For the third time this season, the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx met on Tuesday without All-Stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart on the court.
For the first time in four total matchups, the New York Liberty won. Led by big games from Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu and a strong supporting effort Emma Meesseman, the Liberty secured an 85-75 win on their home court.
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The victory fended off a regular-season sweep at the hands of the Lynx in a rematch of last season’s WNBA Finals that the Liberty won. It also concluded a nine-day stretch in which the two title contenders played each other three times.
Lynx previously dominated shorthanded series
Minnesota won the previous two matchups — an 86-80 victory on Saturday in Minneapolis and an 83-71 victory on Aug. 10 in New York. Like on Tuesday, neither Collier nor Stewart played in those games.
The Lynx also won the first matchup of the season on July 30. Collier played in that game and led the Lynx to a 100-93 victory. Stewart — New York’s two-time league MVP forward — did not.
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Stewart’s been sidelined since July 26 with a bone bruise in her right knee that she sustained against the Los Angeles Sparks. Tuesday marked the 11th consecutive game she’s missed with the injury.
Collier, the MVP favorite, suffered a sprained right ankle on Aug. 2 that’s now sidelined her for five games. The collective injuries put a damper on a schedule in which the WNBA slated the title favorites to play each other in three consecutive games.
The good news for both teams is that there’s plenty of star power on both sides of the court, even with Collier and Stewart sidelined. Jones led all players on Tuesday with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Ionescu added 17 points and 11 assists while hitting multiple big buckets down the stretch.
The Liberty jumped out front early Tuesday to a 17-7 lead. The Lynx cut their deficit to 24-20 by the end of the first quarter, but never took the lead in a game the Liberty led from the opening bucket of the game by Jones.
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Big 3s by Ionescu ice game
Minnesota cut a 15-point third-quarter deficit to 66-62 early in the fourth quarter. But New York responded again, this time with a 5-0 run on a bucket by Jones and a 3 from Ionescu that extended the New York lead to nine points.
Minnesota continued to keep the pressure on, but New York never relented. Ionescu iced the game with a deep and-1 3-pointer with 33.8 seconds remaining on the clock.
Meesseman added 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Liberty. Courtney Williams led the Lynx effort with 17 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
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Progress for both Stewart and Collier
The good news for both teams is that there are signs of progress for each of their injured stars. Stewart returned to practice on Monday, but wasn’t ready to suit up for Tuesday’s game. Collier, meanwhile, was listed as doubtful for each of the last two games after previously being ruled out prior to game day.
The status for each points to a return to the court before the conclusion of the regular season on Sept. 11 — and, more importantly, in plenty of time for a potential rematch in the playoffs.
