MVPs Breanna Stewart, A'ja Wilson set to lead Liberty, Aces in WNBA Finals

Oct. 6 (UPI) -- The two most recent MVPs will compete in the 2023 WNBA Finals, when Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty and A'ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces meet in Game 1 on Sunday in Las Vegas.

"We are going to go out there and have fun, throw the basketball up and see where it gets us," Wilson told ESPN after leading the Aces to the finals.

The best-of-five series could run through Oct. 20. Wilson's Aces are favored to claim their second-consecutive title. Games 1 and 3 will air on ABC. Games 2, 4 and 5 will air on ESPN.

Game 1 will tip off at 3 p.m. EDT Sunday at Michelob Ultra Arena.

With a series win, the Aces can become the WNBA's first repeat champion in more than 20 years. The Los Angeles Sparks last accomplished that in 2001-2002.

The Aces won a league-best 34 games and lost six times this season. The Liberty (32-8) finished second in the WNBA standings.

Wilson led the Aces with 22.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and a league-high 2.2 blocks per game. She finished third in the WNBA in scoring, behind only Jewell Loyd (23) and Stewart (22.8). The star center was second in rebounding, behind Alyssa Thomas (9.9).

Aces guard Kelsey Plum will be another key player to watch. She averaged 18.7 points this season. Guards Jackie Young (17.6) and Chelsea Gray (15.3) are the Aces other top scorers.

Sabrina Ionescu (17), Betnijah Laney (12.8), Jonquel Jones (11.3) and Courtney Vandersloot (10.5) join Stewart as the Liberty's top scorers. Vandersloot also led the WNBA with 8.1 assists per game.

The Aces averaged a league-high 92.8 points per game this season. The Liberty ranked second with 89.2 points per game.

The Aces (48.6%) and Liberty (46%) also led the league in field goal percentage. The Liberty shot a league-best 37.4% from 3-point range, just ahead of the Aces (37.2%).

The Aces led the WNBA in defensive rating, blocks and defensive rebounding percentage. They also have the highest defensive rating this postseason and are averaging a league-high 86.2 points per game in the playoffs.

Wilson is averaging 25.8 points per game this postseason, up three points from her season average. Stewart's scoring average is down three points from the regular season.

"They are a very good team," Plum told reporters this week at practice. "They are extremely talented at every position and have a ton of firepower. You can't get too caught up in all of these different things. We've gotta focus on what got us here and what our team needs to do to win."

The Aces and Liberty split their four matchups during the regular season.

WNBA Finals

All times EDT

Sunday

Game 1: Liberty at Aces at 3 p.m. on ABC

Wednesday

Game 2: Liberty at Aces at 9 p.m. on ESPN

Oct. 15

Game 3: Aces at Liberty at 3 p.m. on ABC

Oct. 18

Game 4 (if necessary): Aces at Liberty at 8 p.m. on ESPN

Oct. 20