Liberty’s Breanna Stewart gets huge injury update after Phoenix scare originally appeared on The Sporting News
As Breanna Stewart crumpled to the court at PHX Arena on Sunday, Liberty and WNBA fans feared the worst for New York’s superstar forward.
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With 3:01 left in overtime as the Liberty battled the Phoenix Mercury, Stewart went up to lay in the ball and draw a foul from Phoenix’s All-Star forward Satou Sabally. Stewart came down hard, and awkwardly, on her left knee; she hobbled off the court and was quickly fitted for a brace.
In July, Stewart suffered a bone bruise in her right knee that cost her 13 games, part of a season-long trend of injuries the defending champion Liberty have had to play through. But the initial prognosis on Stewart is a positive one, and will be a boon to New York as they try to eliminate Phoenix in Game 2 of their first-round series on Wednesday night.
MORE: Breanna Stewart concern mounts: Liberty star’s WNBA playoffs status is unknown
Stewart was seen at Liberty practice on Tuesday afternoon, but she did not participate in the session. Head coach Sandy Brondello said the two-time WNBA MVP will be a game-time decision on Wednesday, when the Liberty will try to reach the semifinals for a third consecutive season.
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Brondello confirmed that Stewart, 31, had an MRI on Monday that came back “relatively clean,” and there is optimism that she can play Wednesday as she was not wearing a brace on the affected knee following her imaging.
Stewart, a three-time WNBA champion and a six-time All-Defense selection, racked up 18 points in Game 1 on Sunday as the fifth-seeded Liberty stole home-court advantage from the fourth-seeded Mercury with a 76-69 overtime win in the desert.
In 31 regular season games, Stewart was one of 10 players to average at least 18 points per game — though her 18.3 average tied her career low, set during her rookie year with the Seattle Storm in 2016.
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