The Aces are looking unstoppable right now. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Both the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty entered the 2023 season as ostensible super-teams, but Thursday showed the WNBA’s elite might be a class of one.
With a true team effort, the Aces steadily but assertively rolled through the Liberty in a 98-81 win at home, improving their record to a WNBA-best record to 14-1. The Liberty fell to 10-4, putting them a step behind the 12-4 Connecticut Sun for the top mark in the East.
The Aces never trailed, but the Liberty at least kept pace for much of the first quarter. Then the lead just kept growing and growing in the second and third quarters as Vegas got nearly every shot it wanted.
Each member of the Aces’ starting lineup — Kelsey Plum, A’ja Wilson, Candace Parker, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young — had at least 10 points and three assists by the end of the third quarter, by which point the Aces were up 76-56. Plum led all scorers with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting, plus eight assists.
As a team, the Aces had six turnovers.
The Liberty entered the game with four straight wins, appearing to round into the form that was expected when Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot teamed up with Betnijah Laney and Sabrina Ionescu. They weren’t totally lost in Vegas — for the first half, at least — but they certainly exited the Michelob Ultra Arena with some questions to answer.
Vandersloot had one of the Liberty’s bright spots when she dished her 2,500th career assist in the first quarter, becoming just the third player in WNBA history to reach that mark.
Meanwhile, the Aces might face a steeper challenge Saturday when the Sun come to town. If they get through that test, it might really be time to start wondering when they get their second loss, as they will have 10 straight games against teams below .500 on the slate until they face the Liberty again on Aug. 6.
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