WNBA: Liberty hold profitable, regardless of Stewart’s 3-point taking pictures droop

One week after falling to the Minnesota Lynx within the Commissioner’s Cup Championship recreation, the New York Liberty exacted revenge. Buoyed by the Barclays Heart crowd, slightly than the environment of UBS Area, the Liberty used an 18-8 fourth quarter, which included a 15-0 run, to wrest management of the sport and defeat the Lynx, 76-67.

If solely New York’s gamers acquired a portion of a $500,000 prize pool for the victory. Alas, they’ll need to accept padding their league-leading report of 17-3.

The play of Jonquel Jones, named an All-Star for the fifth time in her profession in a while Tuesday night time, proved determinative in swinging the consequence within the Liberty’s favor. After failing to make a shot from the sphere and scoring solely three factors final week, she turned in an environment friendly 21-point and 12-rebound double-double.

What’s up with Stewie’s taking pictures?

Picture by Catalina Fragoso/NBAE through Getty Pictures

Jones’ effort helped compensate for an additional subpar taking pictures night time from Breanna Stewart, who additionally earned an All-Star honor—her sixth—on Tuesday. She was a frigid 5-for-20 from the sphere, utilizing a 7-for-8 efficiency from the road to seek out her approach to 17 factors. She matched her level whole with 17 rebounds, a reminder that, for as a prolific of a scorer as she is, Stewart can affect profitable in a mess of the way.

However, an 0-for-5 efficiency from behind the arc—the eighth time this season she has didn’t make a 3-pointer in a recreation—is a trigger for concern. It’s not one other Commissioner’s Cup or one of the best common season report that motivates the Liberty; it’s a title. And to safe the primary championship in franchise historical past, they want a peak model of Stewart. She wasn’t that in final yr’s Finals, going 3-for-17 from downtown in 4 Finals video games. As Robert Mummery not too long ago analyzed for The Her Hoop Stats Publication, the taking pictures droop that appeared to afflict her all through final yr’s playoffs—as she shot lower than 20 p.c from deep throughout 10 playoff video games—has continued into this season; Stewie’s 3-point proportion at present sits at a career-low 25.3 p.c.

Throughout ESPN’s broadcast of the Liberty’s recreation in opposition to the Atlanta Dream on Sunday, LaChina Robinson, Chiney Ogwumike and Carolyn Peck talked about that Stewart had indicated that she had made some changes and was assured in her stroke. Stewart went 3-for-7 from long-range, serving to the Liberty come again and defeat the Dream, 81-75. She additionally surpassed 5,000 profession factors in opposition to Atlanta, changing into the quickest participant to achieve that milestone in league historical past.

However, Tuesday night time suggests Stewart’s shot nonetheless isn’t there but. Fortunately for the Liberty, there’s loads of time for Stewart to regress to her profession norm of just about 36 p.c. Nonetheless, the excessive chance that she’ll play important minutes for Workforce USA on the 2024 Olympics implies that fatigue—one in all Mummery’s hypotheses for Stewart’s unprecedented droop—could possibly be one thing Stewart and New York should handle as they put together for a championship push.

Sab’s stellar June

Picture by Catalina Fragoso/NBAE through Getty Pictures

Sabrina Ionescu, in distinction, simply polished off one of the best month of her profession. On the identical day she was voted an All-Star for the third time, she additionally was named the WNBA’s Jap Convention Participant of the Month for June.

Tasked with heavier offensive burden because of the prolonged absence of Courtney Vandersloot, Ionescu shined, expertly balancing the roles of playmaker and scorer. She averaged 19.8 factors and seven.4 assists per recreation, each of that are month-best marks for her profession. She additionally continued to mild it up from lengthy vary, draining 37.4 p.c of her 8.3 3-point makes an attempt per recreation.

These numbers even embody her ice-cold efficiency in opposition to the Dream on the ultimate day of June, when she was simply 3-for-17 from the sphere as she completed with 10 factors and 4 assists. On Tuesday, Ionescu once more struggled to get it going from behind the arc, taking pictures simply 1-for-10 from 3; nevertheless, she utilized her improved 2-point scoring bundle to work her approach to 17 factors, together with tossing 5 assists.

What’s subsequent for New York?

Winners of five-straight regular-season video games, the Liberty will look to increase their streak on Saturday, July 6, visiting the Indiana Fever for the fourth and closing matchup between the 2 groups (1 p.m. ET, CBS). To this point, New York has owned Indy, cruising to a 3 wins over Caitlin Clark and firm. The Liberty then will likely be off till subsequent Wednesday, July 10, once they head to Uncasville to tackle the Connecticut Solar, at present second within the league standings, for a matinee matchup (11 a.m. ET, League Go). Within the first recreation between the 2 groups on June 8, New York handed Connecticut their first lack of the season, 82-75.