A good way to begin the chase for the Cup. The New York Liberty hosted the Connecticut Sun on Sunday afternoon at Barclays Center. They put on a show to celebrate Ellie the Elephant’s birthday with a resounding, record breaking win. The team is now 7-0.
The opponent tonight is building something for the future. The Washington Mystics have been struggling as of late, but they’ve got their eyes focused on what hopes to be a promising future. They began Cup play on Tuesday night against the Indiana Fever and lost, 85-76.
Where to follow the game
FOX 5 on the locals. Liberty Live and FOX Local on streaming. Amazon Prime for the out of towners. Tip after 7:30 p.m. ET.
Injuries
Nyara Sabally has been out with a knee injury. She’s listed as questionable. If she misses tonight, it will be five straight.
No Georgia Amoore for Mystics.
The game
The Liberty won the first game last week.
With this being the Commissioner’s Cup, the teams are partnering with local organizations to provide financial support and earn them some money as well. Chelsea Leite has a synopsis of each org partnering with the WNBA here.
The Liberty have started to get better on the boards, and we have Jonquel Jones to thank. JJ grabbed 11 rebounds in 23 minutes of work and has collected double doubles in all but one game this season. The ‘stics have been a good rebounding team this season, and they’re gonna have to be a better job of battling Jones on the boards this time. JJ grabbed 18 rebounds last week and when that happens, it allows New York to control the flow of the game. Jones helps set the tone for the Liberty every time she’s on the court and when she’s dialed in, they’re impossible to beat.
It’s an exciting time for Kiki Iriafen. She won Rookie of the Month for May after averaging a double-double in seven games played. She’s been a bright spot for this Mystics game and someone they’ll be building around going forward. Her emergence has also complicated the Mystics front court situation, as evidenced by the decreasing role Stefanie Dolson is playing on offense. Big Mama was a flamethrower from three in 2024 as she made a career best 46.5 percent from downtown on four attempts per game. This year, it’s cratered to a career low 26.3 percent from three point range and she hasn’t made a three in the past four games. She still has plenty to offer, so we’ll have to see how Sydney Johnson deploys her going forward.
For tonight, Iriafen will be matched up with Breanna Stewart. Stewie still isn’t knocking down threes at a high clip, but she’s continuing to work at it. She’s done everything else well on the court and helps anchor their league leading defense. She didn’t make a jumper in the first Mystics game and got all her buckets out in transition. When one aspect of your game isn’t working, you go to the other tools in your toolbelt.
Player to watch: Brittney Sykes
Having a guard that draws tons of fouls is a blessing. When the game slows down, being able to press the issue and draw contact keeps you in the game and allows you to set your halfcourt defense. Sykes has helped keep the Mystics afloat by getting to the free throw line an astounding 10.7 times per game. If she keeps at this pace, she’ll set the single season record for FTAs per game. That’ll help keep the Mystics afloat, which is key for a team that sometimes struggles to score. For Sykes in particular, when she’s not at the line, she’s shooting 36 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from three point range.
For Natasha Cloud and the Liberty, the job will be to keep her from getting to the rim and free throw line. If they can, it’ll allow their league leading offense more opportunities to get out in transition and find those easy baskets. That was key to what they did the first matchup as they held Sykes to 5-18 shooting from the field. If they can do it again, they’ll be able to build on their Commissioner’s Cup lead.
From the Vault
Have you listened to Donna Sumer recently? You should!
More reading: Bullets Forever, Swish Appeal, Chicago Sun Times, Women’s Basketball Roundup, No Cap Space, 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