Las Vegas Aces guard Jewell Loyd is doubtful for Wednesday’s playoff game against the Golden State Valkyries.
Loyd is dealing with a left leg injury sustained in the third quarter of the Game 1 loss on Sunday. She couldn’t return to the game.
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Head coach Becky Hammon spoke to the media earlier Tuesday and said they didn’t yet have a report on Loyd. “We’re trying to ramp them up, but now we’ve got to see how they feel and recover off of this little workout.”
A few hours later, the guard was listed as doubtful due to the injury. This suggests Loyd didn’t handle the afternoon workout well.
Loyd isn’t one of Las Vegas’ star players, but if she is sidelined for the game, it will still hurt the Aces. The guard averages 8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
Loyd averaged 25.9 minutes per game, though, and Las Vegas is already short on backcourt depth.
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Before the injury Sunday, Loyd hadn’t made either of her two shots from beyond the arc. She did play 17 minutes and added two rebounds and an assist.
Aces guard Dana Evans and forward Steph Talbot are both considered questionable. Evans is dealing with a right knee issue, while Talbot is dealing with a lower left leg injury similar to Loyd’s.
With Loyd sidelined on Sunday night, guard Mai Yamamoto saw more playing time. She played 19 minutes, above her 15.1 average. Yamamoto finished the loss with just two points and an assist.
Las Vegas is down 1-0 in the best-of-five series.
