WNBA playoffs: The Las Vegas Aces avoid elimination, the Minnesota Lynx take a 2-1 lead

CNN
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As the WNBA season nears its end with four teams vying for a spot in the finals, the Las Vegas Aces escaped with a win against the New York Liberty, while Napheesa Collier finished second in franchise history for the Minnesota Lynx wrote -1 series lead over the Connecticut Sun.

Facing elimination and the prospect of being defeated in the WNBA semifinals, the two-time defending champions cruised to a 95-81 victory over the Liberty in Game 3 of the best-of-five series on Friday.

The win keeps Las Vegas' three-goal hopes alive for now, but the franchise still needs to make WNBA history to advance, as no team has ever overcome a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five playoff series could.

“Everything was right for everyone,” Aces coach Becky Hammon told reporters afterward. “I think it was probably our most complete game of the season, the game I was waiting for and believing in.”

At halftime the game was still hanging in the balance, with the Aces leading 52-49. But after the break, the defending champions went on a 16-point run in the third quarter and led by 24 points at one point in the fourth quarter to take control of the game.

Jackie Young scored 24 points and Kelsey Plum 20 points, while league MVP A'ja Wilson added 19 points and 14 rebounds.

Meanwhile, the Aces' defense effectively shut down Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu, keeping her scoreless until the fourth quarter and not giving her “the light of day,” as she said afterward, according to ESPN.

“They lost two games, so I was able to pick them apart offensively,” she said. “So I think in that game you could see the adjustments they made – sending two or three to the ball at a time and not letting me get carried away. “Usually there were three people facing me no matter what. “

As of Friday, the Aces had not beaten the Liberty all season, losing their three regular season games and the first two games of this playoff series. The victory also marked the 12th consecutive home playoff victory for Las Vegas, breaking the WNBA record previously shared by the Los Angeles Sparks (2001–04) and Sacramento Monarchs (2003–06).

Vegas will once again have home-field advantage when the teams next play at Michelob Ultra Arena in Game 4 of the series on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.

Elsewhere on Friday, Collier led the Minnesota Lynx to a 90-81 victory over the Connecticut Sun, scoring 26 points as they bounced back after struggling in Game 2.

The Lynx now lead the series 2-1 and can advance to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2017 if they win Game 4 on Sunday.

Collier made franchise history with her performance as she contributed 26 points and 11 rebounds, becoming the first Lynx player to record multiple games with 25 points and 10 rebounds in the playoffs.

“It’s the law of averages. “Sometimes you have an off night,” she told ESPN afterward, referring to her Game 2 performance in which she scored nine points. “But I knew I had to be there – it’s the playoffs. You have to play with an aggressive attitude, not remembering what happened before in the game but staying in the present moment.”

Game 4 is Sunday at 5 p.m. ET in Connecticut.