The New York Liberty are two wins from another WNBA Finals berth. Breanna Stewart’s balanced scoring attack led them to a Game 1 win over the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday
In the most anticipated matchup of the WNBA playoffs, the New York Liberty made sure to set the tone.
It was time to put their foot down, protect homecourt, and let the world know why they’re favorites to win the 2024 title. New York defeated the Las Vegas Aces in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals, notching their 22nd double-digit victory of the season. That ties the Minnesota Lynx for the most in the league.
The Liberty improved to 35-8 on the year, now just two wins from another WNBA Finals berth. Across those 43 matchups, they have outscored teams by 399 total points for an average of 9.3 per game.
For them to gain an advantage on the defending champions, it was always going to require keeping MVP A’ja Wilson at bay.
That’s exactly how they prevailed in Game 1, crowding Wilson’s space and making every scoring opportunity difficult. They did a phenomenal job limiting the head of the snake and, most importantly, not fouling to give her many freebies at the line.
Instead, it was Breanna Stewart who shined bright and stole the show offensively. She finished with 34 points on 12-of-19 shooting and 8-of-9 from the foul line.
She did most of her damage attacking switches or punishing mismatches in the post. Once the defense allows Stewart to find her spots, particularly in the mid-range, it’s a wrap. There’s only so much you can do against one of the WNBA’s most efficient post scorers:
Stewart shot over 48% on turnaround jumpers during the regular season, mostly because of her unique combination of size, craftiness, and soft touch.
Las Vegas had trouble containing Stewart in the halfcourt all day.
