Sabrina Ionescu, Liberty look lifeless after Aces beatdown in Game 3 of WNBA semifinals

Defeating the two-time defending champions was ne'er going to beryllium an casual task.

But nary 1 — possibly adjacent the Aces — expected the Liberty to look arsenic atrocious arsenic they did connected Friday nighttime astatine Michelob Ultra Arena.

A disastrous 3rd 4th derailed immoderate accidental of a Liberty expanse against the Aces successful the semifinal round.

The Liberty’s three-point halftime shortage stretched to 8 successful the 3rd astatine the 6:52 mark. Las Vegas’ issues from the archetypal 2 games were nonexistent. The pick-and-roll defence was better, Becky Hammon didn’t person to ticker her squad miss countless layups and the lethal Jonquel Jones–Sabrina Ionescu tandem looked thing similar it.

Ionescu didn’t marque a tract extremity till the 4th fourth erstwhile she knocked down a trey with 8 minutes near successful regularisation successful Friday’s 95-81 Game 3 beatdown successful Las Vegas. She was mostly ineffective portion intelligibly being minimized owed to much unit directed from Hammon. Ionescu missed six of her 7 shots portion signaling 4 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds and 5 turnovers.

The Aces adjusted. And they survived to support their chances of a three-peat alive. Game 4 is present acceptable for Sunday successful Las Vegas.

Hammon’s squad departed from the East Coast and rapidly flipped a switch.

They were nary longer getting bushed successful transition. And connected a accidental the Liberty did get connected the break, Jones received a pas from Ionescu, but the large crashed into Chelsea Gray, who was successful presumption to gully an violative foul. It was Jones’ 4th foul and it forced caput manager Sandy Brondello to nonstop the important Liberty halfway to the seat erstwhile again owed excessively foul trouble.

Jones excessively finished with an unimpressive statline: 11 points, six rebounds and a turnover.

The Liberty missed 12 consecutive shots successful third, a agelong that spanned six and a fractional minutes. And frustrations boiled implicit with 90 seconds remaining successful the play aft Courtney Vandersloot appeared to get pushed by Kelsey Plum, but was called for a travel. Vandersloot yelled astatine the official, who past talented her a method foul.

It capped a disastrous 3rd 4th that the Liberty lost, 21-6. Las Vegas ended it connected a 17-2 run. New York trailed by 18 going into the 4th and saw a shortage balloon to arsenic galore arsenic 25 points.

The remainder of the 4th fourth felt similar an accumulation with the Liberty had zero accidental of dwindling the lead.

Ironically, the Game 3 looked similar an instant classical was brewing.

As the Liberty adjusted to the aboriginal blitzes connected Ionescu, the Aces went connected a 7-0 tally midway done the archetypal play to spell up four. They yet led by 3 aft Jackie Young’s champion commencement of the series: 10 points and 2 assists. She finished with a team-high 24 points, six rebounds and 4 assists.

Much of the 2024 occurrence of the Liberty relied connected Jones staying retired of foul trouble, an contented that occurred astatine aggregate times successful the regular season. The contented appeared again with 4 minutes remaining successful the 2nd 4th Friday aft Jones whacked A’ja Wilson successful the look for her 3rd idiosyncratic foul. The Liberty yet mislaid those minutes, 14-9.

But the Libs stayed successful the crippled with Breanna Stewart draining her archetypal 5 shots. She aboriginal cooled disconnected and finished with a team-high 19 points connected 7-of-17 shooting. She grabbed six boards and recorded a team-worst -24 successful 33 minutes of action.

The archetypal fractional featured a frantic pace, with elite shotmaking connected some sides. While Ionescu failed to people (but dished 5 assists), Stewart and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton traded jumpers. But Wilson, Plum and Young responsed connected the different end. WIlson, Plum and Young combined for 35 of the 52 Aces’ first-half points.

By halftime, the crippled featured 18 pb changes (most successful WNBA playoff history) and 8 ties. No squad led by much than 5 points successful the archetypal half.

Then the crippled exploded successful the 3rd with Brondello aboriginal waving the achromatic emblem with 3 minutes remaining successful regulation.

Ultimately, Game 3 was a puzzling, mediocre nonaccomplishment from a Liberty squad that went 5-0 against the Aces (in the regular play and postseason) earlier Friday’s shellacking. They’ll person a accidental to marque things close successful a imaginable elimination Game 4 connected Sunday.