WNBA playoff takeaways: Liberty, Aces advance; set for semifinal rematch

That performance included a 5-of-11 showing from three-point range while also shooting 52% from the field. 

This was one of her biggest shots of the night.

She was also a perfect 7-of-7 from the line.

3. Aces' quest for three-peat continues

The Las Vegas Aces' run at a third consecutive WNBA title rolls on thanks to a 83-76 victory over the Seattle Storm. 

That win sends the Aces into the semifinals for the sixth consecutive year.

It was their stars who did all of the heavy lifting on Tuesday in the closeout game, specifically league MVP A'Ja Wilson and guard Kelsey Plum.

Wilson (24 points) and Plum (29 points) combined for 64% of the Aces total points. 

4. The stage is set for monster semifinal series

It is hard to imagine a better semifinal matchup than the Liberty and Aces.

On one side, you have the reigning two-time WNBA champions in Las Vegas going for its third consecutive championship. That alone makes it worth watching. 

On the other side, you have the best team in the league during the regular season (New York) looking for its first championship and having to go through the team that kept them from winning it all a year ago. 

You also have the dynamic of the series being a rematch of last year's championship series, which the Aces won in four games. 

New York ended up sweeping the regular-season series by winning all three contests. But the playoffs are an entirely different animal and the Aces are still the champions until somebody knocks them off. That is not going to be easy, especially as Las Vegas is playing its best basketball of the season right now. Entering the semifinal series, Las Vegas has won 11 of its past 12 games (including the first two games of the playoffs), including seven games by double-digits. 

The only loss during that stretch? A 75-71 defeat at the hands of the Liberty less than a month ago.