NY Liberty vs. Washington Mystics preview: Friday night at Barclays
Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images
It’s a Friday night in Brooklyn and the Liberty are looking to add another W to the win column. The Washington Mystics are looking for their first win of this season. Learn the lessons and apply it to the future. Days after a terrible loss to the Minnesota Lynx, the New York Liberty returned to the hardwood hoping to get back on the good foot. The Phoenix Mercury put up a great fight, but New York did just enough to hold on and win.
The opponent tonight is trying to find their way. The Washington Mystics have been incredibly competitive, but the results haven’t shown as of yet. They were home to face the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday night, but couldn’t capture the win. The Mystics are now 0-7 on the WNBA season.
Where to follow the game
ION is the place to be. Tip after 7:30.
Injuries
Courtney Vandersloot was added to the injury report this morning and is questionable with a back injury.
Brittney Sykes is out with an ankle injury. Shakira Austin is probable with a hip injury.
The game
The Liberty won the first matchup on Opening Night.
It’s a night of returns! We get to see some old friends of ours as Didi Richards and Stefanie Dolson will be making their returns to New York. Dolson and Richards were keys to establishing the culture here in New York and were fan favorites during their time here.
Dolson’s replacement as backup center has started to assert herself. Nyara Sabally has given the team good minutes off the bench, and her play has impressed her teammates and coaches alike. Over at The Next, Jackie Powell wrote:
“Defensively, Sabally has shown a more complete picture of what she’s proficient at and what areas she’ll need to continue to grow in. A common issue the 2023 Liberty struggled with was being able to keep more potent guards in front of Ionescu and Vandersloot, with help often coming late once guards penetrated. In 2024 so far, New York has taken advantage of Sabally’s athleticism and her ability to switch on, hang with and eventually stop guards from scoring. When Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is too busy keeping Caitlin Clark in check, it’s advantageous to have Sabally able to switch onto Kelsey Mitchell, stay in front of her, keep up with her drive and use her 6’4 wingspan to stretch out and block her shot.”
Sabally and Jonquel Jones make for a potent one-two punch. JJ was instrumental to Wednesday’s win as she wore the Mercury out in the fourth quarter and proved to be too much to handle for an undersized Mercury team. In the first Mystics game, Jones took over in the fourth quarter as she scored eight of her season high 25 points. The Liberty are still trying to find the groove on offense, and in Wednesday’s postgame scrum, Courtney Vandersloot noted that the team hasn’t found their groove in terms of using JJ yet.
Without Sykes, more attention will be placed on Ariel Atkins. Atkins leads the time in shot attempts at close to 14 a night, but it's been a bit of a slog as she shooting .354/.293/1.000 in 32 minutes a night. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton figures to get this assignment and has been essential to New York’s early success on that side of the ball. In postgame Wednesday, she attributed the team’s defensive success against Kahleah Copper to their level of communication and practice with their switching defense.
Player to watch: Shakira Austin
Recovering from injury is always a stop-and-start endeavor. There are days when you look better than ever, and there are others that remind you how far you need to go on the road to recovery. For Austin, she’s working her way back to form following a hip injury that derailed her 2023 season. You can see her early struggles in her attempts inside the restricted area. She’s only shooting 54.5 percent inside the restricted area this year, a dramatic decrease from her previous success. That played out in the most dramatic fashion when she missed an open layup to give the Mystics the lead late in their first matchup vs New York.
Breanna Stewart has had a fun filled 24 hours. On Thursday morning, it was announced Stewart and Napheesa Collier’s Unrivaled will officially launch in January. It’s an exciting new venture, and our pal Greydy Diaz has more info:
Everything we know about @breannastewart and @PHEEsespieces new basketball league @Unrivaledwbb, according to Breanna Stewart on @GMA: Miami 2025 full court 3 on 3, smaller court at 60 feet Will have a training camp during 10-week window largest average salary in…— Greydy (@GreydyDiaz) May 30, 2024
Back on the court, Stew York will look to get back to business. Like the rest of the Liberty, Stewart is trying to find her shot from three-point range. She’s shooting a career worst 20.7 percent from deep on four attempts a night. Fortunately, she’s had tons of success in the painted area and has been the beneficiary of Sabrina Ionescu highlight passes in the fastbreak. With the Mystics being shorthanded and on a long losing streak, look for Stewart and the team to press the issue early. If they can get out to a great start, we’ll see if they can build on that and come away with a comfortable victory.
From the Vault
Who knows when we’ll see Elena Delle Donne on a basketball court. Hopefully it’s soon because she’s one of the all time greats
More reading: Bullets Forever, Swish Appeal, The Strickland, The Local W, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Athletic. Fansided, Just Women’s Sports, SI All Knicks, Winsidr, Her Hoop Stats, CBS Sports, and The Next
New York Liberty Game Notes - New York Liberty
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