‘Playoff-type vibe’: Aces get quick chance to strike back at Liberty

The Aces may be getting a preview of their future.

Following Tuesday’s 82-63 loss against the New York Liberty in the Commissioner’s Cup championship game, the Aces are preparing for a second chance to take down their rivals just 48 hours later.

There’s certainly no guarantee the teams will meet in the playoffs, much less the WNBA Finals. But Thursday’s quick turnaround against a top opponent mimics the rhythm of a playoff series.

Aces point guard Chelsea Gray said Thursday will be good practice for the postseason, which is just 10 games away.

“It’s like a playoff-type vibe,” Gray said. “Another one’s coming at you with the same opponent where the little things are going to change.”

The Aces (27-3) and Liberty (24-6) will run it back at 7 p.m. Thursday at Michelob Ultra Arena, this time for a regular-season game between the WNBA’s top two teams.

Coach Becky Hammon’s team has lost the past two meetings against the Liberty by a combined 57 points. The Aces lost 99-61 at New York on Aug. 6.

Tuesday’s loss was the Aces’ first at home this season, though the Commissioner’s Cup finale does not count in the regular-season standings.

“We’re just going to have to keep it moving, not miss the forest for the trees,” Hammon said. “Because the most important part of the season is coming up. It’s only going to get harder. We have to take care of what we can take care of, mainly our bodies, and see if we can regroup and give them a different team Thursday.”

The Aces’ past two games against the Liberty have been difficult, to say the least. New York has owned the rebounding battle, clogged the paint and dared the Aces — in particular the team’s reserves — to make 3s.

Hammon said New York was playing five-on-four Tuesday while the Aces had the ball because the Liberty were content to ignore Aces starting center Kiah Stokes on offense. Hammon responded by turning to veteran wing Alysha Clark, who went 0 of 5 from 3.

Hammon credited the Liberty for having a good game plan, but also said her team simply didn’t shoot well enough to keep the game close. The Aces are a combined 11 of 49 — 22.4 percent — from 3 in their past two games against the Liberty. Meanwhile, the Liberty made 15 3s on Tuesday.

“We just have to make the right plays, make the right reads and really just hit shots,” Aces All-Star wing Jackie Young said. “We didn’t hit shots tonight. Hopefully we’ll do that on Thursday.”

Hammon was also critical of her defense. While she acknowledged holding the high-powered Liberty to 82 wasn’t terrible, she also said the Aces’ defense has regressed.

Defensive rating is a good way to evaluate a defense. The metric shows the points allowed by a team per 100 possessions.

The Aces’ 96.7 defensive rating for the entire season still leads the WNBA, but their defensive rating balloons to 102.8 if only evaluating the past seven games. In the same span, New York’s defensive rating is 95.3, second-best in the league and an improvement on its rating for the season (99.4).

“I think before,” Hammon said, “that was a separation factor for us.”

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on X.