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Friday night was a reminder game, with the back-to-back champion Las Vegas Aces, despite a No. 4 seed and an 0-2 hole, reminding the WNBA world that taking them down will be quite the task. Will they do it again, winning a 13th-straight home playoff game to force a Game 5? Or, can the No. 1-seed New York Liberty show that, as the season’s best team, they’re ready to take down the title-holding titans on the road?

The next chapter of Liberty-Aces tips off at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 6 (ABC).

What’s the Liberty’s Sab strategy?

In Game 3, the Aces’ top defensive priority was obvious: shut down Sabrina Ionescu. Vegas certainly succeeded in doing so, preventing the fifth-year guard from getting off, much less sinking, her 3-point espresso shots that have proved powerful sources of positive momentum for the Liberty throughout the postseason. Ionescu managed just seven total shot attempts, and only two 3-point attempts, as she mostly was relegated to bystander status on the offensive end because of the Aces’ aggressive blitzes.

New York, however, also employs the top assisting point guard in WNBA postseason history in Courtney Vandersloot. Albeit still limited to 20 minutes of playing time in Game 3, Sloot had her highest usage game of the postseason, totaling her most shot attempts and assists in a 2024 playoff game. Will head coach Sandy Brondello seek to utilize her more in Game 4, including when Ionescu is on the floor? While extended stretches of a Vandersloot-Ionescu backcourt would weaken New York’s perimeter defense, Vandersloot’s creation could help Ionescu get loose for scoring opportunities.

Or, Brondello and the Liberty might choose to continue to have Ionescu serve as a decoy. Believing that the the Aces again will direct defensive attention to Ionescu, the Liberty can try to generate more scoring chances for Jonquel Jones, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Leonie Fiebich. Each of those players took just eight shots in Game 3. That strategy, along with riding the Breanna Stewart tough-shot express, could result in New York putting enough points on the board, despite Vegas’ increased defensive intensity.

A Tip for the Aces?

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Defense, with a maximum attention to detail and desire, again will be key for the home team. Led by the unstoppable A’ja Wilson, it’s easy trust the Aces’ offense. Every Vegas player again must follow Wilson’s example on defense: smart helping, sharp rotations and clear communication.

It will be interesting to see if head coach Becky Hammon has her squad employ the same Ionescu-centric defensive strategy that, as discussed above, New York surely will be prepared to more effectively counter. Or, have Hammon and company cooked up something else to throw off the top-ranked Liberty offense? Can Vegas again use their lack of size to their advantage, leveraging their speed and aggression in ways that disrupts a bigger, yet slower, New York team?

Possibly, Hammon gives more time to Tiffany Hayes. The recently-named Sixth Player of the Year saw 16 minutes in Game 3, her fewest minutes of the postseason. In that time, she made the kind of plays that Vegas will need in Game 4, grabbing three boards, tossing a pair of assists and nabbing two steals, along with scoring 11 points. Hayes possesses elite, game-changing athleticism that can cause problems for the Liberty on both ends of the floor. She has successfully defended Ionescu, bothering her with quickness and aggression. If New York puts the ball in Vandersloot’s hands more often, Hayes could overwhelm the smaller, veteran point guard. Offensively, no New York defender can keep Hayes out of the paint. Her ability to break the paint to score at the basket or kick out to a teammate can cause the disciplined Liberty defense to scramble.

In short, Tip Hayes could tip the game in Vegas’ favor.

It’s Stew’ja time!

Of course, in the end, the result could come down to the two best players in the world: Wilson and Stewart. Who sinks the tough shots? Who secures the timely rebound? Who makes the unexpected weakside block? Who finds a teammate for a crucial basket? And on and on.

In the biggest games, the best players rise to the occasion. Nothing less is expected of A’ja and Stewie. A’ja and the Aces are fighting for their basketball lives, intent upon extending this series to a Game 5 and preserving their three-peat dreams. Stewie and the Liberty want to finish the job, extinguishing any lingering demons that might emerge with a Game 5 back in New York.

Game information

No. 1-seed New York Liberty (2-1) vs. No. 4-seed Las Vegas Aces (1-2)

When: Sunday, Oct. 6 at 3 p.m. ET

Where: Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas, NV

How to watch: ABC

Liberty injury report: none

Aces injury report: Kiah Stokes (out; concussion)