Aces' lead atop standings shrinks after loss to Liberty

When the Aces aren't playing their best defensively, it's proven difficult to overcome any deficit.

It matters more when the fatigue is hitting the brain cells, like coach Becky Hammon says, and it's tired legs and minds taking hold.

All eyes were once again on the Aces facing the New York Liberty, and all that's on the Aces' minds is getting home and getting some semblance of rest after losing 94-85 to the Liberty at Barclays Center on Monday.

Playing their 11th game in 23 days, the Aces went 2-2 in their four-game, East Coast road trip that started with wins at Atlanta and Chicago, but then losses to Washington and New York. It's the first time the Aces have lost consecutive games this season.

"Two trips to the East Coast. That's a lot," Hammon said.

Las Vegas lost 78-62 to the Washington Mystics on Saturday in Washington.

Jackie Young led with 24 points, and A'ja Wilson had 23 points and eight rebounds for the Aces (30-6), who went 2-2 on a four-game road trip.

This was the final regular season matchup between the top two teams in the WNBA. The Aces and Liberty split the four meetings that counted toward the standings, but the Liberty won the Commissioner's Cup in Las Vegas on Aug. 15.

"Ever since Commissioner’s Cup, it’s been go, go, go," Wilson said. "But that’s the beauty of our league."

The Aces' lead for the No. 1 seed over the Liberty is now 1.5 games with four remaining. three of the Aces' final four games, starting Thursday at home against Washington, will be at home.

Las Vegas jumped out to a 16-7 lead with 3:59 remaining in the first quarter, but the Liberty took over following the timeout. New York ended the frame on a 15-3 run, then outscored the Aces 25-16 in the second quarter for a 47-35 halftime lead that the Aces couldn't trim.

It wasn't the overall defense that was a problem for the Aces. They held the Liberty to 45% shooting and held them to 10 of 33 from behind the 3-point line.

The Aces even held MVP candidate Breanna Stewart to 9 of 23 shooting, including 3 of 9 in the first half.

What Hammon was frustrated about was the Liberty's focal point, Sabrina Ionescu, getting free behind the 3-point line. The league leader in 3-pointers made had a game-high 25 points and made five threes, giving her 118 for the season and three shy of tying Diana Taurasi's single-season record.

"She’s not even supposed to get 10 threes off," Hammon said. "It’s borderline negligence."

The Aces saw an improvement in their offensive output from the season-low 30.2% against Washington. They shot 44% from the floor and 9 of 23 from 3-point range, but the Aces turned it over 11 times, including a stretch of five consecutive late in the first quarter.

Defensively was the issue with the Aces giving up 51% shooting in the first half and not being able to cut into the Liberty's double-digit lead until the final minutes of the game. Young hit back-to-back threes with two minutes remaining to cut it to 90-82, but couldn't trim the lead more.

Rest will be on the horizon soon enough for the Aces. Following Saturday's game against Seattle, the Aces will have six days off until their final road game of the season in Phoenix.

Hammon said once they get past the Storm, "I’m going to ask them however many days they want. Anywhere from two to four."

Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on Twitter at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.