It took six tries but the Las Vegas Aces finally beat the New York Liberty for the first time this year. And now the Aces' quest to three-peat remains alive.
Facing an elimination game Friday in the WNBA semifinals, the Aces scored 16 unanswered points in the third quarter to put the game out of reach in a 95-81 victory. The Aces led by as many as 25, marking the first time either team had reached a 20-point lead in the series.
After the game, the Aces insisted they aren't getting too comfortable or confident -- after all, the team is down 2-1 and faces another elimination game Sunday (3 p.m. ET, ABC). But Friday seemed like a potential turning point -- the Aces finally cracked the code against the Liberty, limiting Sabrina Ionescu to four points and getting a better offensive night from their entire backcourt.
Friday's games were all about momentum. In the earlier semifinal, Minnesota made a statement as well with a 90-81 road win over the Connecticut Sun -- the Lynx's second straight victory in the series -- to move one win away from their first Finals appearance since 2017. Finding success on both ends of the floor, the Lynx led comfortably most of the game, including by double figures in much of the fourth quarter.
ESPN looks at how the Aces staved off elimination, how the Lynx (up 2-1) won on the road and how Sunday's Game 4s might play out.
(1) New York Liberty vs. (4) Las Vegas Aces
Liberty lead best-of-five series 2-1
Third quarter makes all the difference
At halftime Friday, the Aces were up three points but it felt like anyone's game. There were 18 lead changes at the half, per Elias Sports Bureau, a WNBA playoff record. Even with the Liberty facing their first halftime deficit of the series, it seemed they could still come away with the sweep if they got Sabrina Ionescu going (0-for-4 in the first 20 minutes).
The Aces made a statement in the third quarter with their best 10 minutes of the series, asserting their will on both ends. A 16-0 run helped Las Vegas dominate the period 21-6. In the period, a discombobulated New York had the same amount of points as it did turnovers and recorded its lowest-scoring playoff quarter since the WNBA adopted the format in 2006. The Aces' 16 unanswered points marked the second-longest scoring run against the Liberty this season.
With the home crowd waving white rally towels and getting louder with each back-breaking Las Vegas 3-pointer in that stretch, it felt like this was the reemergence of the two-time defending champion Aces squad that had only appeared in flashes this season -- and hadn't previously made its presence known this series. And maybe, just maybe, they're here to stay. -- Alexa Philippou
Aces shut down Ionescu
After Ionescu starred during the first two games of the series in Brooklyn, scoring a combined 45 points on 18-of-33 shooting, she didn't get on the scoreboard until the fourth quarter of Game 3. Ionescu finished with four points -- her fewest ever in a playoff game -- on 1-of-7 from the field.
Before Game 3, ESPN's Carolyn Peck called for Las Vegas to trap Ionescu, a move that seemed risky against a skilled passer. The Aces managed to take Ionescu out of the offense without needing to utilize such aggressive defense. Ionescu's seven shot attempts were her fewest in any game across the regular season and playoffs, and her five assists were the same total as in Games 1 and 2.
Per ESPN Research, Jackie Young was more effective defending Ionescu as well. After Ionescu made 7 of 10 shots when defended by Young in the first two games, she missed both such attempts Friday. -- Kevin Pelton
Setting tone from the tip
The Aces were frustrated by their 11 first-half turnovers in Game 2. Chelsea Gray pointed out what a big difference that made in what ended up being just a four-point New York victory.
On Friday, Las Vegas was more locked in and took care of the ball from the start. The Aces had just three turnovers in the first half. And even though they finished with 12 -- the same number they had in Game 2 -- the Aces executed better overall. -- Michael Voepel
Can the Aces play as effectively on defense in Game 4?
That seems like the biggest key for the Aces, because what they did Friday really worked. By the same token, Ionescu said after the game that the good thing is the Liberty now have a day to react to what the Aces did -- essentially throwing three defenders at her at every chance -- and determine ways to combat that.
"We were able to see it; that was their adjustment," Ionescu said. "Now we're able to watch film and figure out what we need to do to be better. Both teams continue to tweak things, and I think it kind of opened our eyes a little bit to what they're going to do in the next game." -- Voepel
(2) Minnesota Lynx vs. (3) Connecticut Sun
Lynx lead best-of-five series 2-1
Lynx beat Sun at their own game
During the regular season, Minnesota ranked last in the WNBA in points in the paint, averaging 28.1, and instead let it fly from 3-point range. Meanwhile, Connecticut finished fourth in points in the paint (38.5) and allowed the fewest of any team (33.8). So it was no surprise the Sun won the points-in-the-paint battle during the first two games of this series, including a 38-30 edge in their Game 2 loss.
That flipped in a big way Friday, when the Lynx's 48 points in the paint crushed their previous season high (40). Minnesota accomplished that primarily with strong ball and player movement. Of the team's 19 layups, 14 were assisted (74%), and according to Second Spectrum tracking, eight of those came off cuts. That's tied for the second-most layups off cuts in any WNBA game across the regular season and playoffs. -- Pelton
Defense doomed Sun
Toward the end of the game, ESPN play-by-play announcer Pam Ward said of Minnesota, "This team firing on all cylinders is a thing of beauty." Firing on all cylinders describes exactly what happened in Game 3 for the Lynx, who shot 57.4% from the field. After scoring 28 points across the first two games of the series, Napheesa Collier paced all players with 26 on Friday, while Courtney Williams (16 points, 8 assists) registered her first career playoff game with at least 15 points and eight assists.
For the defensive-minded Sun, that means things went disastrously wrong on that end of the floor. It was by far the worst shooting percentage Connecticut has allowed in any game this season (the previous high was 51.7% against New York on June 8). And with Marina Mabrey having an off night from the 3-point arc (she missed her first nine attempts and finished 1-for-11), Connecticut couldn't keep up. The Sun need to get back to their physical, relentless defensive identity, at a minimum, to keep the Lynx from finding an offensive rhythm -- and to keep their season alive. -- Philippou
Can Connecticut avoid a repeat of 2023?
In last year's WNBA semifinals, the Sun won Game 1 against the Liberty on the road only to lose the next three games and the series. Now, Connecticut is a loss away from history repeating itself.
Per ESPN Research, no team besides the Sun has lost multiple best-of-five series after winning Game 1. It has happened twice for Connecticut: last year and in the 2020 semifinals against the Aces in the "Wubble" neutral-site setting, a series the Sun led 1-0 and 2-1 before losing in five games. -- Pelton