The party keeps rolling on. The New York Liberty hit the road for a brief Commissioner’s Cup stretch, making a stop for the first time in Uncasville. The Connecticut Sun put up a good fight, but New York was too much to handle and left CT with a victory. The Liberty have now won five games in a row.
The opponent tonight hopes to take a big step forward. The Atlanta Dream had a fantastic 2025 season, but it ended on a sour note. They’re back near the top of the WNBA standings again in 2026 and have
a renewed focus about them. They helped their cause with a tough road win against the Chicago Sky on Tuesday night.
Follow The Game
- Local TV: FOX 5
- Streaming: Liberty Live & FOX Local App
- Tip-off: Just after 7:30 PM ET
Injury Report
- No Sabrina Ionescu, but she’s getting closer.
- No Brionna Jones, but she’s getting closer as well.
The Game
I hit the road a few days ago and joined my main man Andrew Haubner on No Cap Space WBB to talk all things Liberty and some New York basketball history as well. Check it out!
The winner of this matchup will be in the driver’s seat for the Commissioner’s Cup. The Liberty are first in the standings and second in scoring margin, while the Dream are second in the standings and first in scoring margin. An early-season matchup with elevated stakes will do wonders for this group and with a chance at some big money on the line, look for everyone to be dialed in tonight.
Breanna Stewart continues to excel and handle everything thrown in her direction. Stewie captured another Player of the Week award as she continues to dominate both sides of the ball. She’s been able to get to the free throw line a bunch this year, and tonight she faces an Atlanta squad that has done well to avoid committing fouls this year. For Stewart, she’ll look to see if she can continue to attack the rim and create pressure that way.
The Liberty have been deliberate about building elite wing defense into the roster, and that will be put to the test tonight. Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard are a very solid duo and have helped propel the Dream into the WNBA’s upper contender class. Atlanta is shooting a lot worse from three point range (just 32.4 percent) than you’d think, so it’ll be interesting to see how the Liberty defend them.
Howard in particular has historically struggled against New York throughout her career, and the Liberty hope their combination of length and athleticism will slow down the All Star one more time. Satou Sabally has gotten stronger after each game and will be someone head coach Chris DeMarco will count on coming off the bench.
Player to watch: Angel Reese
Atlanta’s marquee offseason acquisition has delivered so far. Reese once again leads the WNBA in rebounding and has helped the Dream stay atop the team rebounding category overall. There are still concerns about her ability to finish at the rim, but she’s a foul-drawing magnet and someone who shoots well at the free-throw line. It’s a dynamic the Liberty are heavily preparing for tonight.
“I think the hardest thing as a defender is when you’re trying to stop her from scoring the bucket and then by the time you look up, you’re under the rim, and she’s in an advantageous position to be able to rebound,” Jonquel Jones said. “So I think those are rebounds that we have to kind of clean up a little bit and then just doing our work really early. She’s one of those players, if you don’t hit her first, she’s gonna hit you, so just kind of bringing that mindset and mentality at the beginning.”
With Jones back, New York has their best rebounder and best interior defender. JJ missed Monday’s game as she was under the weather, but she’s not on the injury report tonight and should be all systems go. For Jones, if she’s able to get Reese into foul trouble and limit her second chance opportunities, it’ll slow the Dream down and allow the Liberty to control the flow of the game. It’s a big time matchup and will be a great test of New York’s recent run of success against a team they figure to see in the postseason.
From the Vault
More reading: Peachtree Hoops, Swish Appeal, Breakaway, SB Nation, Women’s Basketball Roundup, The Local W, New York Daily News, No Cap Space, New York Post, Newsday, The Athletic, NY Liberty Fan TV, Fansided, Just Women’s Sports, Winsidr, The Stomp, The Post Presence, Her Hoop Stats, Yahoo Sports, ESPN, CBS Sports, and The IX Basketball.
