Wednesday night’s Game 2 at Barclays Center may have been the Liberty‘s final home game of 2025.
And if it was, the 86-60 loss to the Phoenix Mercury was an awful showing that’ll leave a bad taste in the mouths of Liberty fans for a very long time.
But maybe such a loss should’ve been expected considering the misfortunes and inconsistencies that have plagued the Liberty all season.
Quite simply, Game 2 felt like a microcosm of the entire 2025 Liberty season.
Injuries — from All-Star starters to key reserves — impacted the Liberty since the first month of the WNBA campaign.
And just when the roster became whole, Breanna Stewart sprained her MCL in Game 1, forcing her to play through pain for however long this playoff run lasts.
“I mean, I think it’s deeper than just that,” Jonquel Jones said when asked how frustrating it is for Stewart’s injury being yet another speed bump halting the Liberty’s potential. “Like you said, it’s not just on her. I think, you know, all of us have to kind of step our game up, step our defense up, our offense up like, you know, just looking at the stat sheet, like we’re such a powerful team offensively, and tonight they were able to really congest us and kind of muck things up.”
Indeed, the Mercury did muck things on the defensive end. The defending champions barely got by in overtime of Game 1, but got stifled in Game 2. In Wednesday’s first quarter, the Liberty finished with 10 made field goals. The Mercury, however, limited them to just eight in the final 30 minutes of regulation — three in the second quarter, two in the third and three in the fourth.
After the embarrassing defeat, head coach Sandy Brondello and her team spoke about the need to adjust to save their season — rightfully so.
But history suggests that the team’s inconsistent offense could make another appearance for Friday’s Game 3. Though Stewart anticipates “really letting loose” on Friday after more time for her left knee to recover, she’s still not 100%.
Sabrina Ionescu is shooting 29% from the field — and 20% from downtown — in the first two games while subject to Nate Tibbetts’ game plan to apply as much pressure on her as possible.
Natasha Cloud enjoyed a stellar Game 1, but regressed in Game 2 while dealing with point of attack pressure as well.
Key supporters Leonie Fiebich and Kennedy Burke have mostly been ineffective, too.
And most importantly, Jones hasn’t been able to make her mark like she has in her previous two Liberty postseasons — a recurring theme in 2025.
After getting just seven field goal attempts in Game 1 — and garnering no more than eight in each of the four of five games leading up to the postseason — Brondello admitted Jones isn’t getting enough shots.
“No, not at all. Not at all. You know… it’s us,” the head coach sad. “JJ being more aggressive where she can, and us making sure we put her in the action a little bit more. So it goes both ways, but we believe in JJ, and I’m confident she’s going to go out and have a big game today.”
JJ didn’t have a big Game 2. She finished with seven points on nine attempts to go with 13 rebounds, two blocks, two turnovers and an assist.
Too often, she drifted on the perimeter while her teammates struggled to get by pressure at the point of attack. And with her so far out, it leaves less opportunities to impact the offensive glass like she’s done in her career. Jones, though, still managed to grab two offensive boards in the first half on Wednesday.
The issues suggest this playoff run could be over. The chances to become just the fourth WNBA franchise to win back-to-back championships have gotten slimmer. And the fans might’ve watched the final Liberty game at Barclays Center in 2025.
A loss Friday guarantees that. And there’s no guarantee for a return in 2026 with a lockout looming as the league and player’s association are at odds over a new collective bargaining agreement.
With the possibility of a Game 3 loss and potential lockout on the horizon, Ionescu said she hasn’t given any thought of a chance the team won’t have a return home next May.
But she did say fans deserve better than what they witnessed in Game 2.
“We know the importance and significance of our fans and what we’ve built here,” the homegrown star said. “And, you know, I think we know that we got to play better next game, because this shouldn’t be the end and how we leave them. You know, us as a team, but especially our fan base, who’ve supported us through a lot of highs and lows, they deserve to have more games played here, and we do as well. And so, you know, we got to go out and fight for our lives, fight for our season and wanting to come back.”
