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The Las Vegas Aces find themselves in a must-win situation to stay alive in the semifinals of the 2024 WNBA playoffs. They host the 2-0 up New York Liberty at the Michelob Ultra Arena fully aware that another loss calls it curtains down on their campaign and their title defense run.
Meanwhile, NY's payback tour continues to impress as they fended off the 2x defending champions twice this ongoing playoffs, and thrice in the regular season to cement their dominance against a quality Las Vegas side. Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu have been a force to which the Aces have no answer. The Liberty's size, depth, and play on both ends of the floor have seen them edge their opponents with utmost ease.
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With their postseason future on the line, the Aces will look to a tired A'ja Wilson, a wobbly Kelsey Plum, and their misfiring offense to manage a win and live to fight another day. The question is whether they can do that and still have enough in the tank to stage a fightback and erase the deficit.
New York Liberty vs Las Vegas Aces preview, predicted starting lineup, odds, and prediction
The New York Liberty vs Las Vegas Aces skirmish tips off at 9:30 pm ET. Local coverage will be on ESPN2. The game can also be streamed live on the WNBA app with a subscription to the WNBA League Pass. Here's a quick look at the odds ahead of the decisive Game 3 for both sides.
New York Liberty vs Las Vegas Aces preview
Sabrina Ionescu echoed a sentiment from her mentor, the late Kobe Bryant when she said the series was far from done despite chalking up a 2-0 lead.
Her comments cannot be discarded considering that the Aces did come back swinging in Game 2 with fast plays and a flurry of buckets to stay in contention. They cut an eight-point deficit with eight minutes left in the final quarter and tied the game with 1:31 left. Still, NY managed to stave off the rally to notch up a close 88-84 win.
Ionescu has been on a tear this series with two 20+ points games and will face stiff competition from Wilson (22.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in four playoff games) as both teams are just one away from progress and elimination, respectively. It's also worth noting that no team in the WNBA has bounced back from a 0-2 deficit. This puts pressure on Becky Hammon and co. to continue taking the fight to NY.
The Aces' shooting has sputtered, and they need to work their shots from the charity stripe. They were outbeaten 50-43% while shooting from the field, and have only managed to make 63% of their FTs in Game 2 — a chink that needs to be sorted. They are on the brink and will look to keep their mistakes at bay to force a Game 4.
New York Liberty vs Las Vegas Aces predicted starting lineup
The Liberty will likely stick to the same unit. Leonie Fiebich and Sabrina Ionescu will form the backcourt, while Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart slot in as forwards. Betnijah Laney- Hamilton comes in at center. Courtney Vandersloot, Kennedy Burke, and Kayla Thornton come in as part of the second unit.
The Aces will field Chelsea Gray at PG, Kelsey Plum at SG, Jackie Young at SF, Alysha Clark at PF, and A'ja Wilson at center. Tiffany Hayes and Sydney Colson come in as bench options.
New York Liberty vs Las Vegas Aces prediction
The Las Vegas Aces are battered, undersized, and have players going through inconsistent runs of form. But if there was ever an opportunity to show their heart and attitude to not cave in, Friday's marquee matchup would be it. While the Liberty have dominated, the Aces will take confidence from the fact they beat them last season and came close to getting ahead of them last game. Make it a hard-fought win for Las Vegas.
