After two games in the 2024 WNBA semifinals, the defending champions, the Aces, are facing elimination while the Lynx managed to tie the series last night.
Heading into Game 3 on Friday in a different venue, Las Vegas will need to rely on their home-court advantage to keep their playoff hopes alive, while Minnesota will aim to quiet the Connecticut crowd.
Aces facing elimination after Game 2 loss
Following a second consecutive loss on Tuesday, with an 88-84 defeat against the No. 1 seed Liberty in Brooklyn, the No. 4 seed Aces are on the brink of playoff elimination. The Aces are now the first reigning champions to fall into a 0-2 deficit in a WNBA playoff series.
Las Vegas has not been able to beat the Liberty this season, losing a franchise-tying five straight games to the same opponent, all after defeating New York in the 2023 WNBA Finals.
New York’s Sabrina Ionescu and Las Vegas’s A’ja Wilson led their teams in scoring with 24 points each, while Liberty guard Courtney Vandersloot provided a crucial spark off the bench.
If Las Vegas manages to turn things around when the series heads back to Nevada on Friday, they would be the first team to bounce back from a 0-2 deficit to reach the WNBA Finals.
Aces guard Chelsea Gray stays positive, saying “I love being in the history books, so might as well try to start there. That’s going to be our mentality.”
Lynx level the series with Game 2 win in Minnesota
The No. 2 seed Minnesota tied the semifinal series with the No. 3 seed Connecticut with a 77-70 victory in Minneapolis on Tuesday, sending the series back East with one win each.
Courtney Williams led the Lynx in scoring with 17 points, and a physical Minnesota defense held the Sun to less than 40% shooting from the field.
Despite the loss, Sun forward DeWanna Bonner became the third all-time leading scorer in WNBA postseason history and holds the record for the most playoff appearances in league history at 83 games and counting.
Friday will mark the start of a two-game run in Connecticut, with the home team aiming to make it to the Finals for the first time since 2022.
How to watch Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals
Both Las Vegas and Minnesota will be looking for crucial wins in Game 3 on Friday, with the Aces in a must-win situation in front of their home crowd.
The Lynx will face off against Connecticut in a 7:30 PM ET tip-off on Friday, October 4th, followed by a match-up between the Liberty and Aces in Las Vegas at 9:30 PM ET. Both games will be aired on ESPN2.
