No. 5 New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart isn't letting Sunday's left knee knock take her off the 2025 WNBA Playoffs court, with the forward planning to compete in Game 2 against the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night.
An emotional Stewart finished Game 1 on the bench, going down with a knee injury in overtime of the Liberty's 76-69 upset win over the Mercury on Sunday.
"What I felt in that moment scared me more than anything," Stewart told reporters on Wednesday morning.
A Monday MRI revealed a sprained MCL, and though the two-time WNBA MVP did not practice on Tuesday, she participated in the team's Wednesday shootaround and said her pain had diminished to a three out of 10.
"[As long as] I don't wake up from my nap and feel like s—t," said Stewart, "I'm willing to take that [chance of re-injury] because I want to be out with my team, and they told me that structurally everything looks OK."
Even when the game-day status for Stewart was still unknown, New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello promised that the defending champions would give their star "as much time as we can."
"We know what's at stake," Brondello told reporters on Tuesday. "We don't want to go back to Phoenix [for Game 3], but they're going to come in hungry."
Stewart echoed that sentiment on Wednesday morning, saying "We want to finish it here. Not having to go back to Phoenix is our main priority."
How to watch the Phoenix Mercury vs. New York Liberty in Game 2
No. 5 New York will look to oust No. 4 Phoenix from the 2025 WNBA Playoffs with a first-round sweep on Wednesday night, when the Liberty host the Mercury for Game 2 at 8 PM ET.
The matchup will air live on ESPN.
The No. 5 New York Liberty secured the sole upset in the Sunday tip-off of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs, topping the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury 76-69 following a tightly contested Game 1 overtime battle.
Liberty guard Natasha Cloud dropped a game-leading 23 points on her former team, while Mercury star Alyssa Thomas neared yet another triple-double with 14 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists on the night.
"I'm proud of the way we stuck together, we weathered the runs they went on, and ultimately found a way to win," New York guard Sabrina Ionescu said after the game.
The newly healthy Liberty will hope for full availability in Game 2, though forward Breanna Stewart went down with a knock to the knee in overtime after posting an 18-point performance on Sunday.
"We're just hoping that she will be okay," New York head coach Sandy Brondello said after the game.
Brondello also confirmed that it was Stewart who asked for a sub in overtime after coming down hard on her left knee.
Concerns about the health of the two-time WNBA MVP — who recently returned from missing 13 games with a bone bruise on her right knee — overshadowed the defending champions' comeback win.
How to watch Phoenix vs. New York in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs
The No. 5 Liberty now return to New York looking to knock the No. 4 Mercury out of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs with a Game 2 victory on Wednesday.
The matchup tips off at 8 PM ET, with live coverage airing on ESPN.
The No. 5 New York Liberty stopped the skid on Monday, as the reigning WNBA champions claimed a tight 81-79 victory over the No. 11 Connecticut Sun with 2023 MVP Breanna Stewart back the starting lineup.
Following her 13-game absence due to a bone bruise, Stewart scored a team-leading 19 points on Monday, offsetting Sun guard Leïla Lacan's game-high 22 points as already-eliminated Connecticut tried to play spoiler in Brooklyn.
"She's just got this relentlessness about her that can rub off on her teammates," New York head coach Sandy Brondello said of Stewart's influence. "She's got the highest motor I've ever seen in a player that just keeps going and going."
The Liberty have struggled with availability all season, losing guards Sabrina Ionescu (foot injury) and Natasha Cloud (nose fracture) to injury in the run-up to Stewart's return as the team slid down the standings.
However, Ionescu joined Stewart in returning to the Liberty court on Monday, with Cloud reportedly on track to rejoin the New York lineup later this week.
With games against the No. 10 Washington Mystics, No. 4 Phoenix Mercury, and No. 7 Golden State Valkyries looming over the next week, the Liberty are hoping their best basketball is still in front of them.
"We're in an uphill battle right now and it's not going to get any easier," Stewart said of the team's upcoming schedule.
How to watch the New York Liberty this week
The No. 5 Liberty will next take the court on Thursday, when New York will host the No. 10 Mystics at 7 PM ET.
Live coverage of the clash will air on Prime.
The New York Liberty are officially in free fall, with a 91-85 upset loss to the already-eliminated No. 11 Chicago Sky sending the reigning champs skidding down two spots to No. 4 in the WNBA standings on Thursday.
Despite New York center Jonquel Jones's game-leading 25 points, double-doubles from Sky stars Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso secured the Chicago upset, with Cardoso pairing a team-high 22 points with 15 rebounds.
"Anyone can beat anyone in this league, anyone can win this championship — it's wide open," New York head coach Sandy Brondello said following the upset in which her Liberty struggled to dominate the defensive paint. "But our inconsistency is mind-boggling at times."
"When you give a team hope, that's all they need," added star guard Sabrina Ionescu afterwards. "I'd say in the first half we made things way too easy for them, and that gave them hope going into halftime, knowing that they could hang with us."
New York won't have much time to reflect on their mistakes as they gear up for a Saturday clash against a surging No. 2 Atlanta Dream — all while the Liberty remain without a clear-cut timeline for two-time WNBA MVP forward Breanna Stewart's return from injury.
"I think we have to play more physical in the beginning, and set the tone early," Jones told reporters ahead of the weekend's test.
New York does have some light at the end of the tunnel, as next week's potentially lopsided matchups against the No. 13 Connecticut Sun and No. 10 Washington Mystics follow Saturday's top-table meeting.
How to watch the New York Liberty this weekend
The No. 4 Liberty will aim to get back on track by hitting the road this weekend, taking on the No. 2 Dream in Atlanta at 2 PM ET on Saturday.
Live coverage of the clash will air on CBS.
Coming off Tuesday's 85-75 momentum-grabbing win over the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, the No. 2 New York Liberty will shoot to maintain late-season consistency against the now-eliminated No. 12 Chicago Sky in Thursday's WNBA slate.
Tied with the No. 3 Atlanta Dream at 22-13 on the year, the Liberty could benefit from the lopsided Thursday matchup, potentially adding space above Atlanta in the WNBA standings considering the Dream face an uphill battle against a motivated Lynx side.
"We're focused on the next nine games," New York head coach Sandy Brondello said following Tuesday's victory. "It's all about focusing on us and getting as high a position as we can in the standings."
The reigning champs still have work to do, however, with recent weeks seeing the Liberty post the second-worst 10-game record for any team above the playoff line — complete with three losses to their 2024 WNBA Finals rival Minnesota.
As for Chicago, the Sky are now focused on the future, bolstered by star forward Angel Reese's return from injury as they continue to build under first-year coach Tyler Marsh's system.
"I want to hoop," Reese said earlier this week. "I'm just happy to be out here to play the game I love."
How to watch Chicago Sky vs. New York Liberty in Thursday's WNBA slate
The No. 2 Liberty will host the No. 12 Sky at 7 PM ET on Thursday, tipping off live on Prime.
The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx are inching toward the clinch, closing in on booking a 2025 WNBA Playoffs spot after weekend victories over the No. 10 Washington Mystics and No. 2 New York Liberty extended the league leaders' winning streak to five straight games.
"We didn't make them feel uncomfortable, and they made us feel really uncomfortable," Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said of Minnesota's locked-in defense — fueled by recent addition DiJonai Carrington.
The top two teams in the WNBA standings will meet twice more in the next nine days, as both Minnesota and New York look to maintain their positioning while waiting for their MVP short-listers — Lynx star Napheesa Collier and Liberty standout Breanna Stewart — to return from injury.
As Minnesota widens the gap with just 12 games remaining before the 2025 Playoffs, last weekend's lineup saw other teams rise and fall as clock ticks down on 2025 play.
No. 8 Seattle experienced a precipitous drop, pulling level with the postseason cutoff line after two narrow weekend losses to the No. 6 Las Vegas Aces and No. 9 LA Sparks stretched the Storm's skid to five games.
Taking advantage of other teams' shortcomings, the previously struggling Aces are again climbing the standings, logging a four-game winning streak capped by forward A'ja Wilson's record-setting 32-point, 20-rebound Sunday performance.
How to watch the WNBA game on Monday
The WNBA's lone Monday matchup pits the No. 7 Golden State Valkyries against the No. 13 Connecticut Sun.
The East Coast vs. West Coast clash tips off at 10 PM ET, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.
Team Clark will tip off the 2025 WNBA All-Star weekend without its namesake captain, after superstar Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark announced she'll be sitting out of both the 3-Point Contest and the All-Star Game due to a lingering groin injury.
"I will still be at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for all the action and I'm looking forward to helping Sandy [Brondello] coach our team to a win," Clark said in a statement.
In lieu of Clark as well as the previously injured Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally, Team Clark added both Washington Mystics guard Brittney Sykes and Atlanta Dream forward Brionna Jones to Saturday's roster.
Meanwhile, Clark's fellow Fever guard Lexie Hull will take over her spot in Friday's 3-Point Contest.
The availability of another starter on the Indiana star's All-Star squad is currently up in the air, as a recent knock to the wrist has Las Vega Aces icon and reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson's status listed as "to be determined."
As of Friday morning, there is no announcement for a replacement player should Wilson be unavailable on Saturday.
Roster shifts won't distract Team Clark
Despite the roster shakeups, Team Clark still boasts serious talent.
Along with Wilson, assuming she is playing, Saturday's tip-off will feature Aliyah Boston (Indiana Fever) and Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty), with Brondello set to name the team's two additional starters.
Team Clark's deep pool of reserves include Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana Fever), Gabby Williams (Seattle Storm), Sonia Citron (Washington Mystics), Kiki Iriafen (Washington Mystics), Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces), Kayla Thornton (Golden State Valkyries), as well as the aforementioned Sykes and Jones.
Liberty boss Brondello will lead Clark's side, with the 2024 WNBA champion coach anticipating a little intra-team strife back in New York.
"I'm going to trap [Ionescu]," Team Collier forward — and Liberty star — Breanna Stewart joked earlier this week. "Full-court press on Sab [Ionescu] in the All-Star Game."
Though injuries are taking their toll, it would be unwise to count out a roster as young and hungry as Team Clark this weekend.
How to watch Team Clark at the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game
Team Collier and Team Clark will square off in the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis at 8:30 PM ET on Saturday.
Live coverage of the game will air on ABC.
The 2025 WNBA All-Star teams are set, as captains Napheesa Collier and Caitlin Clark drafted the 20 other honored players into their final rosters live on ESPN on Tuesday night.
The draft began with the two captains selecting from the eight-player pool of fan-voted starters, before Clark and Collier each chose six athletes from the group of 12 All-Star reserves.
Both the Minnesota forward and the Indiana guard prioritized selecting their WNBA teammates, with Collier successfully grabbing Lynx guard Courtney Williams as one of her reserves while Clark's first picks in each category were fellow Fever players in starter Aliyah Boston and reserve player Kelsey Mitchell.
Collier also decided to keep her fellow UConn Huskies close, tapping alums Breanna Stewart and Paige Bueckers for her starting lineup — though she failed to pull off a trade for third alum Gabby Williams.
"I tried 😭 they didn't show that part lol," the Lynx star posted to X after the draft, referencing her attempt to roster Williams.
While Collier's strategy was to snag current and former teammates, as well as players with whom she has Unrivaled or collegiate ties, Clark approached the draft with less of a plan.
"I'm going on vibes. I'm picking whatever comes to mind. We're just having fun," joked Clark, promising "my team is going to be fun."
All-Star draft's lone trade sees head coach swap
Despite a handful of trade offers, the only swap of the Tuesday draft didn't end up involving players at all, as the All-Star leaders agreed to switch head coaches.
Coaching assignments follow fan votes and team records, with the top All-Star vote-getter paired with the coach of the league's No. 1 team, while the No. 2 team coach leads the squad captained by the player who garnered the second-most votes.
As such, Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve was initially assigned to Team Clark, with Collier's squad led by New York boss Sandy Brondello.
Following both Collier's strategy of prior connections and, perhaps, Clark's emphasis on vibes, the pair agreed to switch sideline leaders, keeping the Lynx lineup together and sending the reigning WNBA champion to helm Clark's crew.
The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game rosters
Team Clark:
- Starters: Aliyah Boston (Indiana), Sabrina Ionescu (New York), A'ja Wilson (Las Vegas), Satou Sabally (Phoenix)
- Reserves: Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana), Gabby Williams (Seattle), Sonia Citron (Washington), Kiki Iriafen (Washington), Jackie Young (Las Vegas), Kayla Thornton (Golden State)
- Head coach: Sandy Brondello (New York)
Team Collier:
- Starters: Breanna Stewart (New York), Allisha Gray (Atlanta), Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle), Paige Bueckers (Dallas)
- Reserves: Courtney Williams (Minnesota), Skylar Diggins (Seattle), Angel Reese (Chicago), Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix), Kelsey Plum (LA), Rhyne Howard (Atlanta)
- Head coach: Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota)
How to watch the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game
Team Collier and Team Clark will square off in the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis at 8:30 PM ET on July 19th.
Live coverage of the game will air on ABC.
The WNBA recognized May’s top performers on Wednesday, handing out the first round of monthly awards to early-season standouts across the league.
Lynx star Napheesa Collier picked up Western Conference Player of the Month, with the forward averaging 26.8 points per game while leading Minnesota to a 6-0 May start.
Earning the same honor in the Eastern Conference was Dream standout guard Allisha Gray, who started the season with a 21.4 points-per-game average to help boost Atlanta to third in the league standings.
New York Liberty manager Sandy Brondello won Coach of the Month — a natural fit after leading the 2024 WNBA champs to their best opening record since 1997.
The most surprising nod, however, went to Rookie of the Month Kiki Iriafen, with the Mystics forward averaging a 13.9-point, 10.1-rebound double-double while shooting 47.4% from the field in her first month as a pro.
The USC product opened the season with a bang, becoming just the second rookie in WNBA history to record four double-doubles in her first five games, joining Utah Starzz forward Natalie Williams, who did so in 1999 — three years before Iriafen was born.
The day-one Mystics starter is also the first Rookie of the Month in Washington franchise history, telling reporters, "From the day I got drafted to the Mystics, I just put my head down, like, I'm going to work… I'm just giving my best effort every single time that I'm playing, and it's nice to see the fruits of your labor come to fruition."
How to watch the winners of May's WNBA awards in action
While Collier's Lynx and Gray's Dream are off until the weekend, Brondello's Liberty will visit Iriafen and the Mystics at 7:30 PM ET on Thursday, live on Prime.
Fresh off winning their first-ever WNBA title, the New York Liberty will kick off their 2025 preseason slate with in a Friday night clash against the Connecticut Sun — despite the reigning champs looking a little worse for wear.
Two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart has been slowly recovering from offseason knee surgery, with the 30-year-old watching from the bench on Friday in an effort to return to full fitness for next week's season opener.
Similarly, star guard Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is likely out for the entirety of the 2025 WNBA season with a knee injury of her own, exiting the offseason 3×3 league Unrivaled with a meniscus injury in early March.
Meanwhile, starting sharpshooter Leonie Fiebich has yet to join the Liberty in training camp as the European standout finishes her overseas season with Spain's Valencia Basket.
Liberty additions to make New York debut on Friday
That said, New York did manage to make a few savvy pick-ups ahead of the 2025 campaign, with the newly configured team eyeing a strong Friday showing to avoid rumors of a slow season start.
The Liberty traded for point guard Natasha Cloud and signed forward Izzy Harrison over the offseason, while also welcoming back guards Marine Johannes and Rebekah Gardner.
Given New York's lengthy availability report, Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello noted that the team's markedly late preseason start was not strategic, but merely a scheduling solution.
"Sometimes it's just out of our hands," Brondello told reporters. "This is the first home game that we've had because we've never been able to get the arena availability, so that's it. Ideally, we would have liked to play the game by now, but it is what it is."
How to watch the New York Liberty in the 2025 WNBA preseason
New York will tip off against Connecticut at 7 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.