The New York Liberty are still alive. Back at home in Brooklyn, the Liberty controlled all of Game 3 of the 2023 WNBA Finals before pulling away from the Las Vegas Aces in the final few minutes for an 87-73 win. This is the first Finals win since 1999 for the Liberty, who are still searching for their first title.
As expected, the Liberty came out with all sorts of energy on both ends of the floor. Early on, they were forcing turnovers and knocking down 3-pointers en route to a lead that they never relinquished. They were not entirely comfortable until the final few minutes, however, as the Aces kept finding ways to hang around.
But less than a minute after the Aces cut the deficit to six in the middle of the fourth quarter, Chelsea Gray left the court with an apparent lower leg injury. After that point, the Liberty quickly reasserted full control and put the game out of reach. Jonquel Jones led the way with 27 points and eight rebounds, while Breanna Stewart added 20 points, 12 rebounds and four assists.
Gray, the Aces' veteran point guard and one of their leaders, was unable to put any pressure on her left leg and hopped back to the locker room. Back in the tunnel she seemed to be in extreme pain. Her status will be the most important story to monitor ahead of Game 4, which is set for Wednesday night.
Here are some key takeaways from Game 3:
Gray suffers a potential series-changing injury
The entire series shifted in the middle of the fourth quarter on Sunday with Gray's injury. After struggling all day, the Aces made a run in the middle of the final frame to cut the deficit to six, and it appeared like they had a real chance to steal the game. Then, Gray took a wrong step and everything changed.
Gray remained in the game briefly, but soon had to check out and make her way to the locker room. She was unable to put any pressure on her left leg, and was heard yelling in pain on the broadcast as she went back into the tunnels. At one point she collapsed and had to be helped up and carried by multiple members of the Aces' staff.
Shortly after Gray left the court, the Liberty pushed their advantage up to 17 -- their biggest lead of the series -- and cruised to a win. Aces head coach Becky Hammon did not have an update on Gray after the game, but based on her star point guard's reaction it seems like a serious injury.
If Gray is unable to go in Game 4, and perhaps beyond, it changes the entire nature of the series. She's one of the best point guards in the league and has been a huge part of the Aces' success during this historic season. More than that, they don't have anyone to replace her, and already play just six players as it is.
Liberty finally hit some 3-pointers
The 2023 Liberty were the best 3-point shooting team the league has ever seen in the regular season, but they had not been able to translate that success to the playoffs. At least not until Sunday afternoon. But back home in Barclays Center, they finally found their shot.
Crucially, they saw a few shots go down early, with Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu hitting a pair of triples to help them jump in front in the opening minutes. That helped calm the nerves for everyone on the court and watching in the stands. By the end of the first half they already had seven triples -- a stark change from Games 1 and 2 when they went 17-of-64 combined.
There were still some cold stretches throughout the game, but there were enough flurries to ensure a double-digit win in the end. They finished 13-of-30 from downtown, matching a franchise playoff record for makes. Even more important is six different players hit a shot from behind the arc, so it wasn't just one or two players getting hot; this was a true team effort.
The Liberty are now 4-0 in the playoffs when they make double-digit 3s, and including the regular season are 25-4 when they hit that mark.
Stewart shows up
Jonquel Jones has been the Liberty's best player in the Finals, and was excellent again in Game 3, finishing with 27 points, eight rebounds and three blocks on 10-of-15 shooting from the field. The difference on Sunday, and why the Liberty were able to keep their season alive, is that Breanna Stewart finally played like the MVP.
This has been a strange postseason for Stewart, who outside of a few games has been a borderline disaster on offense. In Games 1 and 2 of the Finals she scored a combined 35 points on 14-of-36 from the field, which simply wasn't good enough against a team like the Aces.
Early on, it seemed like Game 3 would be more of the same, as she went 1-of-4 from the field in the first quarter. After that, however, she found her groove. She buried a 3-pointer, converted a few extremely tough finishes at the rim and knocked down some clutch mid-range efforts in the fourth to help the Liberty hold on.
Down on the other end of the floor, Stewart was making an even bigger impact. She only finished with two blocks, but it seemed like more given the authority of said rejections. Her effort to stuff A'ja Wilson's jumper in the third quarter was one of the best defensive plays of the postseason.
All told, Stewart finished with 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting, 12 rebounds and four assists. That's the type of impact the Liberty will need her to have the rest of the way if they want to pull off a historic comeback.
