LAS VEGAS — Schoolteacher Becky Hammon made a prediction ahead of the Las Vegas Aces’ 104-76 victory over the Untouched York Independence in Sport 2 of the WNBA Finals on Wednesday.

“I think it’s going to come down to the wire,” Hammon stated in her pregame assembly with the media. “I don’t see any team either way allowing much separation tonight.”

It could were the Aces’ handiest flawed name of the night.

Las Vegas were given off to an avalanche of a primary quarter, allowed the Independence a little hope of a comeback in the second one duration, and upcoming slammed the door close tightly in the second one part.

Hammon was once exited with slight to show flawed by means of her Aces, who’ve a 2-0 form govern and are on the point of their 2nd consecutive name. The groups head to Untouched York for Sunday’s Sport 3 at Barclays Heart (3 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN App), the place the Independence will aim to switch what has been a lopsided form thus far.

“Vegas is playing their best basketball at the moment,” Independence schoolmaster Sandy Brondello stated. “We’re very disappointed, because we’re a way better team than we’ve shown.”

How did the Aces flip Sport 2 right into a rout, and acquire the entire momentum within the WNBA Finals? We have a look at all that went nicely for Las Vegas and what didn’t paintings for Untouched York.

Heated out of the gate

Untouched York was once progressive to start out robust nearest Sunday’s 99-82 loss at Michelob Extremely Enviornment. The complete opposite came about.

Kelsey Plum made a step-back 3-pointer at the Aces’ first shot 17 seconds into the sport. Next every other 3 swished, this one by means of middle Kiah Stokes, who had made simply 5 from lengthy space throughout the familiar season and none in the past within the playoffs. That confirmed what sort of evening it could be, as Las Vegas raced to a 19-2 govern.

Through the top of the primary quarter, all 5 Aces starters had made no less than one 3-pointer, the workforce had shot 70% from the farmland, and so they already had 12 assists in taking a 38-19 govern. It was once Las Vegas’ very best level general in 1 / 4 this season.

“Things were just a little too easy for them,” Independence ahead Jonquel Jones stated.

It was once additionally the very best first-quarter level general in WNBA Finals historical past. And it was once 2nd for any quarter within the Finals to the 39 issues the Detroit Injury scored within the fourth quarter of Sport 1 in 2007 in a 108-100 victory over the Phoenix Mercury.

The Independence shot 30% from the farmland within the first quarter, together with making simply 2 of 10 from lengthy space. Untouched York was once the top-shooting 3-point workforce within the league throughout the familiar season, however the Aces have outshot the Independence 22-17 from in the back of the arc within the first two Finals video games.

One form was once vintage Aces basketball. A’ja Wilson in brief misplaced keep an eye on of the ball, were given it again, needed to struggle to achieve ownership once more, and upcoming began a anecdote of passes that resulted in a 3-pointer by means of Chelsea Grey simply because the shot clock expired.

“Great defense, playing [offensively] out of our defense, unselfish,” Grey stated in describing the hole quarter. “Our physicality went up another level starting the game.”

Untouched York short the govern to unmarried digits by means of outscoring the Aces 25-14 in the second one quarter. But it surely took a dozen of power to get the margin to 8 at halftime, and the Independence’s hopes had been squelched early within the 3rd quarter.

“We wanted to be disruptive,” Brondello stated. “They move extremely well, they pass the ball extremely well, they’ve got playmakers everywhere. But we had no resistance.”

Passing fancy

As Brondello stated, the Aces can sling the rock. They completed with 31 assists, led by means of Grey’s 11, and had 5 extra assists than the Independence had baskets. It’s the tenth year a WNBA workforce has had no less than 30 assists in a playoff sport. The Aces, the Seattle Hurricane and the Chicago Sky are the one groups that experience reached that help general within the postseason greater than as soon as.

The Aces shot 19 of 26 off passes from Grey or Plum. One among Grey’s gem stones was once a no-look cross that crash Stokes in stride for a layup. Former Sacramento Monarchs level safeguard Ticha Penicheiro, 3rd in assists in WNBA historical past and identified for her passing wizardry, said on social media throughout the sport that Grey was once a good higher passer than her.

For Grey, who grew up in California following the Monarchs and was once partial to Penicheiro, it was once the latter praise.

“That’s amazing words from a legend,” Grey stated. “She also was a person who paved the way for me to do what I do.”

One heavy excess since August’s matchups

Aces safeguard Jackie Younger had 24 issues, together with some drives during which she was once well-defended, but it surely didn’t topic. In two WNBA Finals video games, Younger is 13 of 20 (65%) on contested pictures.

Hammon identified that once the Aces misplaced 3 of 4 video games (together with the Commissioner’s Cup ultimate) to the Independence in August, they struggled with pictures that had been contested or got here overdue within the shot clock. That has modified within the Finals, and Younger is a key explanation why.

“She’s playing with a lot of confidence,” Hammon stated. “And her teammates have the utmost confidence in her.”

Shrinking the paint

The Independence had been at their highest Wednesday when Jonquel Jones were given the ball within, as she shot 8 of 12 from the farmland for a team-high 22 issues. League MVP Breanna Stewart was once restricted to fourteen issues on 6 of 17 capturing.

The Aces, in the back of two-time Defensive Participant of the Week Wilson, Stokes and Alysha Clark, had been a hit in proscribing the Independence’s touches within the paint up to imaginable. Within the two Finals video games blended, the Independence are capturing 54% after they get a marginally within the paint on a ownership vs. 29% after they don’t. In Sport 2, Untouched York was once at simply 19% when it didn’t get a paint contact.

“It’s really about buckling in, understanding personnel and knowing about the little things in a series,” stated Wilson, who had 26 issues and 15 rebounds. “They’re going to have counters and know how to maneuver through defense, because that’s what great players do. But if you can just make it a little bit harder, that’s how you can create that difference.”

ESPN Stats & Knowledge contributed to this file.