The New York Liberty came out firing on all cylinders and defeated the Las Vegas Aces 87-73 to take Game 3 of the WNBA DInals at home. The Liberty were able to capitalize on home-court advantage and shot a blazing 43.3 percent from 3.
Jonquel Jones came alive, leading New York in scoring with 27 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 block while shooting 10-of-15 (66 percent) from the floor. Breanna Stewart finished the game with 20 points, and Courtney Vandersloot and Betnijah Laney chipped in 12 points a piece.
New York shot 52.4 percent from the floor as a team while Las Vegas shot a low 33.3 percent from the floor. The Aces struggled to shoot from 3 but their ability to not rely on it may benefit them in the long run in this long series.
Despite the Liberty's impressive win, the Aces could still be in position to steal one game on the road. Now that New York is on the board in this series, the stage is set for an epic Game 4.
Here are three key adjustments for the Aces to make in Game 4.
Game 4 adjustments for the Aces: 3. Get Jackie Young early touches
The first adjustment that Las Vegas needs to make for Game 4 is to get Jackie Young involved early. She finished Game 1 with 26 points and Game 2 with 28 points.
With Chelsea Gray being out for Game 4, Young will need to take on some of the scoring load along with ball handling. She can get to the lane at will, space the floor with her shooting, and most of all she puts pressure on the Liberty's defense by forcing Sabrina Ionescu to guard.
Young finished Game 3 with 8 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds while shooting 2-9 from the floor and 0-of-3 on 3-pointers. In order for the Aces to overcome the loss of the Point Gawd and win this series, they will need another superstar performance.
Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon will rely more on Young and Kelsey Plum to handle the ball and apply pressure on the offensive end.
Game 4 adjustments for the Aces: 2. Eliminate turnovers
The second key adjustment that the Aces need to make is eliminating their turnovers on the road. Granted, Las Vegas finished Game 3 with 11 turnovers which isn't the worst, but they need to cut it down to single digits.
New York's home crowd at the Barclays Center feeds off of any slight error of the opposing team. With the absence of Kiah Stokes and Gray, the team will need to minimize any small errors to steal a game on the road and repeat as champions.
Las Vegas had a combined total of 20 turnovers from Games 1 and 2. At home, New York creates second-chance and fast break points with ease.
The Aces will need to be sharp with the basketball while taking advantage of the matchups in their favor.
Game 4 adjustments for the Aces: 1. Bench Input
The final key adjustment that Las Vegas needs to make is to get more production from the bench. Alysha Clark finished Game 3 with 9 points and 5 rebounds while shooting 1-out-of-5 from the 3-point line.
Clark played 27 minutes in Game 3 and shot 3-for-8 from the floor. In order for the Aces to win tonight, they will need a heroic shooting performance from her.
With the Point Gawd out of the lineup for tonight's matchup, Hammon will need solid play from Sydney Colson, and Kierstan Bell. Both guards have played limited minutes but they can help take some of the ball-handling load off of Plum and Young.
Both guards can provide this team with energy off the bench and ball movement. Bell is a bigger guard who can crash the glass and can defend bigger positions. Colson can help this team attack the rim.