The New York Liberty — led by Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu — dominated the regular season with a league-best 32-8 record and look to bring the first WNBA championship to New York when the 2024 WNBA Playoffs on Sept. 22 at 1 p.m.
Stewart led the team with 20.4 points, good for fourth in the league. Jones was tops with 9.0 rebounds per game, making her sixth amongst all players. Ionescu averaged 6.2 assists, which was fifth overall. The Liberty began the playoffs against the Atlanta Dream, who won their final three games of the season to clinch the final WNBA 0n Sept. 19 at Barclays Center against the Liberty. New York made it to the 2023 WNBA Finals but lost to the Las Vegas Aces.
A season ago, the Aces became the first team to win back-to-back WNBA titles since 2002, when they defeated the Liberty. Their new goal is to become the first team to win three-straight championships since the Houston Comets won the first four WNBA championships from 1997 to 2000.
A’ja Wilson delivered one of the best individual seasons in WNBA history, leading the league in scoring with an average of 26.9 points per game, while also ranking first in blocks at 2.6 per game and second in rebounds with 11.9, trailing only rookie Angel Reese. Her outstanding performance helped propel the Las Vegas Aces to a 27-13 record, securing second place in the Western Conference and fourth overall.
The Aces will play the Seattle Storm on Sept. 22 at 10 p.m. The Minnesota Lynx will host the Phoenix Mercury on Sept. 22, too.
The likely 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year, Caitlin Clark — who, along with Reese and others, reinvigorated the league this season — will be on the road as the Indiana Fever takes on the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena. All first-round series are the best of three, and the team with the better record hosts the first two games. The four-game series will continue on Sept. 24 and Sept. 25.
