Step 3: Beat the Mystics at their offensive game She will need to have a repeat performance in Game 4, keeping playmaking as her priority but being ready to swoosh in a 3-pointer if left alone on the perimeter. Plum’s on- and off-ball energy set the tone for the team’s pace and defensive effort. But her playmaking - including assists, rebounds, perfect free-throw shooting and one steal - put her at a game-high +21 (tied with Liz Cambage).Ī little bit of everything today for PTS | 7 REB | 9 AST #DoubleDown ♦️♠️ /zUgGPvVUQq- Las Vegas Aces September 23, 2019 She made just 2-of-9 shots from the field (22.2%) and one of her three points from distance (33.3%). Yet, it was the best basketball of Plum’s season, if not her WNBA career.Įnergetic defense, sharp court vision, crisp ball movement, speedy drives to the rim characterized Plum’s nine points, nine assists and seven rebounds - the cusp of a double-double and almost a triple-double.īut those single-digit numbers are a disservice to Plum’s actual contributions. During Sunday’s contest, a broadcast graphic showed Plum had scored zero points and grabbed zero rebounds to that point in the game. Point guard Kelsey Plum is a different beast in the regular season versus the playoffs - coming off the bench versus running with the starters.
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He will find ways to help his three-point point machine, Meesseman, get better looks. Each recorded two steals apiece, and all of the Aces’ blocked shots came from Wilson (two) and Cambage (one).įormer coach of the year Mike Thibault will work his wizardry in Game 4 to prevent this kind of defensive domination.
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Wilson pulled down eight boards and Cambage retrieved six.
#SHINEOFF 75 FULL#
But Cambage (6-foot-8, 216 pounds) and Wilson (6-foot-4, 195 pounds) asserted the full force of their powers, becoming a two-woman wrecking crew that kept all Mystics starters, plus Kristi Toliver off the bench, in negative plus-minus. Whether Cambage’s barb will serve as motivation for the 6-foot-4, 191-pound Belgian - and for LaToya Sanders, too, who at 6-foot-3 and 170 pounds is the smallest center in the league - to come out strong in Game 4 is yet to be seen. After the game, Cambage was critical yet again about the frustrations of banging with “undersized” players in the post, seemingly addressing Meesseman specifically with a challenge to “get in the weight room or get out of the post.”
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It was a physical game, with Natasha Cloud literally tripping someone up (no call) and Cambage elbowing Meesseman in the head (no call). Individually, Aces frontcourt stars A’ja Wilson and Liz Cambage did a lot to frustrate Meesseman, keeping her from getting open on the perimeter and out-muscling her under the basket. on the boards, out-rebounding Washington 40-28. 38.6% field goal shooting for the Mystics.16.7% field goal percentage for Natasha Cloud.25% 3-point shooting from league MVP Elena Delle Donne.WNBA Statsīut the Vegas defense was a team effort and worked on the whole Washington team, allowing or forcing: The result was a six-point scoring outing for Meesseman, on 6-of-8 shooting.Īll of the shots she took from the perimeter, she missed. To put an end to that madness, the Aces swarmed her on the perimeter, where she’d been lethal, and forced her to take inside shots against physical forward A’ja Wilson and 6-foot-8 center Liz Cambage. In Games 1 and 2, Meesseman averaged 28.5 points and eight rebounds. For the Aces, the “head” of the Mystics was Belgium native Emma Meesseman and she needed to be stopped. Step 1: Muffle Emma MeessemanĪs the old adage goes - for snakes (and, more sordidly, for NFL players, per their coaches in that league’s early days): Kill the head and the body will follow. This time, however, it wasn’t a Hamby Heave to get it done - trick shots won’t do this deep in the playoffs - but a balanced effort of lockdown defense, shrewd point guard playmaking and frontcourt dominance (in that order). Here’s how Vegas got it done and what they’ll need to do to prepare for another win-or-go-home game this postseason: How Vegas came up Aces in semifinals Game 3īuoyed by the plucky fans inside Mandalay Bay Events Center spurring them on, the Aces came up with their second big win-or-go-home win of the 2019 postseason. The Aces needed to suppress the Mystics’ scoring and improve their own.
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But to overcome the top-seeded team in the WNBA - along with the top-ranked offense and a 50-40-90 MVP - more was needed than finding ways to avoid beating themselves. How did Vegas come up Aces? By cleaning up their own messes, namely turnovers, errors with clock management and the like. After six lead changes and the game tied four times, the Las Vegas Aces were ahead 92-75 at the final buzzer to win semifinals Game 3 against the Washington Mystics.