Liberty vs. Aces Preview: How & Who To Watch, Odds, & More (8/6)

It all comes down to this ... and at least three other times.

August features the ultimate test of the New York Liberty's offseason splurge, one made in the name of dethroning the Las Vegas Aces from the perch of the Association. Sunday's nationally televised showdown at Barclays Center will be the first of four meetings staged this month, the next being the culmination of the Commissioner's Cup in-season competition in Las Vegas next week.

Sin City's defending champions have picked up right where they left off, having won 24 of their first 26 games, which includes a 98-81 home triumph over the Liberty back in June. Behind the talents of returning champions like Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, and the most recent WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas has already clinched a spot on the playoff bracket and is on pace to set the record for the best mark in Association history.

Even a foot injury to two-time champ and another MVP, Candace Parker, has done little to slow the Aces down: since she was ruled out indefinitely, Las Vegas has won their last eight games by a combined 18.5-point margin.

Many have viewed the Liberty as the Aces' biggest threat to a second consecutive title after bringing Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, and Courtney Vandersloot into the metropolitan fold led by Sabrina Ionescu. New York's last home game against the Aces did not go well, as Las Vegas took a 34-point decision last July.

Sunday will serve as the end of a daunting stretch at the onset of LIberty's post-All-Star slate, which featured 11 games in an 18-day span.

What: Las Vegas Aces (24-2) @ New York Liberty (21-6)

Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY

When/Watch: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, ABC

Who's Favored: LVA -4.5

Keep An Eye On: Breanna Stewart

No one wants to admit it, but it's going to be hard for Breanna Stewart to win MVP. The strong candidates from abroad notwithstanding, it's perhaps hard to fully establish your brand when you're playing with several other supposedly generational talents.

Stewart, however, has broken the mold and then some, putting her well on pace to do something bigger and help the Liberty succeed on both the individual and team-wide levels. For better and worse, she has truly put the "V" in "MVP:" New York is 14-3 when she scores at least 20 points and 10-3 when she hauls in at least 10 boards ... 6-1 when she does both.

Games like Sunday are why it was imperative to bring Stewart in. It's great to see Stewart set countless records while taking care of business on paper. But games like Sunday's are the true reason why Stewart and her historically talented cohorts were brought in.

Ace to Watch: Kiah Stokes

There won't be any fanfare or tributes rolling for former New Yorker Stokes on Sunday. It's nothing personal, it's just that the Liberty have engaged in this stunt before considering Stokes last played with the team in 2021.

The Liberty's all-time leader in blocks has turned herself into a depth star in Vegas and come in particularly handy over the past few weeks with Parker down. Averaging 22 minutes a game since her medically induced departure, the 30-year-old Stokes has pulled in 6.5 rebounds a game, which includes a career-best tying 17 in the July 25 win over Chicago.

The Liberty's recent success (capping off the recent busy stretch on an 8-2 mark before five long-sought days off await after this one) has been partly built on dominance in the rebounding game. Stokes' return presents an intriguing challenge, giving the 11 supposed also-rans even more to worry about as they seek to bankrupt Vegas.

Prediction

It's truly hard to grasp the true nature of Sunday's game. On the one hand, this well could be the biggest non-playoff game in Liberty franchise history since they started this whole WNBA thing with a win over the Los Angeles Sparks back in 1997. On the other, if, at first, the Liberty don't succeed against Vegas, they'll get to try, try ... and try ... again.

The instant aftermath will only further ignite the hyperbole, especially with five days off before the Liberty return to action. A team that constantly preaches about not getting too high or low based on the emotion of a single game, the Liberty know that Sunday is far from the ultimate goal but are fully aware of the statement a win would make.

Asking them to cap off a daunting, busy, packed stretch on what would be the highest note feels a little too much to ask right now, even if the Liberty refuse to use fatigue as an excuse. But the seeds for something bigger, a throat-clearing "ahem" of the highest variety, could be in store.

Aces 93, Liberty 90

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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