New York Liberty beat Dallas Wings even worse in round 2, 99-67
Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images
Man, the Dallas Wings are really bad. The New York Liberty are an awesome basketball team, by any definition. They employ three players that should make an All-WNBA team this season, in addition to a future Hall-of-Famer, an All-Rookie team shoo-in, and another player who’s made an All-Star team.
They will likely lead the WNBA in offensive rating at the completion of this 40-game season, and may just have the best defense as well.
But my goodness, the Dallas Wings are awful. It’s not that they don’t have talent — Arike Ogunbowale became the franchise’s all-time leading scorer on Thursday night — which makes it even more frustrating.
Prior to the first matchup in this mini-series on Tuesday, Sandy Brondello spoke about the caution her Liberty must have in dealing with a Dallas team already eliminated from the playoffs. “They have nothing to lose,” she said, adding that they can “play freely.”
New York smoked Dallas in that one, and if you think that simple fact would’ve inspired the Wings to come out with a little more pride in round two, reader, you are giving them far too much credit.
It is true, though, that the Liberty were excellent right from the jump, which is tough for any team to deal with. Sabrina Ionescu scored 16 first-quarter points, getting some tough buckets inside as well as reaping the fruits of some beautiful, fast-paced ball movement...
another absolutely beautiful Liberty possession in transition: pic.twitter.com/Qdenb2lgIw— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) September 13, 2024
Ionescu ultimately led all scorers with 20 points on 8-of-18 shooting, including 4-of-10 form deep, a welcome performance after struggling from the field in recent weeks.
Post-game, she credited her coaching staff for “really dialing in our half-court offense and where we want the ball to go, and being able to execute, obviously, in transition and just [be] free-flowing is what we do best and what we can always rely on.”
They sure did rely on it Thursday, outscoring Dallas 30-11 in transition. As staggering as that disparity is, it undersells just how stark the difference between these two teams really is. The Wings didn’t even pretend to try and get back on defense for most of the night; New York probably could’ve walked into open layups on many of these, and while it’s never a bad thing to execute, you wonder how beneficial a game like that is for the Liberty, given it will never come this easy again for the rest of the season...
NYL's transition offense vs DAL's transition defense is really, truly a hydrogen bomb vs. a coughing baby situation: pic.twitter.com/wdgDaj9wo7— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) September 13, 2024
1: awesome Jonquel outlet pass for a Stewie layup2: good Jonquel outlet for another transition layup pic.twitter.com/g5dLmXYjNu— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) September 13, 2024
Teaira McCowan had some strong post-ups early, Satou Sabally is very good at basketball even though she only shot 2-of-10, Jaelyn Brown even roared off Dallas’ bench with eight immediate points in the first half, but this was not a serious basketball contest.
New York led by 18 points at halftime, and while the margin floated in that area for the next quarter-and-change, it was eventually extended to 30 points, as the deepest ends of each bench spilled out onto the court. Rookie Jaylyn Sherrod hit the first three of her career!
Unfortunately, Nyara Sabally went down with a late injury in garbage-time, bracing a spill by extending her right hand toward the floor, a cruel instinct that she hopes doesn’t become another significant injury...
Nyara Sabally exits the game clutching her right wrist after using it to break a fall, damn pic.twitter.com/BtRPrKrc1D— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) September 13, 2024
Still, her ex-Oregon and current New York teammate Ionescu was positive in postgame: “She’s going to be okay, I think. We go way back, and I’ve been able to be a part of her journey for a really long time, and I’ve been able to see her at her high and at her low moments ... I think she’ll be okay. She’s tough.”
All 12 members of the roster hit the court, all of them scored except for Kayla Thornton, who continues to struggle from three. Nobody exceeded 25 minutes though, in a game that was the office-job equivalent of a half-day on Friday.
Courtney Vandersloot made highlight plays going to the rim, Breanna Stewart did the same, Kennedy Burke posted another three steals, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was the game’s second-leading scorer with 17 points. More importantly, she continued to show no ill effects of that scary fall she took in last week’s game vs. the Las Vegas Aces, trusting her knee as much as ever.
“I take a lot of Tylenol,” she said with a smile. “If I’m gonna be out there, I can’t focus on my knee, you know? It’s one of those things where it’s never going to feel great, but it’s good enough for me to be able to go and just try and do everything that I can.”
You know, the Dallas Wings could sure use someone with that type of attitude.
Final Score: New York Liberty 99, Dallas Wings 67
Next Up
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
The New York Liberty’s magic number to clinch the WNBA’s top-seed, and home-court advantage throughout the postseason, is down to 1. Their next game will be against the only remaining team chasing them, the Minnesota Lynx, who are 2-1 against New York this season.
“It’s gonna be a statement game,” says Sabrina Ionescu.
Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon from the Barclays Center.
Box Score: New York Liberty 99, Dallas Wings 67 - WNBA
Game Highlights: New York Liberty 99, Dallas Wings 67 (Video) - WNBA
Sabrina Ionescu, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton lead Liberty over Wings 99-67 for 5th straight victory - AP
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