Liberty beat Aces, 79–67, and clinch playoff spot behind Sabrina Ionescu’s 23 points

In their first game since the WNBA’s break for the Paris Olympics, the Las Vegas Aces started off like a team ready to pursue their third straight championship. Kelsey Plum scored 11 in the first quarter, with A’ja Wilson adding eight. The Aces also shot 6-for-9 (67%) from 3-point range.

However, the New York Liberty then looked like the team that currently holds the WNBA’s best record. The Liberty put up a wall in the second quarter, outscoring the Aces 18–8, and took a 42–36 lead into halftime.

Las Vegas cut it to two points in the third, but New York never gave back the lead. The Liberty pulled away in the fourth on their way to a 79–67 win on Saturday. With the win, New York is the first team to clinch a playoff spot this season.

Sabrina Ionescu scored a game-high 21 points for the Liberty while adding five rebounds. Jonquel Jones tallied 10 points with 17 rebounds and seven assists, joining Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker and Alyssa Thomas as the only WNBA players to total those numbers in a single regular season game.

Whether or not the Aces are tired out after six of their players participated in the Olympics — four on the gold medal-winning U.S. squad — will likely be a popular narrative over the next few games. However, A’ja Wilson continued her outstanding play with 24 points and 11 rebounds for her seventh consecutive double-double, in addition to three steals and three blocks.

Wilson is charging toward her third WNBA MVP award. She currently leads the league in points (27.2) and blocks (2.9) per game, and is tied for the lead in rebounds (12.0) with Angel Reese.

Plum finished with 13 points, as did Chelsea Gray, who also notched six rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks.

The Liberty improved their league-best record to 23–4 (11–3 on the road) and have clinched a playoff spot. The Aces drop to 16–9 (8–6 at home). That has them fifth in the league and third in the Western Conference.

Up next for the Aces is the second of back-to-back games on Sunday versus the Los Angeles Sparks. Tip-off is at 6 p.m. ET. The Liberty get a two-day break before hosting the first of two consecutive games against the Dallas Wings on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.