New York Liberty sputter vs. Chicago Sky, 90-81
Photo by Evan Yu/NBAE via Getty Images
Angel Reese and the Sky handed the New York Liberty their first loss of the season, and deservedly so. The Barclays Center was prepared for a day of celebration with the New York Liberty facing off against the Chicago Sky. Angel Reese playing her first game in the city was sure to fill celebrity row, but the Libs would also be honoring franchise legend Teresa Weatherspoon in her first year as Chicago’s head coach.
The Liberty play a tribute video for Liberty legend @Finisher_11 for Teresa Weatherspoon’s first visit back to New York as the Sky’s head coach. As always, every T-Spoon soundbite is goosebump-inducing. pic.twitter.com/RQIdWqCi1e— Myles (@MylesEhrlich) May 23, 2024
(New York also honored Sky assistant coach and Libs franchise great Crystal Robinson in a separate video.)
Most importantly, though, the Liberty were hunting their fifth straight win to start the year, a feat they hadn’t accomplished since 2007.
But New York, then in the Madison Square Garden era, finished that season under .500, and the Libs played Thursday night like they were trying to avoid the same fate. Writing glowingly about Jonquel Jones’ impact through four games may have been a cruse, as the starting, all-world center picked up two quick fouls in the first quarter, then a quick third upon being subbed back in, and then a quick fourth in the second half...
Jonquel Jones' 4th four, for which she has now taken a seat...not great pic.twitter.com/q6hOYvoh3L— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) May 24, 2024
Jones had to scrape by to finish with 21 total minutes. While Nyara Sabally played admirably in her 19 minutes off the bench, finishing with 8-and-6 and the only Lib with a positive plus-minus, the Liberty sorely missed the 2022’s MVP’s production. Jones and her front-court partner Breanna Stewart combined for some characteristically easy buckets in the fourth quarter, but by then, it was too late for New York to catch an offensive groove.
Still, they kept Chicago off the offensive glass in the first half, which kept the game within striking distance at 40-32. Chicago struggled to get going in the half-court, aside from some ridiculous Marina Mabrey buckets, but turnovers and long rebounds got them going in transition, including on Angel Reese’s best play of the night...
Angel Reese picks Stewie and takes it the other way for two FTs pic.twitter.com/6mCcCbuBoP— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) May 23, 2024
Said Stewart: “It just wasn’t exactly what we should have been doing, [in terms of] the ones that are going for o-boards, vs. the ones that aren’t. And they got out, they leaked out and had 19 fastbreak points and tons of points in the paint [46].”
Reese played a Reese game, throwing her weight around inside though struggling to finish: 13 points, nine boards, 3-of-10 shooting, though 7-of-9 from the line. Though all that leaves out perhaps her most important contribution, putting fouls on Jonquel Jones.
Despite a first half where New York didn’t defend in transition, force enough turnovers, nor attack the offensive glass, they made all that a distant memory early in the third quarter, going on a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to 45-44.
Consistent ball pressure from their bigs trapping and hedging screens led to a series of turnovers for the suddenly frazzled Sky, and it looked like the Liberty would cruise from there. Courtney Vandersloot was playing her best game of the season, on her way to ten points and seven assists, following up a game without a field-goal attempt by both taking jumpers when defenders went under screens and driving to the rim when she had the angle.
“It’s always a balance for me, being aggressive & taking that shot,” said Vandersloot of her pull-ups. “As the season goes on, I’ll learn how teams are guarding me.”
Yet, it was Sabrina Ionescu who did even more of that, and finished 19 points and six assists on 8-of-20 shooting. Ionescu claimed she “took some bad shots,” in postgame, but she was also at the center of nearly all of New York’s productive offense as a lead ball-handler...
Sabrina with another nice drive and Ivana Dojkić hits the wing three. Good sign from both guards: pic.twitter.com/bTAhQUhjEA— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) May 23, 2024
But she just didn’t make enough shots to sustain the Liberty’s offense, and her teammates didn’t either, as the brief 68-67 lead they took in the fourth quarter would be the last time Thursday felt like it’d go their way.
Breanna Stewart had a quiet 18/10/5/4/1, if you can believe it, shooting 5-of-12 from the field and 6-of-9 from the line on a night when the Liberty cashed just 13-of-20 at the stripe after entering the night at a preposterous 91.9%.
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was actually quiet, reflected in her 3-of-10 shooting performance in 33 minutes. There were no standout defensive plays or drives or rebounds from her either, and as good as she was in the first week of play, she just didn’t have it tonight.
Nobody really did, apart from Sabally, and it’s why the Liberty couldn’t extend that one-point lead in the fourth. The offense wasn't clicking, the Sky eventually broke through to dominate the offensive glass late in the game, and no one player was hot enough to overcome the team-wide malaise.
After New York re-gained the lead, Chicago burst the doors down with a 17-3 run to seal the deal, playing their brand of basketball and getting the contributions you’d expect. The talent difference might appear vast on paper, but not when Mabrey is hitting dagger after dagger to lead all scorers with 21...
MM4 SZN https://t.co/zVvTfkSajQ pic.twitter.com/ApzrbqtByR— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) May 24, 2024
Not when ex-Liberty Michaela Onyenwere is making multiple threes, nor when Chennedy Carter and Dana Evans are the two quickest guards to the ball. And especially not when the big, tough front-court of Reese and Elizabeth Williams are punishing you down low, exemplifying a level of intensity that New York just couldn’t match in game #5.
“They’re tough because they just they know where to be, especially when trying to rebound and they’re almost boxing you out, on the offensive end,” said Stewie of the opposing front-court. They’re big and they’re trying to clean up everything that their guards miss.”
Maybe it was indeed Teresa Weatherspoon’s return to New York that motivated her squad to reach that extra gear. Indeed, after the game, Evans said, “We really wanted this for her, more than anything.”
But even just watching the Sky for 40 minutes, one gets the sense this is just who they are, whether Weatherspoon is coaching her team in New York or California. Shots may not fall, the offense can get sloppy, but they brought the fight they pride themselves on, and the Liberty didn’t match it.
It wasn’t about any one factor — ah, just let Head Coach Sandy Brondello tell it.
“We were not very good, and we didn’t have the mindset.”
“I just didn’t think we played in the right way.”
“Look, it was a bad night at the office.”
And thus, the 2024 New York Liberty will not make history by going undefeated in the regular season. They still have to play the next 35 games, though.
Final Score: Chicago Sky 90, New York Liberty 81
Donovan Mitchell makes an appearance
In addition to WNBA legends on the floor, on the opposing coaching staff, and in attendance (Sheryl Swoopes), one current NBA player was in attendance too. Well, maybe more. But most importantly, Donovan Mitchell showed up to the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets, on the same day The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported, that the star guard was likely to sign a lucrative extension with his Cleveland Cavaliers.
Donovan Mitchell pulled up to Brooklyn for the New York Liberty-Chicago Sky game tonight (via @spidadmitchell/ IG, @dbearak/ TW) pic.twitter.com/nJ9APYv6i9— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 24, 2024
If inking that extension, that would kill some of the buzz around a potential trade request from Mitchell, which if made, would likely feature the Nets at the top of his list.
So, is this Mitchell applying some pressure to Cleveland on the day that report came out, on the day his coach, J.B. Bickerstaff got canned? Is it just a native New Yorker enjoying a basketball game? Maybe somewhere in between.
Next Up
Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images
The Minnesota Lynx, like the Libs, are 4-1. They were nearly 5-0, but experienced a heart-breaking loss against the still-undefeated Connecticut Sun in overtime on Thursday. In any case, Minnesota is the best team New York will have faced so far, on the road no less. It’s a Saturday matinee that the Libs will indeed charter to. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET.
Box Score: Chicago Sky 90, New York Liberty 81 - WNBA
Game Highlights: Chicago Sky 90, New York Liberty 81 (Video) - WNBA
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