Jewell

Loyd

Loyd came off the bench and found production rather quickly on Friday. In the first quarter, she converted her only three-point attempt before draining a couple more in the second quarter. The veteran guard repeatedly found herself open along the perimeter throughout the series and took advantage of her free space, while also making the contested ones. She competed on the offensive glass to extend several possessions for the Aces and had plenty of timely contributions throughout. All in all, Loyd capped off a productive postseason in style, finishing Game 4 as one of five Aces players to score in double figures.

Loyd came out swinging to start the game as she scored 12 of her total 16 points in the first quarter alone. The Mercury defense were incredibly slow closing out on her catches and Loyd took advantage each time. Loyd played well off the ball and was able to move Mercury guard Sami Whitcomb around and exploit the fact that Whitcomb is nursing a knee injury that she sustained during Finals Game 1. Loyd became the first player in WNBA Finals history to make four three-pointers in the first quarter. She joined Kahleah Copper and Diana Taurasi as the only three players in league history to hit four three-pointers in any Finals quarter. While Loyd’s scoring opportunities waned as the game went on, she still played hard and hauled down seven total rebounds, tied for the second most on her team.

While Young didn’t score a ton in the first quarter, she poured it on in the second scoring nine of her 21 total points in the second quarter alone. Young was one step ahead of Monique Akoa Makani and found a way to take advantage of the smallest bits of space coming off of ball screens to be able to make her shots. After a slow third quarter scoring, Young came alive in the fourth and scored 6 of the Aces’ total 14 fourth quarter points. Also, Wednesday night was another evening that put Young’s playmaking on notice as she led the Aces with nine total assists. She found four different teammates including NaLyssa Smith, Jewell Loyd, Dana Evans and A’ja Wilson. Four of Wilson’s 11 field goals came on passes from Young as the combo guard has perfected not only her pick-and-roll chemistry with Wilson but her timing with Wilson. Young can easily get the ball to Wilson right in the spots she likes the most on the floor.

Loyd had arguably her best performance of the playoffs on Friday, finishing as one of the Aces’ top scorers on the evening. Hot shooting and an eight-point opening quarter marked the high of her night, although she drained a huge three-pointer in the fourth quarter while the final outcome was still up in the air. Loyd, along with Dana Evans, combined to provide Las Vegas with 39 bench points and seven threes on a night in which Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray were cold from the field. She’ll look to land another strong performance on Sunday in Game 2 of the series.

Young scored at all three levels on Tuesday night in addition to finding four different teammates for her 10 assists. Two of those assists were to Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd during the the five minute overtime period. Young found both Gray and Loyd within less than a minute of each other in the same spot near the right corner pocket. On a heavy shot diet, 20 shots to be exact, Young was still efficient hitting 50% of all of her looks. Young and her teammate A’ja Wilson made history becoming the first pair of teammates in league history with at least 30 points scored in the same postseason game.

Young was once again efficient offensively for the Aces, shooting 60 percent from the field and tying for the team-high in assists in Game 4. However, she only attempted two shots, both makes, during the first half. While Indiana’s Lexie Hull deserves some credit for her defense, the Aces need Young to be more aggressive, especially as NaLyssa Smith (eight points, two rebounds and one blocked shot) and Jewell Loyd (six points, three rebounds, one steal, one block and two three-pointers) offer limited offensive production. Las Vegas returns home for a decisive Game 5 on Tuesday night.

Young had an opportunity to push Game 2 into overtime, but her three-point attempt in the final second rattled out. The Aces guard shot the ball relatively well on Tuesday, shooting 3-of-7 from deep and finishing as one of three Las Vegas players in double figures. Loyd has averaged nearly two points per game more as a reserve than as a starter, and the lineup change has paid dividends for the Aces. Tuesday’s loss was their first since August 2, and there’s little reason for the team to panic despite its season being on the lineup Thursday night.

Loyd clearly was ready for this series against her former team the Storm who she had a public falling out with after some irreconcilable differences. She scored the ball efficiently, shooting over 55 percent from the field in her 26 minutes of play off the bench. Loyd had her most aggressive quarter in the first, scoring half of her total points to start the game. But aside from scoring the ball efficiently, Loyd made effort plays. She tipped in multiple missed shots at the rim, being in the right place at the right time to rebound the ball. Also, she played inspired defense on her former teammate Skylar Diggins as Loyd was up in her face each time the two players were on the floor at the same time.

Loyd tied a season-high in made threes on Thursday in the Aces’ WNBA record-setting performance from beyond the arc. She tallied at least one three-pointer in each quarter and finished the regular season having made 26 threes over her last 10 games, including back-to-back games with at least five triples. Loyd’s role as a three-point specialist off the Aces’ bench is clearly defined — she’ll look to thrive in that role throughout the playoffs. The Aces will host the Storm on Sunday for Game 1 of their first-round series.

Las Vegas blew open Tuesday’s game with a 23-11 third quarter, and Loyd made two three-pointers during the frame. Shooting 5-of-7 from deep on the night, the Aces guard was a perfect 3-of-3 after halftime. That was part of a night in which Loyd scored the 6,000th point of her WNBA career. A starter throughout her career, Loyd’s move to the bench in late July has paid dividends for the Aces. Since the lineup change was made on July 27, the Aces have only lost once, a 53-point loss to Minnesota on August 2. Las Vegas, which is either a win over Los Angeles or an Atlanta loss to Connecticut from securing the two seed in the playoffs, has won 15 straight.