Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. It is the WNBA Semifinals.
Jasmine Thomas couldn’t miss against the Aces.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Julio Aguilar/Getty Images.)
It’s remarkable what the Connecticut Sun has done. They started the season off 0-5 and they had no Jonquel Jones for the campaign. Yet they came back to make the playoffs as the 7th seed, eliminated the Chicago Sky, and then upset the Los Angeles Sparks.
Now they’re making the Las Vegas Aces work for everything. And man, the game was just downright dirty to start with. The Connecticut Sun wiped out most of the Las Vegas Aces offense; the Aces only scored 10 points in the first quarter.
Then Jasmine Thomas caught fire. None of the Aces could stop her. She scored 22 points in the first half, which was actually only three points fewer than the Aces.
The Sun then went on a 19-6 run to start the third quarter, which was mostly done by the Thomas ladies (Jasmine and Alyssa). That was pretty much the game. Connecticut led by as many as 30 points.
Connecticut was playing some of the most swarming defense I’ve seen this season. The Aces could hardly get anything against them; the Sun team has looked so different than from when they started.
Jasmine Thomas ended with a playoff career-best 31 points and she didn’t play in the fourth quarter. It more than made up for DeWanna Bonner‘s subpar performance (2 for 12 and a total of 8 points). Alyssa Thomas went for 18-6-5 but she was a monster defensively and added 5 blocks and a couple of steals. The MVP A’ja Wilson ended with 19 points and 9 boards for the Aces but she had such difficulty getting some of her shots off.
While the Connecticut Sun were in the Finals last season, they had a much different core at the time. So that’s really another thing you gotta give the team props for. They lost key players and gained a player in DeWanna Bonner. Yes, it took them time to gel together but now they’re playing incredible basketball, especially at the defensive end.
The good news for the Aces? It’s not a single-elimination game. It’s a 5-game series. But they’d better get it together soon.
Bullet Passes
Dearica Hamby won her second straight 6th Woman of the Year award. She’s taken to her role really well. She averaged 13.0 points, 7.1 boards, 2.7 assists, and 1.7 steals. A great year for her.
However, she only scored four points against the Sun’s steely defense.
Let’s not forget that Jasmine Thomas is playing with plantar fasciitis. I’ve played through that and it is NOT comfortable. It’s hard to put pressure on that foot without pain.
Jasmine’s previous career-high in the playoffs was last year against the L.A. Sparks. It was Game 3 when she scored 29 points. That completed the sweep against the Sparks and it brought them to the WNBA Finals.
As previously mentioned, the Storm/Lynx game has been postponed. We don’t know yet on when Game 1 will be played. All I can hope for is that the players are safe and healthy.
Double U Scoreboard
GAME 1: #1 LV 62 vs #7 CON 87 (CON leads series, 1-0)
GAME 1: #2 SEA vs #4 MIN (POSTPONED)
Watch This Play
Like I said, Alyssa Thomas is a demon defensively. This is her blocking 6’6″ Carolyn Swords.
BEAST MODE#SUNState pic.twitter.com/T0tFzAN90e
— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) September 20, 2020
Hoping the players, especially the Seattle Storm, stay safe in the Wubble.
Rey-Rey is on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
TNLP on FaceBook.