A'ja Wilson stats today: How did reigning 3x MVP fare in WNBA Playoffs semis Game 1 vs Liberty?

A'ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces continue their title defense with a difficult 2024 WNBA semis matchup against the league-best 32-8 New York Liberty on Sunday.

The Aces dropped behind in their quest after losing the contest 87-77. Wilson disappointed with an underwhelming performance relative to the standards she's set for herself, especially with her counterpart Breanna Stewart recording a 30-point night.

Here's Wilson's final stats of Game 1 against the New York Liberty:

PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG	3-PT FG	FTM	PF	+/-
21	6	5	0	2	2	9-16	0-1	3-4	2	-17

A'ja Wilson's 2024 WNBA playoffs semis Game 1 recap vs Liberty

The 2023 finals rematch between the teams didn't start on the best note for A'ja Wilson, who had an underwhelming first quarter in Game 1.

While her counterpart, Breanna Stewart, torched the Aces' defense with 11 points on 5-of-6 shots, Wilson, on the other end, couldn't set the same tone for her team. She scored only four points 2-of-2 shots.

Wilson added six points to her tally in the second quarter, putting up a better effort, shooting 2-of-3. However, the three-time MVP seemingly struggled with the Liberty's swarming defense against her. Wilson was a team-worst -17 on the floor at the end of the first half.

Wilson's performance didn't pick up by much coming out of the half. She failed to figure a way out against the Liberty's physical and size-heavy defense, which was equipped to ensure the MVP had a relatively quiet night. Wilson scored four points in the third quarter on 2-of-3 shooting, similar to the second.

A'ja Wilson's best came in the fourth quarter after she tallied seven points on 3-of-6 shots in the final 10 minutes, taking her game tally to 21 points. However, it wasn't enough, as the Aces lost 87-77. Wilson continued to have the worst +/- of all the Aces players, finishing the game with a -17.

Wilson and the Aces will have another chance to save their season on Monday in Game 2. Wilson, in particular, must improve to give her team a decent chance of taking the series back to Las Vegas.

She will have to be aggressive and find ways to impact the game positively if the Liberty continue limiting her touches and shots inside the arc.