Improving Liberty will be a test for league-leading Aces

Aces veteran wing Alysha Clark has been in these situations. She knows the hype that accompanies regular-season matchups between title contenders.

Clark won two championships with the Seattle Storm in 2018 and 2020, defeating Elena Delle Donne’s Washington Mystics in the former and the upstart Aces during the bubble season in the latter. She said when a team is competing for a championship, the players can’t be thinking about the other contenders.

“That’s the job for the coaches,” Clark said. “For us, it’s just staying focused on us, because when you start worrying about outside things, you lose focus on what it is you’re trying to d0.”

The Aces welcome the New York Liberty to Michelob Ultra Arena at 7 p.m. Thursday in a clash between the league’s two favorites for the 2023 title. The matchup will include three of the four most recent MVPs and five No. 1 overall picks.

“I love these moments, these type of games when the lights are brightest,” Reigning MVP and Aces forward A’ja Wilson said. “It’s a lot of fun to play these types of teams.”

While the Aces (13-1) made one of the biggest moves of the offseason by signing two-time MVP Candace Parker in free agency, the Liberty made three of them.

New York started by trading for 2021 MVP center Jonquel Jones, who led the Connecticut Sun to the WNBA Finals where they fell to the Aces in 2022. Then, the Liberty (10-3) lured 2018 MVP and 2022 scoring leader Breanna Stewart away from the Seattle Storm in free agency.

The Liberty’s final major addition came when they signed All-Star point guard Courtney Vandersloot away from the Chicago Sky to join 2022 second-team All-WNBA guard Sabrina Ionescu in the backcourt. New York also retained former All-Star wing Betnijah Laney, reserve wing Marine Johannes and acquired forward Kayla Thornton in the Jones deal.

It took some time for their newly assembled talent to jell under coach Sandy Brondello. The Liberty lost both of their preseason games, including an 84-77 defeat to the Aces at Michelob Ultra Arena though Vandersloot didn’t play. Then, New York opened its season with a 16-point loss to Washington.

The Liberty bounced back in its second game as Stewart scored 45 points in her home debut and led New York on a four-game win streak. But New York lost its second game of the season June 4 against the Chicago Sky, blowing a 19-point lead.

Since the loss to Chicago, New York has rebounded. The Liberty are 6-1 after starting the season 4-2. They’re on a four-game winning streak entering Thursday, most recently defeating the Sun 89-81 in Jones’ return to Connecticut.

Stewart is playing like an MVP again. She’s averaging a career-best 22.6 points on 48.5 percent shooting and is making 38.5 percent of her 3s. She’s second in the WNBA in scoring, trailing only her former teammate Jewell Loyd in Seattle. Stewart is also averaging 8.7 rebounds, four assists, 1.6 steals and 1.7 blocks.

“She’s one of the hardest workers I know,” Clark, who was teammates with Stewart for five seasons in Seattle, said. “She practices and works like she’s the 12th player on a 12-player roster.”

She’s found her new co-star in Ionescu, who’s averaging 16.1 points per game and making 42.2 percent of her 3s. Vandersloot and Laney are both averaging double figures in scoring, too.

New York’s biggest question has been integrating Jones. Formerly the centerpiece in Connecticut, Jones is in the middle of her lowest scoring season since she was a rookie in 2016 because of a lack of opportunities. She’s only averaging 7.7 shots per game, a little more than half the number she took during her MVP season.

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.