The Las Vegas Aces suffered an injury setback during Game 1 of their semifinal matchup against the Golden State Valkyries.
What happened to Jewell Loyd?
Jewell Loyd went down with a left leg injury early in the third quarter, and after being evaluated, she was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
The Las Vegas Aces fell 71-60 to the Golden State Valkyries on the road Sunday in Game 1 of the WNBA playoff semifinals.
Valkyries stun Aces in opener
Coming off a strong Game 3 victory over the Indiana Fever, the Aces entered their semifinal series against the Valkyries as the favorites. However, Las Vegas struggled to match Golden State’s performance once the series got underway.
The Valkyries controlled the game across the board, holding the Aces to a season-low 60 points. Las Vegas also struggled from the field, finishing with a 34% shooting percentage.
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A’ja Wilson paced the Aces with 24 points, but her effort was not enough to prevent the Valkyries from taking the series opener. Gabby Williams led Golden State with 25 points and 11 rebounds.
Loyd provides valuable depth
Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., before the series moves to Las Vegas for Game 3 on Friday and, if necessary, Game 4 on Sunday, Oct. 11.
However, if the Aces are to bounce back in Game 2, having Loyd available on the bench could be important, giving Las Vegas another experienced option to turn to when needed. The 32-year-old veteran guard appeared in 42 regular-season games for the Aces, making three starts while averaging around 26 minutes per game.
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While Loyd’s scoring production was relatively modest at 8 points per game, her value to the Aces goes beyond her scoring. She provides important depth to the roster and can contribute in several areas when called upon. During the regular season, she also averaged 2.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1 steal per game, while shooting 36.5% from the field and 33.6% from three-point range.