powered them in the first half.
Included in their fast start was also New York’s crisp and lockdown defense. The Liberty were effectively communicating on all switches and contested the majority of Las Vegas’ shots. The Aces struggled to make any of their open shots in the first half, shooting below 40 percent.
While it was a game of runs, both teams with their own key runs throughout the game, New York consistently responded, not allowing Las Vegas to get within six after multiple comeback attempts.
Importance of Role Players
New York’s role players this season is a big differentiator compared to last year’s team. The additions of Leonie Fiebich and Kennedy Burke have proved to be major over the regular season.
While the New York bench didn’t necessarily have a huge impact on the box score, only combining for nine points, their impact was much more noticeable on the defensive end of the ball.
Fiebich and Laney-Hamilton combined for just 10 points, but they were tasked with some of the biggest matchups of the day. Bee and Leo provided lockdown defense and used their length to contest both perimeter and shots from the paint.
Courtney Vandersloot, who came off the bench for the third time in the playoffs, provided a spark on both ends of the floor. When Vegas went on a 12-0 in the third quarter, threatening to overtake the game, Vandersloot drove to the hoop to spark a run to give the Liberty a nine-point advantage heading into the fourth.
Jonquel Jones, the x-factor in last season’s Finals, also had a quieter but dominant performance today with 13 points and 12 rebounds. As always, when Jones records a double-double, New York wins.
Scoring in Transition
The Local W’s Brian Fleurantin referenced the importance of scoring in transition in his Liberty vs. Aces preview article and this proved to be a major stat in Game 1. New York outscored Las Vegas 16 to six in fast break points. Not only was New York able to push pace, which is when they are at their best, but they also used their homecourt to their advantage and relied on multiple fast break opportunities to get Barclays Center rolling.
The Liberty took advantage of some defensive lapses and switching miscues by Las Vegas, finding wide-open lanes and open-three point shots to convert on multiple occasions.
Playoff Sabrina Ionescu Continues to Shine
After Ionescu came back from the Olympic break, she struggled for a number of games, shooting just 18 percent in the final three games of the regular season. Any concerns about Ionescu’s production in the playoffs were shut down in Game 2 of New York’s first round series against Atlanta, when she exploded for 36 points, tying a franchise record for most points in a playoff game.
Ionescu came out hot against Vegas, going for 21 points on 9-16 shooting, including 3-6 from three-point range. She made the right passes, leading the team with five assists, and had one of the most exciting plays of the game with a logo three with six minutes remaining in the game which sent the entire crowd into an eruption.
Stewart and Ionescu combined for 55 points and currently both have momentum and confidence on their sides.
“When you’re going on runs and hitting shots, it feels like you can do anything in this building,” Ionescu said.
Sharing the Rock
The Liberty were second in the league during the regular season with 22.8 assists per game. Sharing the ball has been one of their strengths the past two years. That strength and teamwork showed today as they assisted on 22 of 30 made field goals.
Five players for New York had at least three assists.
Limiting turnovers
One important stat going into Game 2 for New York is limiting turnovers. The Liberty had 15 turnovers compared to 11 for Las Vegas. Some careless Liberty mistakes allowed Vegas to go on multiple runs to try and get back in the game.
Importance of Home-Court Advantage
A major factor that could impact this series moving forward is home-court advantage. It’s a flip flop from last season where the Aces had the number one seed and took a 2-0 series lead in the Finals, winning both games at home.
The Liberty have fed off of the crowd’s energy all season, and Barclays Center could prove to be the major difference for New York to take another game at home.
“Getting drafted here and seeing what it’s like from 3,000 [fans] to a sellout. Every night I step out there, I want to be the best I can be for our team but these fans too,” Ionescu said.
New York will look to take a 2-0 advantage in the best-of-five series when the two teams meet again on Tuesday.