The No. 5 New York Liberty are creeping back up the ladder, as the defending WNBA champions continued reversing their recent skid with Thursday's 89-63 win over the No. 10 Washington Mystics — all while the race to the 2025 WNBA Playoffs reaches its boiling point.

While Washington rookie Sonia Citron's 18 points led the game, New York pulled together a true team effort to secure Thursday's victory, with five Liberty players scoring double-digits — including a season-high 16 points off the bench from forward Isabelle Harrison in her return from concussion protocol.

"We're not looking at the other teams at this point," Liberty forward Emma Meesseman said after the game. "We're just looking at ourselves, to maybe send a message to ourselves."

Despite that focus, New York is still contending with injury woes that have overshadowed much of the Liberty's season, taking Thursday's court without starters Sabrina Ionescu (toe), Jonquel Jones (illness), and Natasha Cloud (nose), while leaning on recently returned forward Breanna Stewart.

"We need to win the rest of our games," acknowledged Stewart, with the team gearing up for visits to the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury, No. 8 Golden State Valkyries, and No. 7 Seattle Storm over the next week. "We need to go and be road warriors."

The Liberty will have their hands full against the Mercury this weekend, with Phoenix coming in hot off a three-game winning streak with postseason-clinching top-of-mind.

"It's like a playoff matchup," Stewart added. "It's a big game, big implications, and [we're] not shying away from that."

How to watch the New York Liberty this weekend

No. 4 Phoenix will host No. 5 New York at 10 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage airing on NBA TV.

One of the WNBA's newest signings re-introduced herself to the league on Tuesday night, as forward Emma Meesseman led the No. 2 New York Liberty to a splashy 105-97 road win over the No. 9 LA Sparks.

Meesseman made up for injured Liberty star Breanna Stewart's ongoing absence by scoring a season-high, team-leading 24 points. Fellow big Jonquel Jones also put up a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double and forward Leonie Fiebich added 20 points in a game that saw every New York starter contribute double-digit points.

"She's one of the best players in the world," Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts said of the 32-year-old Belgian international following Tuesday's game. "There's a lot of problems one of the best players in the world can bring you."

Meesseman — the 2019 WNBA Finals MVP — made her New York Liberty debut on August 3rd, entering a squad struggling with availability and chemistry.

"It's fundamentals, really," she said of her team's recent on-court issues. "No matter who we have on the court, no matter what level, players [or] what league, it's all about hustle. I don't think you can practice that. So we just have to go out there and fight."

Despite their problems, the reigning champion Liberty are continuing to cruise toward a playoff berth at the top of the WNBA standings, while the Sparks are still searching for a boost above the postseason cutoff line.

How to watch the New York Liberty in Wednesday's WNBA action

New York will try to score back-to-back road wins by visiting the No. 5 Las Vegas Aces at 9:30 PM ET on Wednesday, airing live on ESPN.

The Minnesota Lynx made headlines on Sunday, as the league leaders finalized a trade to acquire 2024 WNBA Most Improved Player DiJonai Carrington from the No. 11 Dallas Wings.

In return for sending Carrington to Minnesota, Sunday's trade saw Dallas receive forward Diamond Miller, guard Karlie Samuelson, and a second-round pick in the 2027 draft.

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Minnesota's move to secure Carrington comes in the wake of No. 2 New York successfully signing 2019 WNBA champion Emma Meesseman, with the Belgium international logging 11 points in her Liberty debut — an 87-78 win over the last-place Connecticut Sun on Sunday.

"She made the wrong choice," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said of Meesseman's decision, after the 2025 EuroBasket champ reportedly considered joining Minnesota for her WNBA return.

As for the Wings, Dallas now appears to be shifting gears.

After stocking up on veteran talent like Carrington and forward NaLyssa Smith during the offseason, this weekend's trade — alongside the Sunday waiving of veteran Wings center Teaira McCowan — has Dallas seemingly undertaking a more methodical, youth-focused rebuild around their 2025 WNBA Draft No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers.

In addition to this weekend's roster refresh, the Wings previously dealt Smith away to the No. 7 Las Vegas Aces earlier this summer, snagging a 2027 first-round draft pick in return.

Before grabbing top talent in 2027, however, Dallas could be on track to snag a second straight No. 1 pick, as the Wings are currently skidding toward a shot at securing the top 2026 draftee.

The New York Liberty wasted no time returning to work after a successful All-Star Weekend, with multiple reports stating that 2019 WNBA Finals MVP Emma Meesseman will join the reigning champs for the second half of the 2025 season.

A 2019 WNBA champion with the Washington Mystics, Meesseman hasn't played in the US league since the end of 2022, opting instead to prioritize European play following a stint with the Chicago Sky.

Averaging 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game in 2022, Meesseman was reportedly also scouted by the Minnesota Lynx and the Phoenix Mercury before landing with the New York Liberty.

Fresh off leading Belgium to victory at the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2025, Meesseman's arrival is now dependent on her visa application's timeline.

Currently sitting at No. 2 in the WNBA standings, the Liberty have remained strong despite dealing with key absences from their starting lineup.

The Liberty expect Jonquel Jones's return to the court this week after the center missed extended time with an ankle injury, while star guard Leonie Fiebich has already logged New York minutes following her EuroBasket run with Germany.

Along with the reported addition of Meesseman, the Liberty also picked up Stephanie Talbot on Monday, snagging the Australian forward just days after the Golden State Valkyries waived the 32-year-old free agent.

How to watch the New York Liberty on Tuesday

The budding superteam will stack up against the No. 6 Indiana Fever in their Tuesday return from the 2025 WNBA All-Star festivities.

The action tips off at 8 PM ET, with live coverage on ESPN.

Each of the 32 national teams in the 2023 FIBA men’s World Cup will receive “financial encouragement,” according to a report. A total of 3.2 million euros will be distributed among the participants, and the top 16 teams will receive an additional 100,000 euros each.

The report caught the attention of Belgium national player Emma Meesseman, who lamented the prize money – or lack thereof – allocated for the 2022 FIBA women’s World Cup.

“One year after the Women’s World Cup Championship, where nobody got any ‘financial encouragement.’ Thanks FIBA,” Meesseman wrote sarcastically on X.

The United States defeated China, 83-61, in the 2022 final, for its fourth consecutive championship. A’Ja Wilson scored 19 points to go along with five rebounds and two steals against China.

“This is why you sacrifice,” Wilson told reporters then. “My teammates hold me accountable. They put me in the best situation so I didn’t really feel tired. This is what we live for. This is honestly my job and I love my job. I love what I do and now I can go to sleep. I’m so excited. My bed is literally calling my name.”

Meesseman’s tournament ended in the quarterfinal, when Australia beat Belgium, 86-69.

In the men’s final, Germany will play Serbia on Sunday morning.

As the WNBA offseason approaches, so too do the implications of the prioritization clause in the league’s CBA, which will go into effect next season.

While players with less than two years’ experience are exempt from the rule, others must return from overseas play by the time the league opens its season — otherwise they will be ineligible to play in the 2023 campaign.

Chicago Sky players spoke on the rule Friday in their exit interviews.

Courtney Vandersloot said the rule is one of the reasons she signed just a one-year deal with the Sky. While she has played with Russia’s UMMC Ekaterinburg in the past, Vandersloot signed with Hungary’s Sopron Basket for the upcoming overseas season.

Belgian forward Emma Meesseman also has spent significant time playing overseas. Meesseman missed the last two WNBA seasons to play in Europe.

She noted that prioritization is not exactly the most friendly policy for international players.

“As a European, I don’t think that rule is fair to non-Americans [players],” she said.

Meesseman signed with Fenerbahce Safisport for the upcoming European season. She said she believes the Turkish club will tighten the timeline of its season to ensure that WNBA players are able to return within the timeframe set by the prioritization rule.

Seattle’s Gabby Williams offered up a clear picture of her priorities.

“I’m also shying away from the W because teams aren’t touching what I’m making in Europe,” she said Wednesday.

While the rule will throw a wrench into players’ and teams’ plans, Seattle’s Sue Bird provided a different perspective.

“The league was in a place of not negotiating without it. We wouldn’t have got the money, the maternity leave, without it. I’m not defending it,” she said. “I want the WNBA to be the only league people play in. I want it to thrive so we never have to go overseas.”

Emma Meesseman will sign with the Chicago Sky in her return to the WNBA, Rachel Galligan reported on Monday. The 2019 Finals MVP spent the 2021 season overseas with UMMC Ekaterinburg.

Up until now, Meesseman has spent her entire career in the WNBA with the Washington Mystics, who drafted her 19th overall in the 2013 WNBA Draft.

Signing Meesseman is a big pickup for the Sky, who are also officially re-signing 2021 Finals MVP Kahleah Copper. But a major piece of their core, Stefanie Dolson, has reportedly opted to sign with the New York Liberty on a multi-year deal. The status of Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot remains unknown.

A high-scoring power forward, Meesseman averaged 13 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in 2020. In 2019, she averaged 13.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. She was even better in the 2019 playoffs, averaging 19.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists en route to winning Finals MVP and the 2019 championship.

Reports from Kareem Copeland of the Washington Post also indicate that Tina Charles will not be returning to the Mystics. The former No. 1 overall pick joined the Mystics in 2020 from the New York Liberty. She did not play in 2020 but was a major presence on the court in 2021. Through 27 games, Charles led the league in points, averaging 23.4 points per game. She also added 9.6 rebounds, which ranked fourth in the league.

Emma Meesseman will not be returning to the Washington Mystics this season.

The 2019 WNBA Finals MVP revealed Tuesday that she has opted to rest rather than return to the WNBA following her time with the Belgian national team.

“The whole summer, I thought and believed I would join the Mystics again after the European Championship and the Olympics,” Meesseman said in a statement. “But it turns out the only right decision is to take some extra time for myself. I wish it was different because everybody knows I love the Mystics family. D.C. will continue to be my home away from home! I wish the team all the best and I’ll be rooting for them, like I always have.”

Drafted by the Mystics in 2013, the forward has played seven seasons with the organization, averaging 11.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in her career.

“We know this has been a long summer with her national team and understand her decision,” Mystics coach Mike Thibault said in a statement. “We hope she can enjoy the much-deserved time off and we look forward to possibly seeing her in a Mystics uniform next season. Emma will always be a part of the Mystics family.”

Meesseman will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, making her future with the Mystics uncertain.