The New York Liberty are assured of a seat in the looming 2025 WNBA playoffs, but they can’t be satisfied with their current form. They have lost six of their last 10 games and are now on a skid following back-to-back road losses to the Phoenix Mercury (80-63) and Golden State Valkyries (66-58) on Sunday and Wednesday, respectively.
The Liberty’s loss to the Valkyries can perhaps be best defined by what happened in the second quarter, in which the reigning WNBA champions got wrecked on both sides of the floor. New York bled on offense, coughing up just eight points in the quarter while surrendering 26 to the Valkyries, who were already without their top and third-best scorer due to injuries. (Kayla Thornton and Tiffany Hayes are out with knee issues.)
That loss surely didn’t sit well with Liberty star power forward Breanna Stewart.
“It’s easy to fight back when you’re down,” Stewart said of New York’s comeback bid falling short in the second half (h/t WNBA writer Myles Ehrlich). “This is disappointing, collectively. Yeah, there can be bright spots and whatever, but we have three games left, and we’re not where we need to be. It’s frustrating and it’s tough.”
Stewart herself had a brutal first half, shooting just 1-for-8 from the field before waking up in the second half and realizing she’s a three-time WNBA MVP. The former UConn Huskies star shot only 3-for-7 after halftime, but she was 10-for-13 from the free throw line, finishing the contest with 19 points.
The loss dropped New York to 24-17, hurting the Liberty’s chances to secure a homecourt advantage in the first round of the postseason. At the moment, the Liberty are fifth in the standings, 2.5 games behind the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury.
Sabrina Ionescu misses another game
The Liberty’s headaches don’t stop with their recent losses. There is also a level of concern about the status of star guard Sabrina Ionescu, who has missed the last three games because of a toe injury.
It doesn’t seem that it’s serious enough to keep her sidelined in the playoffs, but it remains to be seen whether the Oregon women’s basketball product can return to action before the regular season concludes.
