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Sara Jane Gamelli

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The Aces win their second consecutive WNBA Championship

Heartbreaking loss for the Liberty. Congrats to the Aces on winning the 2023 WNBA Championship pic.twitter.com/aoUaOBF20T

— Sara Jane Gamelli (@SaraJGamelli) October 19, 2023

Game four of the WNBA Finals was intense, disappointing, and exciting all at the same time. New York Liberty fans were left heartbroken, while the Las Vegas Aces celebrated their triumph on New York's home court. In a low scoring affair, the Aces defeated the Liberty 70-69, which was a dogfight up until the final seconds.

With a one point victory, the Las Vegas Aces stormed the middle of the court in front of 16,000 plus New York Liberty fans. Having been there before, the Aces finally captured their second straight WNBA Championship. Las Vegas seized another trophy in what was the most watched game four in WNBA history. They did so without Chelsea Gray, Candace Parker, and Kiah Stokes, all out with foot injuries.

Through a rollercoaster of a season, the aces stated they've experienced adversity all season long. If there's one constant, it's been A'ja Wilson's brilliant play and determination to win.

You can really tell the Aces and A’ja Wilson are a tight group for real. It shows in all aspects. #wnba #WNBAFinals pic.twitter.com/CWSrdsdlsT

— Sara Jane Gamelli (@SaraJGamelli) October 19, 2023

"We kept the main thing, the main thing, and we remained focused through everything," told the press. "We weathered the storms, I think that's what I'm very happy about. They hit us with a big punch, and we came back harder."

Up 39-30 at halftime, New York never truly found their rhythm on either side of the ball. With the Aces starting Alysha Clark and Cayla George, the Liberty couldn't capitalize on the the loss of Gray and Stokes. No disrespect to Clark and George, but Chelsea Gray is not replaceable. Although Gray was sidelined on the bench, she remained vocal on the bench in leading her team. Don't let the Aces bench fool you, they are poised with professionals that were willing and ready to play.

Becky Hammon #wnba #wnba pic.twitter.com/AHnExHkeP3

— Sara Jane Gamelli (@SaraJGamelli) October 19, 2023

"This is probably the tightest group I've ever been around," said Aces coach Becky Hammon. "They're a special group, I don't know what else you can throw at them. All we did is buckle down and keep playing."

The New York Liberty were "highly disappointed"

The Liberty's ball movement wasn't fluid, and their shots simply weren't falling. Looking disheveled, New York shot just 26-72 (36.1 percent) from the field, and 9-26 (34.6 percent) from long range. Sabrina Ionescu finished with 13 points, and Betnijah Laney 15. The Most Valuable Player, Breanna Stewart finished with just 10 points and 14 rebounds on 3-17 (17.6 percent) shooting. Her 38 percent effective field-goal percentage was the lowest of any 10 game-game stretch in her career.

Despite such a successful season, and a franchise best 32-8 finish, the Liberty fell short of their championship desires.

Having experienced both winning and losing in the finals, Liberty guard Courtney Vandersloot stated their level of disappointment was "very high."

"It's hard to answer these questions right now because we're so disappointed, and it's such an emotional time," Vandersloot continued. "We're proud that we had the opportunity to play for a championship. It didn't go out way tonight. This is what we came here to do, we're trying to build a championship team. We are going to use this as a learning experience, you can only get better from here."

Vandersloot finished with a team high 19 points, 6 assists, and 7 rebounds on 50 % three-point shooting. Having struggled with her shot throughout the playoffs, Vandersloot very much kept the Liberty in the game tonight.

The New York Liberty's downfall has been losing leads in the third quarter, which is exactly what happened in game four. Las Vegas outscored New York 23-13, and held them to 25 percent shooting. Cayla George, an unlikely hero, made two key three pointers on four attempts. With the task of guarding Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart, George finished +1, 11 points, 3 steals, and four rebounds.

By the end of the third, the Aces were shooting 50 percent from the field, and 40 percent from three. A'ja Wilson made several shots over Jonquel Jones, who finished with just 6 points and 11 rebounds, in 33 minutes played.

It was a dogfight until the end

THE FINAL SECONDS THAT CROWNED THE @LVACES BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPS pic.twitter.com/YhlV9rCzYb

— WNBA (@WNBA) October 19, 2023

Tied 64-64, the crowd remained intense and involved at the Barclay's Center. Down 70-64 with 1:12 to go, the Aces could taste another Championship victory. In a matter of seconds, guard Courtney Vandersloot made the most important three-pointer of the season, followed by steal and a Sabrina Ionescu made shot over Sydney Colson. Down 70-69 with 41.7 seconds remaining, Jonquel Jones had a momental block on A'ja Wilson, in which Courtney Vandersloot grabbed the unlikely defensive rebound.

At that moment, New York took a timeout with 8.8 seconds to go. With the season on the line, the Liberty had to score on the final posession. Alysha Clark on Stewart, the ball was passed to Betnijah Laney, guarded by Kelsey Plum, and onto Courtney Vandersloot. Less than 2 seconds left, Vandersloot badly missed a mid range shot which concluded the game. In a building that was once filled with an enormous amount of energy, it felt so lifeless.

Tune in to the #WNBAFinals Game 4 Post Game Presser https://t.co/3rhTYWDP7o

— WNBA (@WNBA) October 19, 2023

New York Liberty coach Sandy Brondello expressed her faith in putting the ball in the hands of Breanna Stewart. "I put the ball in the hands of the MVP because we trusted. It just didn't work out today. I'd still do it again, I still make that, that's the right call."

Alysha Clark, now a 3x WNBA Championship, dedicated the win to her late father. She had the game winning defensive stop against Stewart.

"He's been with me all season," Clark told Holly Rowe. "He's been by sixth man and I know he would be so happy right now. This is for him, this entire season, I showed up everyday because I know he loved watching me play."

Clark finished with 10 points, and 8 rebounds, on 4-7 shooting. Guards Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young combined for 23 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds. The New York Liberty are still in search of their first WNBA Championship in franchise history.

Stay tuned for more WNBA and betting related articles. Click here

Sara Jane Gamelli is a full-time Sportswriter at Ballislife, and Sports Content Creator on Twitch and TikTok. She has a focus on the NBA, WNBA, NCAA Basketball, and the NFL. Sara Jane currently resides in Connecticut/NYC area with her Cat and Dog. SJ has her undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut in Economics, with a minor in business administration.

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WNBA Finals - Game 4

Will the @nyliberty force a Game 5 or can the @LVAces defend their title and close out the series?

Find out tonight at 8pm/ET on ESPN as the #WNBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV continues pic.twitter.com/JyhUCuVtvi

— WNBA (@WNBA) October 18, 2023

The Liberty avoid elimination

Best out of five games, the New York Liberty found themselves in a 0-2 hole entering Sunday's matchup against the Las Vegas Aces.

The No. 1 seed Aces were undefeated in the playoffs, which changed in game three. The no. 2 seed Liberty changed up their defensive scheme, and hit their shots. It was a night and day difference compared to games one and two, in terms of energy displayed and gameplay.

New York secured a 87-73 must win victory over the Aces, in which every starter finished positive +/- on the floor. With fluid ball movement, the Liberty primarily used Sabrina Ionescu as the on ball distributor, who finished with 11 assists. Jonquel Jones continued her stellar play not only defensively, but offensively on the perimeter. Jones finished with a team hight 27 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks. Four of the Liberty starters finished with points in double figures, with the exception of Ionescu, who scored 9 points. Much different from the first two games, New York shot 33-63 (52.4 percent) from the field, and 13-30 (43.3 percent) from long range.

Defensively, the Liberty were brilliant. Off the gate, Sandy Brondello matched Breanna Stewart often on Chelsea Gray, and Jonquel Jones on A'ja Wilson. In the past, New York's inability to get stops on defense often left them struggling on offense. In game 3, the Liberty improved vastly on transition defense, and heavily guarded the perimeter. The Aces, the No. 1 team offensively, shot 23-69 (33.3 percent) from the floor, and 7-22 (31.8 percent) from long range.

No team has ever come back down 0-2

Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones continued to be a dynamic force on the defensive end. With five blocks combined, both were spectacular in trapping down below, and keeping up on pace on the outside. Aside Kelsey Plum with 29 points, A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young shot a combined 10-37 (27 percent) and 35 points. Aces guard Jackie Young had 26 and 24 points alone in games one and two. That should say a lot about the Liberty's grit and defense.

The Liberty looked much more like themselves in game 3. With another elimination game on the line, New York will have home court advantage for tonight's matchup. For Vegas, one more victory would seal their second consecutive WNBA Championship. With Chelsea Gray and Kiah Stokes out with injury, Becky Hammon will have the task of filling those roles tonight.

How to watch Game 4

In this article, I will break down the WNBA betting odds, statistics, trends, odds, and predictions. The matchup will begin at 8 p.m. ET, at Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York. If you're betting on the WNBA and interested in watching, the game will air on ESPN.  For the best betting odds, stats and analysis, here is information to know.

WNBA Finals Odds Game 4: Las Vegas Aces @ New York Liberty

2023 WNBA Championship Odds

New York Liberty: +210

Las Vegas Aces: -290

WNBA Finals Remaining Schedule

Game 4 : Wed, Oct 18: Las Vegas Aces @ New York Liberty, 8 p.m. EDT, ESPN
Game 5 *: Fri, Oct 20: New York Liberty @ Las Vegas Aces, 9 p.m. EDT, ESPN

*If necessary

Season Statistics & Betting Trends

Las Vegas Aces

• LV Aces:?4-1 in?their last?5 games.
• 9-1 ?in their last?10 games.
• ATS Record: 21-19-0
• O/U Record: 24-16-0
• 2-3 ATS?in their last?5 games.
• 6-4 ATS?in their last?10 games.
• O/U?is 2-2-1 in the last?5 games.
• O/U:?5-4-1 in the last?10 games.
• 1st in Offensive Rating (113)
• 1st?in Offensive Rating in the Playoffs (110.5)
• 1st in Defensive Rating (97.7)
• 1st?in Defensive Rating in the Playoffs (93.3)
• 1st in Points Per Game (92.8)
• 2nd in Pace: 98.58
• Opponent Points Per Game: 80.3 (2nd)
• Three-Point Percentage: 37.2 % (2nd)
• Three-Point Percentage in the Playoffs:?37.4 % (3rd)
• Rebounds Per Game: 34.8 (5th)
• Rebounds Per Game in the Playoffs:?38.4(2nd)
• LV ATS won last 10 games:?Seattle (-20), Phoenix (-19), Chicago (-16, -17.5), Dallas (-10), New York (-4.5,-4.5),

The grind don't stop.#RaiseTheStakes pic.twitter.com/qlp0AseXfl

— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) October 17, 2023

New York Liberty

• New York Liberty: 3-2 in their last 5 games.
• 7-3 in their last?10 games.
• ATS Record: 19-21-0
• O/U Record: 23-17-0
• 2-3 ATS?in their last?5 games.
• 4-6 ATS?in their last?10 games.
• O/U?is?4-1 in the last?5 games.
• O/U: 9-1 in the last 10 games.
• 2nd in Offensive Rating (109.6)
• 3rd?in Offensive Rating in the playoffs (105.6)
• 3rd in Defensive Rating (99.4)
• 4th?in Defensive Rating in the playoffs (106.6)
• 2nd in Points Per Game (89.2)
• 5th in Pace: 96.56
• Opponent Points Per Game: 80.6 (4th)
• Three-Point Percentage: 37.4 (1st)
• Three-Point Percentage playoffs:?32.9 % (4th)
• Rebounds Per Game: 37.9 (2nd)
• Rebounds Per Game playoffs: 36.4 (5th)
• New York ATS won last 10 games:?Washington (-9.5), Connecticut (-4), Las Vegas (+7.5, +1.5)

“No retreat, no surrender” @sabrina_i20 & @SBrondello gave us mic’d up gold in the @nyliberty Game 3 win! pic.twitter.com/Gh0nN4Hl2r

— WNBA (@WNBA) October 17, 2023

New York Liberty -5.5 (-114)

The last time I picked the Liberty to cover the spread, they got crushed by 28 points. Now, game four is a much different story, and the Liberty will have the energy of their home crowd once again tonight.

You never liked to see injuries in any sport, especially on the biggest stage. What makes this matchup so special, is the monumental talent on both sides. With Chelsea Gray and Kiah Stokes out with foot injuries, it will be virtually impossible to replace both. Chelsea Gray is the heart and soul of the team, and the primary on ball distributor for the Aces. Averaging 15 points, 7.3 assists, and 1.3 steals in the series, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young will take over facilitating duties for Las Vegas. Kiah Stokes isn't much of a producer offensively, but she is a key player on defense and rebounds.

The Aces are plagued with injuries

The Aces will sill have a core trio of A'ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and Kelsey Plum. Through three playoff matchups against the Liberty, Wilson, Young, and Plum are averaging a combined 59.4 points combined. The Aces will have two voids to fill, and were ranked last in the season in bench points per game.

Becky Hammon will most likely rely on Cayla George and Sydney Colson, who averaged a combined 4.1 points in the regular season. If A'ja Wilson matches up with Breanna Stewart, George will have the task of guarding either Jones or Stewart. In the post season, she's averaged 0.3 points in 2.6 minutes of gameplay. Kierstan Bell will certainly see minutes at guard tonight as well.

Why New York will cover

The Liberty have all the momentum heading into game four, after playing in front of a record breaking 17,000 + fans last game. The loss of two players is crushing for an Aces team, who's been without Candace Parker since July. Unless the Liberty completely collapse, these will be two lopsided teams tonight. Not to take anything away from the Aces bench, they haven't been tasked with this matchup, and haven't played close to 40 minutes all playoffs.

Since it's the playoffs, I don't want to come outright and say this play is free. The Liberty will have a massive advantage with the injuries on the other side, and will certainly have the upside. With New York's adjustments on defense, they learned how to defend the guards, and even A'ja Wilson. With several improvements on both sides of the ball, I like New York +5.5 here.

Jonquel Jones over 17.5 Points (-134)

JJ put on show for the city with her 27 PT performance in game 3 pic.twitter.com/IHLTMVei2p

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) October 15, 2023

Season Stats?PPG:?11.3?| FG:?52.7 %?| 3 PT:?35.2 %?| FT:?86.3 %?| REB:?8.4?| AST:?1.8?| STL:?0.6 | BLK:?1.3

Playoff Stats:?PPG:?18.2?| FG:?57.3 %?| 3 PT:?33.3 %?| FT:?78.7 %?| REB:?11.7?| AST:?1.8?|STL:?0.7 |?BLK: 2.3

Playoff stats vs LV:?PPG:?21?| FG:?63.2 %?| 3 PT:?38.5 %?| FT:?76.9 %?| REB:?9.3?| AST:?1.3?| STL:?1 |?BLK: 2.7

Jonquel Jones has easily been the MVP for the Liberty in the second half of the season, and into the playoffs. An explosive player on both sides, Jones is averaging 18.2 points, 2.3 blocks, and 11.7 rebounds in nine playoff games. A player that can stretch the floor, Jones can hit the outside shot, and is shooting around 33 percent from long range. In three playoff matchups against the Aces, Jones is averaging an incredible 21 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2.7 blocks on 63 percent field goal and 38.5 percent three point shooting.

When the Liberty couldn't find any sort of offense the first two games, New York always had that spark from Jones. A master defensively, Jones has been a fierce staple in protecting the rim, specifically A'ja Wilson. Now that she's found her outside shot fluidly, The Jones matchup should be a nightmare for the Aces once again tonight. She's had points in double digits in all 9 playoff games, including 8 double-doubles. With the absense of Kiah Stokes, I expect Jonquel Jones to feast on the mismatches below.

Why this prop will hit

Jonquel Jones has scored over 17.5 points in 6 out of the last ten games, and three of the last five. With an elimination game on the line, look for Jonquel to put her body on the line, and play her best at the Barclays. If there's any prop I trust, It's Jonquel Jones over points.

Stay tuned for more WNBA and betting related articles.?Click here

Sara Jane Gamelli is a full-time Sportswriter at Ballislife, and Sports Content Creator on Twitch and TikTok. She has a focus on the NBA, WNBA, NCAA Basketball, and the NFL. Sara Jane currently resides in Connecticut/NYC area with her Cat and Dog. SJ has her undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut in Economics, with a minor in business administration.

The post Liberty vs. Aces Odds & Predictions: WNBA Finals Game 4 appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.