09/28/26 08:06:00
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09/28 05:00 CDT A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart show why they are 2 of the best
with dominating WNBA playoff openers
A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart show why they are 2 of the best with dominating
WNBA playoff openers
By DOUG FEINBERG
AP Basketball Writer
A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart showed once again why they are arguably the
best two players in the world, leading their teams to routs on the opening day
of the WNBA playoffs.
It's no major surprise since they have helped their respective teams win five
of the past six WNBA championships. On Sunday, they combined to scored 72
points, pull down 28 rebounds and block six shots.
"She's a walking mismatch," New York guard Sabrina Ionescu said of Stewart, her
Liberty teammate.
The same could be said of Wilson, who was unstoppable in Las Vegas' rout of
Indiana.
Hours after Wilson earned The Associated Press WNBA Player of the Year for a
third consecutive season, the Aces All-Star had 38 points, 16 rebounds and four
blocked shots to help Las Vegas roll to a 102-85 win over Caitlin Clark and the
Fever.
Wilson missed the World Cup to let her back heal and get ready for the
playoffs. She had 22 points by halftime and finished the game making 15 of her
19 shots from the field.
"I think we just showed up to work, and that's what we need to do moving
forward," Wilson said.
The Aces will try and close out Clark and the Fever on Tuesday in Indianapolis.
Stewart also filled up the stat sheet in New York's rout of top-seed Minnesota.
She had 34 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks in the
Liberty's 91-75 road win. The Liberty forward became the first WNBA player to
put up those numbers in a postseason game. It was the second time she's had
30-plus points and more than 10 rebounds in a playoff game.
"I think I was just really ready. I mean, if you don't get up for these big
moments, then you've got to rethink why you're playing basketball," Stewart
said. "But for myself, mentally, I was just ready to do whatever it took to
lead the team and get the win today. And my teammates found me and got me good
looks at the basket, so I just wanted to keep going."
Stewart has been stellar all month, including leading the U.S. national team to
a fifth consecutive FIBA World Cup title as she earned MVP honors.
Even with the convincing win, Stewart isn't taking anything for granted when
the Liberty return home looking to close out the series on Tuesday.
"We did this in Phoenix and then we got smoked on our home court," Stewart said
of the playoffs last year. "So being really intentional for the adjustments
we're going to make. Obviously, we had a ton of turnovers (19) and want to be
better in that area, but we're going to just have to have the same steadiness
that we had for today; we're going to do that on Tuesday."
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