Finals MVP A’ja Wilson racks up 24 points, 16 rebounds, a steal and a block in the deciding Game 4 play at Barclays Center.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Las Vegas Aces became the first team in 21 years to win back-to-back WNBA championships, getting 24 points and 16 rebounds from A’ja Wilson and a defensive stop in the final seconds to beat the New York Liberty 70-69 in Game 4 of the final on Wednesday evening.
The Aces joined the Los Angeles Sparks (2001-02) and Houston Comets (1997-2000) as the only teams in league history to win back-to-back titles.
Las Vegas did it without a starter Chelsea Gray and Kiah Stokes, both of whom were sidelined due to foot injuries suffered in Game 3. Gray, the 2022 WNBA Finals MVP, was constantly in her teammates’ ears during timeouts and shouting encouragement from the sidelines. Also missing from Las Vegas was veteran Candace Parker, who underwent foot surgery in late July.
“We’ve faced adversity all season, playing without different players…We have professional fighters,” said Alysha Clark, who was added to the starting lineup Wednesday. “To weather the storm of everything we have been through, to be present every day. To be in this moment now and to do it together, it says a lot about us, about our chemistry.
Wilson earned Finals MVP honors this year after finishing third in regular season MVP voting.
With the game tied at 64, Las Vegas scored six straight points, including Jackie Young’s first four, to take a 70-64 lead with 1:26 to play.
Courtney Vandersloot made a 3-pointer on New York’s next possession, then stole the ball from Kelsey Plum, leading to Sabrina Ionescu’s jumper at the foul line to get the Liberty within one at 41, 7 seconds left.
On the ensuing possession, Las Vegas ran down the shot clock before coach Becky Hammon called a timeout with 3 seconds left on the shot clock. The Aces passed the ball to Wilson on a lob, but Breanna Stewart blocked the shot, giving New York one last chance.
After a timeout with 8.8 seconds remaining, the Liberty handed the ball to Stewart, who was double-teamed. The ball passed to Vandersloot in the corner, but his shot missed badly, sparking a wild celebration from the Aces in midfield.
“That’s a play we’ve made before, putting the ball in Stewie’s hand,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. “Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. We got where we wanted, but we didn’t succeed. »
Vandersloot finished with 19 points and Betnijah Laney added 15 for New York.
Hammon said before the game that she would “throw the kitchen sink at (the Liberty), see what sticks, see what works.”
The Aces rotated defenses, which shut down New York after the Liberty scored 23 points in the first quarter.
“I think they were throwing the defense they had at us and making sure it was ugly,” Stewart said. “Sometimes we lost our fluidity and ball movement.”
Hammon pitched sixth WNBA Clark Woman of the Year and Cayla George in place of Gray and Stokes. Clark did an outstanding job on her former Seattle Storm teammate, Stewart, holding her to 10 points on 3 of 17 shooting. George had 11 points.
“I just know what she likes to do. And I just lock in and make sure I don’t give him that,” Clark said of guarding Stewart. “I’m so proud of this team.”
This was the first close game of the season between these teams. The four regular season matchups were all blowout, with the closest game being a nine-point New York victory on August 28. The first three games of the WNBA Finals were also routs, with New York winning Game 3 87-73 to push back out of elimination.
Game 4 was so tense that Ionescu was seen vomiting in a trash can during a timeout midway through the fourth quarter, shortly after scoring a 3-point basket to bring the Liberty within 60-58. Ionescu remained in the game after the timeout.
A host of stars
Once again, New York attracted dozens of celebrities to the game, including basketball royalty Sue Bird and Dawn Staley – the South Carolina coach who loudly cheered for her former star player, Wilson – as well as Liberty Ring of Honor members Vickie Johnson and Sue Wicks. Actors Jennifer Connelly, Issa Rae and Jason Sudeikis were also in attendance.
