The Las Vegas Aces parlayed their dominating regular season by winning their second consecutive WNBA title, holding off the New York Liberty 70-69 Wednesday.
The Aces became the first back-to-back WNBA champs in 21 years. Las Vegas won the best-of-five-game series 3-1.
The Aces, who are led on the court by A'ja Wilson and on the bench by coach Becky Hammon, managed to win the title without the presence of Candace Parker late in the regular season and throughout the playoffs.
Fans appeared to be entertained by this year's matchup featuring the top two teams from the regular season. The WNBA reported that television ratings through the first three games were up 13% compared to the 2022 WNBA Finals. The first three games of the Finals were also the most-watched WNBA Finals since 2003.
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Fans who tuned in to Game 4 were treated to yet another stellar performance by Wilson, who had 24 points and 16 rebounds.
Her performance was needed as the Aces were down by as many as 12 points in the third quarter. She helped the Aces build a 70-64 lead in the final minutes of the game, but a Courtney Vandersloot 3-pointer and steal and a Sabrina Ionescu jumper gave the Liberty an opportunity to win and force a pivotal Game 5. Vandersloot had an attempt at the buzzer but missed.
After winning 34 out of 40 games in the regular season, the Aces won all but one of their nine playoff contests.
The Aces said they will celebrate with a victory parade in Las Vegas on Monday.
