Chelsea have reached an agreement in principle with Benfica for Enzo Fernandez.
The Premier League club are still hoping to sign the World Cup winner in this window.
The two clubs are now working to complete the necessary paperwork before the window shuts.
Chelsea have to submit the deal sheet before the Premier League’s 11pm (GMT) deadline and then could be given an additional two hours to finalise the move.
Fernandez is currently undergoing a medical.
Chelsea have been pursuing the Argentina midfielder throughout the January window.
They renewed their push to bring him into Stamford Bridge on Monday and were locked in discussions with Benfica throughout Tuesday as they attempted to make a breakthrough.
Fernandez has a €120million release clause in his contract with Benfica.
The 22-year-old only joined Benfica last summer from his boyhood club River Plate and has made 17 appearances for the Portuguese side.
He starred as Argentina won the World Cup in Qatar last month.
GO DEEPER
Is Enzo Fernandez really worth £105million after so few senior matches?
Chelsea have agreed a deal with Shakhtar Donetsk to sign Mykhailo Mudryk.
Chelsea representatives, including director of global talent and transfers Paul Winstanley and a senior board member, travelled to Turkey to hold face-to-face talks with Shakhtar Donetsk, where the Ukrainian club are holding a training camp.
A deal has now been agreed on a fixed fee of €70million (£62m), with a further €30m (£26.5m) in add-ons. Personal terms have also been agreed between Chelsea and the 22-year-old, with a seven-year-plus contract to be signed
Shakhtar’s public position has been that they believe Mudryk to be worth €100m (£88m) and they have now hit that price.
Mudryk was made aware by Shakhtar directly in the past few days of Chelsea’s growing interest in his signature. The feeling around the situation is that both Shakhtar and Mudryk are open to getting the deal done.
The quality of the add-ons offered by any potential suitor and the planned speed of the payments for Mudryk are a priority for the Ukrainian side.
Later on Saturday, Shakhtar confirmed details of the potential transfer and meeting in Turkey.
FC Shakhtar president Rinat Akhmetov and Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali discussed Mykhailo Mudryk’s transfer to Chelsea FC today.
Parties are very close to agree on player’s transfer to the club.#Shakhtar pic.twitter.com/IoHOaFRfn5
— FC SHAKHTAR ENGLISH (@FCShakhtar_eng) January 14, 2023
Mudryk caught the eye in the Champions League group stages with three goals and two assists in his six matches.
He was a key target Premier League leaders Arsenal, but Chelsea have now swooped to bolster Graham Potter’s struggling side. Potter, whose Chelsea team are 10th in the league with just one win in their last five games, is thought to like Mudryk as a player. He is said to have driven the deal.
As well as his form in the Champions League, Mudryk has also impressed in the Ukrainian Premier League, registering seven goals and six assists as his Shakhtar side sit second in the table.
Additional reporting: Simon Johnson
GO DEEPER
Is Mykhailo Mudryk – Chelsea’s prospective new striker – really worth the hype?
In the minds of the optimists occupying the boardroom at Stamford Bridge, there will come a point when Chelsea will be able to look back on the night when they lost to Fulham for the first time in 17 years and laugh about the time their new signing from Atlético Madrid took it too far with his attempts to prove he was capable of handling the rough and tumble of English football.
Yet the problem with that theory, the one that involves west London’s third-best club being rewarded for allowing Graham Potter to lead them through this most awkward of transitions, is that it jars with the current reality. There is trusting the process and then there is the spectacle of Chelsea lying in 10th place.
This, even if allowances must be made for injuries, is lurching into crisis territory. By the end Chelsea had slipped six points behind Fulham and, while there were encouraging glimmers from João Félix before his debut ended in a rash red card, the fact is a squad assembled at such great expense should not be on a run of seven defeats in their last 10 games.
It is going to be a long road back for Potter. On the bright side, at least he could talk up some positives for Chelsea. There had been some flashes of the old defiance, typified by Kalidou Koulibaly lifting another rickety defensive display by smuggling in an equaliser just after half-time, and there were flashes of enterprising football.
To give Potter credit, it may well have turned out differently had Félix kept his cool instead of chopping down Kenny Tete when the game was locked at 1-1 after 58 minutes. But Chelsea lost, the 10 men cracking when Carlos Vinícius headed in the winner on 73 minutes. It was another soft concession, with Thiago Silva and Kepa Arrizabalaga both at fault, and Fulham could cherish rising into sixth place.
The gloating from Fulham’s fans, who cannot believe how well Marco Silva’s team have played since winning promotion, was tough to take. It is not supposed to be like this for Chelsea, although their demise is about more than whether it was right to replace Thomas Tuchel with Potter. After all, it was not Potter who signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who did not even make it off the bench when Chelsea were chasing a late point.
The balance is not right. Koulibaly has been a poor signing, while Marc Cucurella’s late cameo underlined why an 18-year-old, Lewis Hall, was chosen at left wing-back instead of the £62m Spaniard.
João Félix was sent off early in the second half for this foul on Fulham’s Kenny Tete. Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images
Chelsea made weird choices. Koulibaly’s attempts to play out from the back were risible and a dreadful error from Trevoh Chalobah led to Bobby Decordova-Reid pinging a shot against the bar. As for Fulham’s opener in the 25th minute, it came from Hall conceding possession to Reid in a dangerous position and Chalobah failing to clear his lines. The ball fell to Willian, who evaded César Azpilicueta and saw his fizzing shot beat Arrizabalaga thanks to a deflection off Chalobah.
Willian did not celebrate deepening his old side’s misery. The sight of the Brazilian running at Azpilicueta had stirred memories of better times for Chelsea, although at least there was some hope for the future. Potter’s 3-5-2 system gave the visitors control of midfield during the early stages, there was some welcome assertiveness from Kai Havertz after his dismal showing during the defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup and there were plenty of nice touches from Félix, who spent most of his time on the pitch floating around, dancing past defenders and creating chances.
A slender presence, Félix was not overawed by the physical challenge. The Portuguese forward is an expensive loan signing but he could be an inspired one. Félix was ready despite having had only one training session after his move from Atlético. His first involvement almost led to a goal for Hall and there was danger whenever he got on the ball.
The only disappointment is that Félix, who went close to scoring on several occasions, will be suspended for three games. His dismissal was the turning point. Chelsea had just cancelled out Willian’s goal. Hall had won a free-kick on the left, Mount had almost caught out Bernd Leno at his near post and Koulibaly had forced the ball over the line.
At that stage the momentum was with Chelsea. Fulham, who had needed Leno to deny Hall, were nervous. But nothing is going Chelsea’s way. Their injury list grew when Denis Zakaria, who was playing well in midfield, limped off. Félix’s brainless lunge soon followed.
Down to 10 men, Chelsea tried to stand firm, threatening when Havertz extended Leno. With 17 minutes left, though, Andreas Pereira’s cross flew over Silva and Arrizabalaga’s shoddy positioning was punished by Vinicius. The hardest job in football, as Potter had put it, had become even tougher.
Chelsea Handler hasn’t spoken to ex Jo Koy for “awhile” after their breakup earlier this year.
The comedian said the pair — who were longtime pals before they began dating in 2021 — couldn’t repair their friendship until Koy took “accountability” for his part in their split.
“I mean, there has to be some accountability, you know what I mean? Like, from him about what happened, because it was just ridiculous,” Handler, 47, said on Brooke Shields’ “Now What?” podcast on Tuesday.
“I don’t think we can have a friendship until there’s some accountability and some responsibility taken.”
While she didn’t divulge exactly what Koy, 51, wasn’t taking accountability for, the standup comic explained their relationship “devolved” over the 11 months they were together.
The comedian said they couldn’t repair their friendship until Koy took “accountability” for his part in their split. chelseahandler/Instagram
“There was just some behaviors that we couldn’t agree on,” Handler explained. “And it felt to me like I would have to abandon myself, which maybe I would have been OK to do if I were 20 or 25. But I wasn’t willing to do that.”
The former “Chelsea Lately” host continued, stating that even though she “loved him so much” she was “not going to abandon” herself.
“I was like, ‘I’m not going to change the way that I behave in order to make you feel more comfortable. I’m not doing that,’” she shared.
Handler and Koy began dating in 2021 after years of friendship. FilmMagic
Handler and Koy began dating in 2021 after years of friendship. Getty Images,
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Handler and Koy began dating in 2021 after years of friendship. chelseahandler/Instagram
Handler and Koy began dating in 2021 after years of friendship. chelseahandler/Instagram
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“I had to walk away from something that I really thought was going to be a forever relationship.”
Handler added that the pair could not agree on “several situations” and that while she thought therapy could help, “it did not.”
Ultimately, she said at the end it became clear that Koy was not her “person.”
The couple announced their split in July 2022.NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
“Walking away from him was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do,” she said.
Koy and Handler called it quits in July 2022, with the “Life Will Be the Death of Me” author announcing that the pair were “taking a break.”
That same month, Handler revealed on another podcast that the couple split because “you can’t change a person intrinsically.”
Seth Rogen and Chelsea Handler didn’t hold back as they playfully roasted Kim Kardashian for skipping out on The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Breakfast on Wednesday.
Rogen, 40, launched into a funny tirade about Kim having nothing ‘more important to do’ than attend the star-studded event, while Handler, 47, took a jab at Kim’s Marilyn Monroe dress controversy.
A source told TMZ that the ‘wrong event date was given to Kim’s team several weeks ago’ which caused a scheduling conflict.
Roasted: Seth Rogen and Chelsea Handler didn’t hold back as they playfully roasted Kim Kardashian for skipping out on The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Breakfast on Wednesday; Kim seen in November
‘The error was realized only on Monday and unfortunately, her schedule could not be moved around at the last minute due to a prior work commitment,’ the insider continued. ‘She was incredibly disappointed to not be able to attend since she never cancels.’
Rogen kicked off his monologue by asking: ‘Are we going to talk about how Kim Kardashian didn’t show up?
‘I have seen every episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians I know she doesn’t have anything more important to do than this,’ he told the crowd sarcastically.
‘I’ve seen 100,000 hours of her. I know she’s not doing anything more important than this. This would be the climax of the show. What is she doing?’
The place to be: Rogen, 40, launched into a funny tirade about Kim having nothing ‘more important to do’ than attend the star-studded event
Ouch! Handler, 47, took a jab at Kim’s Marilyn Monroe dress controversy
Reigning himself in, Rogen alluded to Kim’s ex-husband Kanye West’s recent anti-Semitic tirades and all around problematic behavior that’s most likely affecting the star.
‘Honestly, she’s probably dealing with a lot right now,’ he said before presenting Academy Award-winner Charlize Theron with the coveted Sherry Lansing Leadership Award.
Next up was Chelsea Handler, who started off her speech by addressing those in the crowd who wondered if the ‘extra security outside was for Kim Kardashian.’
‘Are we going to talk about how Kim Kardashian didn’t show up?’ I have seen every episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians I know she doesn’t have anything more important to do than this,’ he told the crowd sarcastically
Avid watcher: ‘I’ve seen 100,000 hours of her. I know she’s not doing anything more important than this. This would be the climax of the show. What is she doing?’ Rogen continued; Kim seen in the recent season of Hulu’s The Kardashians
She jokingly clarified that the beefed up security had actually ‘showed up because I am wearing Marilyn Monroe’s DivaCup.’
It was direct jab at Kim’s choice to wear an actual dress donned by the late Hollywood Icon to this year’s Met Gala.
The mother-of-four lost 16LBS in order to fit into the gown that was made specifically for Marilyn by designer Bob Mackie in 1962.
Drama: Reigning himself in, Rogen alluded to Kim’s ex-husband Kanye West’s recent anti-Semitic tirades and all around problematic behavior that’s most likely affecting the star; Kanye and Kim seen in 2020
You know what? ‘Honestly, she’s probably dealing with a lot right now,’ he said before presenting Academy Award-winner Charlize Theron with the coveted Sherry Lansing Leadership Award
The Seven Year Itch actress – who tragically passed away at age 36 from a drug overdose – famously wore it while singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to then-President John F. Kennedy.
Many criticized Kim for borrowing the dress from Ripley’s Believe It or Not instead of replicating it.
But in fact, Kim had only walked the red carpet in the original and changed into a replica for the party.
Not the case: Next up was Chelsea Handler, who started off her speech by addressing those in the crowd who wondered if the ‘extra security outside was for Kim Kardashian’
Marilyn moment: She jokingly clarified that the beefed up security had actually ‘showed up because I am wearing Marilyn Monroe’s DivaCup.’ It was direct jab at Kim’s choice to wear an actual dress donned by the late Hollywood Icon to this year’ Met Gala
It was also rumored that she’d ruined the dress, but that was later debunked.
In season two of Hulu’s The Kardashians, Kim said that she expected the backlash but still decided to go through with the stunt.
‘I’m a little nervous some people will hate, and just be like, “How dare she think she can step into Marilyn’s dress,”‘ said Kim, adding: ‘And I get that.’
Controversy: It was direct jab at Kim’s choice to wear an actual dress donned by the late Hollywood Icon to this year’ Met Gala; Kim seen in May
Iconic: The Seven Year Itch actress – who tragically passed away at age 36 from a drug overdose – famously wore it while singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to then-President John F. Kennedy; seen in 1962 with Steve Smith, President Kennedy’s brother-in-law
Rogen and Handler were just two of many celebrities who spoke during the annual event on Wednesday.
It honors the industry’s female trailblazers and icons for their impressive work on and off-screen.
Other notable honorees included: Beyonce, Selena Gomez, Angela Bassett and Reese Witherspoon.
Wednesday’s event honored the industry’s female trailblazers and icons for their impressive work on and off-screen; Charlize Theron pictured accepting the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award
The psychology of the whistleblower is fascinating. They are anomalies: choosing the hard path, valuing transparency over loyalty to an institution they are supposed to serve. A study into their motivations described whistleblowing as an “ethicist’s version of [an] optical illusion”: from one perspective, it is setting right an injustice; from another, it is “an act of betrayal”.
This reflects the division in opinion on the former US army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning: is she a hero, a villain or somewhere in between?
Manning’s forceful but sometimes gruelling memoir opens with the leak that made her famous. Her job in the US army was to decipher the “impact military decisions and personnel movements were having on this bloody war on terror”. In 2010 — then
N’Golo Kante is ruled out for FOUR MONTHS after hamstring surgery which will see him miss the World Cup… and puts his Chelsea future under the spotlight
France midfielder N’Golo Kante will miss the 2022 World Cup through injury
Kante suffered the injury in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham on August, 14
The Blues have confirmed that the midfielder has been ruled out for four months
By Jacob Ranson For Mailonline and Ian Parker, Press Association Sport
Published: | Updated:
France and Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante has been ruled out of the World Cup after undergoing an operation on his hamstring which will see him sidelined for four months.
The 31-year-old suffered the injury in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham back on August 14 had slowly been building his way back to full fitness in the time since.
Kante, however, was dealt a huge setback after aggravating the injury during a training session last week and has since had surgery.
It means he will now miss next month’s World Cup and is expected to be out until late February. The news casts a shadow over the midfielder’s future with his contract at Chelsea expiring this summer and no agreement on a new deal close.
N’Golo Kante (pictured) has been ruled out of the World Cup after undergoing an operation
The 31-year-old suffered the injury in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham back on August 14
A Chelsea statement said: ‘N’Golo Kante has undergone an operation on his hamstring injury.
‘The midfielder visited a specialist with the club’s medical department to explore the options for his rehabilitation approach and it was mutually agreed for N’Golo to have surgery to repair the damage.
‘Following a successful operation, N’Golo is now expected to be sidelined for four months.’
Chelsea confirmed in a statement that the Frenchman will miss four months after his surgery
The decision to have surgery came after Chelsea boss Graham Potter, who has been unable to call upon Kante since taking charge at Stamford Bridge, admitted last week there were long-term concerns over the midfielder’s fitness record – he has missed 57 games since the 2019 Europa League final.
‘Historically, there are things which have happened which are a concern, and we need to get the bottom of that,’ Potter said.
‘It’s a setback in the last stage of his rehab, so again that’s worrying. But all we can do is get the right diagnosis, the right consultation and then try and help him get back to full fitness and enjoying his football.’
Kante, whose Chelsea contract expires next summer, has 53 caps for France and was part of their World Cup-winning squad in 2018.
Confirmation of Kante’s diagnosis comes two days after Chelsea team-mate and England right-back Reece James was ruled out for up to eight weeks with a knee problem, meaning he too stands to miss the World Cup which kicks off in Qatar on November 20.
Chelsea’s Champions League campaign has its ignition point and so does the managerial tenure of Graham Potter. It feels strange to think that this was only his third match in charge of the club following his appointment on 8 September, the first having been the 1-1 draw here against Red Bull Salzburg.
That had been a strange jumble of emotions in the wake of the loss at Dinamo Zagreb and Thomas Tuchel’s sacking. But with Chelsea desperately needing a victory in the competition everything came together, the blue shirts pouring forward from all angles; Milan chased out of west London, fortunate to escape a serious beating.
It was still chastening. There is a particular kind of event glamour when it comes to Milan – the cool shirts; the sight of Paolo Maldini, the technical director, strolling the touchline before kick-off. Clarence Seedorf, the former Milan midfielder, was here as a media pundit – alongside the Chelsea icon, Gianfranco Zola, in front of the press box.
But apart from the electricity generated whenever Rafael Leão got the ball and started to run, Milan offered nothing and it was certainly jarring to see the champions of Italy defend so generously. The die was cast when Wesley Fofana opening the scoring midway through the first half following a poorly defended corner and, thereafter, Chelsea threatened to run riot.
Potter has had to feel his way into the role on the training ground and he could delight at how his players mapped the moves from Cobham on to the big stage. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang added the second and it was a night when pretty much everybody impressed. Thiago Silva was pitch perfect in defence while Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek ran the midfield. But, as so often, it was Reece James who was the dominant figure.
The right wing-back drove the team, a menace to Milan with his surges and deliveries. It was his cross that teed up Aubameyang and it was fitting that he set the seal on one of the best Chelsea victories for some time with the third goal, slammed high inside the near post after a Raheem Sterling pass. It was James who the TV cameras followed at full-time, him that the home crowd saluted in song.
Wesley Fofana goes down with the injury that would force his first-half substitution. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian
Chelsea had flickered at the outset against a Milan defence that missed the No 1 goalkeeper, Mike Maignan, and three of the regular back four – Davide Calabria, Simon Kjær and Theo Hernández.
Mason Mount extended Ciprian Tatarusanu but it was after a flurry of set pieces midway through the first half that Chelsea took control – four of them to be precise, each bringing a free header and worry lines for Stefano Pioli, the Milan manager. How was this happening?
From the fourth, a Ben Chilwell corner, Silva – as he had done twice previously – unloaded his header, which was pushed out by Tatarusanu and from there, it was a scramble. Aubameyang put himself about, so did Loftus-Cheek and, when the ball broke, it did so kindly for Fofana, who rolled it home.
Chelsea were well balanced in Potter’s 3-4-2-1 system; Sterling and Mount finding spaces as the No 10s, James and Chilwell offering width and thrust. They might have been out of sight by the interval.
Mount saw a shot blocked after James had combined with Sterling to pull back, and Mount also had the ball in the net after a nice finish but had strayed offside. Sterling, too, went close on a quick break.
Milan’s threat came exclusively through Leão, their fast rising star – an uncommon blend of explosiveness and strength. His first involvement had been to blast away from a clutch of blue shirts and he made it clear that he intended to do it again and again. Chelsea needed Silva to stretch into an excellent slide challenge on him in the 19th minute after Fofana had been caught on the ball.
What a run it was that Leão produced in first-half stoppage time, taking him past four Chelsea players, the alarm bells ringing loudly. Charles De Ketelaere prodded goalwards and, when Kepa Arrizabalaga – who kept his place ahead of the fit again Édouard Mendy – patted the ball out, Rade Krunic had to score. From point-blank range, his shot went high. It was a huge let-off for Chelsea.
There was needle, some bad challenges, with those from Krunic and Fodé Ballo-Touré in the first half fully meriting their yellow cards. But there did not appear to have been much in the tussle between Fofana and Leão that saw the former forced off on 38 minutes. The frustration for the goalscorer was intense.
Chelsea deserved a second goal to allow themselves to breathe more easily and it came on 56 minutes when James crossed and Aubameyang gave Fikayo Tomori the slip all too easily. Tomori was left to perform a despairing lunge; it was a horror moment for the Chelsea youth product. That was that in terms of the result. But after Sterling had volleyed high, James brought the flourish.
A Manhattan pain management doctor was the one inflicting the suffering when he allegedly assaulted a woman and tossed her cellphone out a 30th floor window, authorities said.
JeanJacques “Jack” Mbabuike, 38, was arrested Aug. 29, at a luxury building on Sixth Avenue and West 27th Street in Chelsea, according to the NYPD and a criminal complaint.
He was also charged that day with a November 2021 incident when he was accused of pushing a woman to the ground, documents show.
The victim in both instances was his girlfriend at the time and she was treated at a hospital for bruises after the latest alleged assault, according to a source familiar with the case.
Mbabuike was arraigned on Aug. 31 and released without bail. Criminal Court Judge Melissa Lewis granted a temporary order of protection for the victim, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said.
An earlier case against Mbabuike was sealed, the office said.
He is due in court Friday.
Mbabuike, a graduate of the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, practices at NYC Pain MD in Lower Manhattan.
He did not immediately return a message left with the office. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The state Department of Health, which disciplines doctors, said it “takes the health and safety of patients very seriously, and takes appropriate action in instances of potential misconduct.” It would not comment further on any potential investigation.
LAS VEGAS — It was physical, it was fast and it was exactly what the Las Vegas Aces needed as the WNBA Finals shift to Connecticut.
The No. 1-seeded Aces bullied their way to a 85-71 win over the No. 3 Connecticut Sun on Tuesday in Game 2 at Michelob Ultra Arena in front of a record 10,211 fans to take a 2-0 series lead. They could clinch their first WNBA championship in Game 3 on Thursday (9 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Connecticut. Since the WNBA moved to a best-of-five Finals format, every team that has taken a 2-0 series lead has swept its way to a title.
A’ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray continued their torrid postseason streaks.
Wilson had her 10th postseason double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds. She has now scored 20-plus points and grabbed 10-plus rebounds in five straight postseason games, a WNBA record. The forward already won the league MVP and Defensive Player of the Year this season and now sits one win from her first title. She is firmly in the running for Finals MVP.
Gray had 21 points, eight assists and three steals. She briefly left the game and went to the locker room in the second half with what appeared to be an ankle injury after hitting the court hard under the basket. She returned shortly after and was a major factor in the Aces’ dominant win.
A game after Kelsey Plum failed to score until the final quarter, she came out with a purpose in Game 2. She finished with 20 points and seven assists. Wilson, Gray and Plum scored 67 of the Aces’ 85 points. They are the third trio in WNBA postseason history with at least 20 points in multiple games.
“A lot of times I’m hard on myself and I feel like I’ve been a little bit frustrated how I’ve performed throughout the whole playoffs. I’m glad that they have been carrying it and I decided to join the party,” Plum said.
A back-and-forth first quarter swung in the Aces’ favor after a timeout with the score tied at 14-14. Dearica Hamby and Riquna Williams entered the game for the Aces, who rattled off seven points while the Sun turned the ball over twice in the span. From there, any time the Sun made a run, the Aces had an answer.
“If we can keep our mindset and composure in the first quarter and set the tone, it’s helpful for us later on down the road,” Wilson said. “But I’m amazed how far we have really come throughout the season because there will be some fourth quarters where it’s like wow, and others, what the world. So I’m very happy where we are, but we are not done yet. We still have to continue to push through and still have things that we have to take care of. It’s very important for us to come out the way we do.”
Jackie Young also sustained an injury when she got hit with an inadvertent elbow to the face that drew blood. Officials missed the call in the scramble for the loose ball.
The game started a bit ominously as the teams seemed unsure of what hoop to start on after the opening tip.
How the Aces won Game 2
In Game 1, the Sun dictated the tempo of the game and made it a “sludgy” defensive, low-scoring battle. In Game 2, the Aces flew up and down the court, pushing the tempo.
Wilson and Gray have carried the offensive load this postseason, and Plum’s scoring was a huge difference-maker Tuesday. She has found other ways to impact the game when her shot isn’t falling, but that shot is desperately needed when the Sun keep things tight.
“There were things that she was still doing that kept her on the floor and I think that’s the growth, too, not just like, she’s back and she’s hitting shots. She’s been like who we needed her to be. We need her out there on the floor,” Gray said. “At the end of the day, you can’t help off of her. I don’t care if she’s 1-for-20, 1-for-8, you can’t help off of her because you know it’s going to come back around. And she hit a big shot for us the last game at the 3-point line in the slot in the second half, and we have confidence in her with that.”
Game 3 is Thursday, and with only one day of rest and a cross-country flight, it could be a mucky, defensive battle. The Aces have shown through the first two games of the series they can win in that environment or when they’re able to play their high-flying offensive brand of basketball.
Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) drives against Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas (25) during the first half in Game 2 of a WNBA basketball final playoff series Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
What the Sun need to do to stave off elimination
Jonquel Jones led the Sun with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Courtney Williams had 18 points and five assists. Good, but not great stat lines against an Aces squad that can pile on points and pressure.
DeWanna Bonner has struggled offensively this postseason and was 1 of 9 from the field Tuesday. She is 2 of 18 from the field in the Finals for five points. The Sun desperately need her shot to start falling. She has a plethora of postseason experience, moving into third all-time in playoff games played (71). That experience is useful in other ways, but offense is nice, too.
The Sun had a long field goal drought in the first half, 6:42 of game action, when the Aces took control of the game. They cannot have a similar drought at home in Game 3.
“We are taking it one game at a time. That’s all we can do,” Jones said. “We are going to go back home, like you said. We are going to have our fans behind us, who have been with us all season, and we are going to use that to propel us to a win and that’s all we can do.”
WNBA Finals schedule
Game 1: Las Vegas 67, Connecticut 64
Game 2: Las Vegas 85, Connecticut 71 (Aces lead, 2-0)
Game 3: Las Vegas at Connecticut, 9 p.m. ET Thursday (ESPN)
Game 4: Las Vegas at Connecticut, 4 p.m. ET Sunday (ESPN)*
Game 5: Connecticut at Las Vegas, 9 p.m. ET Sept. 20 (ESPN)*
