At long last, we’ve got WNBA basketball! It took a long time to get here, but here we are and the New York Liberty are looking to get back to the WNBA Finals. They’re looking pretty different from when we last saw them, but they’re still plenty good and have a chance to do something special this season.
The Indiana Fever are also hoping to do something special this season. They were a few breaks away from an improbable Finals run last season, but fell just short. They’re
Where to follow the game
Fox 5 locally. ION nationally.
Tip after 3:00 p.m. ET.
Injuries
The following are out:
- Rebecca Allen
- Marine Fauthoux
- Pauline Astier
- Raquel Carrera
- Leonie Fiebich
- Ugonne Onyiah
Satou Sabally is questionable.
The following are out:
- Aliyah Boston
- Ty Harris
- Lexie Hull
- Damiris Dantas
The game
We’ll get a chance to see the Liberty’s new offensive principles this afternoon. One of the big themes from training camp so far is a greater emphasis on getting to the rim. Although New York was second in the WNBA in field goal percentage inside of three feet, they were only 11th in attempts. From Sabrina Ionescu:
“It’s nothing like last year. Yeah, it’s going to be completely different. I’d say, like, the sense of we’re all going to be playing to our strengths is always going to be the same. Like, he came in understanding what everyone does really well and how he can incorporate it. But I’d say the spacing that we’re playing with is going to be kind of different than what we’ve seen.”
We don’t have the full roster yet, but today should help give us some idea as to how they want to operate.
Player to watch: Betnijah Laney-Hamilton
Welcome back! It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Betnijah Laney-Hamilton on the court. She missed all of last season due to a knee injury and is back for her fifth season in seafoam. As the Liberty celebrate their 30th season, they’re throwing it back to the old days with special jerseys and the old colors. Bee was a big part of the rollout and she spoke about some of the process behind it with the media after practice
Her presence on the team was missed last season and now that she’s back, she’ll give Chris DeMarco another scoring option and solid defender. It’s preseason so she and the other key Liberty players won’t be out there for heavy minutes. Just gotta work up a sweat and iron out some details before the games kick off for real in May.
Oh hey, Caitlin Clark is here. Clark had a miserable 2025 as injuries kept her to only 13 games played. She’s back and after a great run with Team USA in FIBA World Cup qualifiers, is hoping to build on that as she enters year three. Indy got some guard help in the Draft and Clark is looking to play a bit more off the ball if possible
Of course, she’ll be directing the show most of the time as she’s one of the most electric players in basketball. The Fever have championship expectations and if Clark plays up to her standard, Indy could go on another deep playoff run.
From the Vault
Currently in the NBA playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers are up 3-0 on the Houston Rockets and are one win away from completing the sweep. It’s the first time these teams have met in the first round of the playoffs since 2004, so let’s take you back in time…
More reading: Fieldhouse Files, 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, Yahoo Sports, Gotta Get Up, Sports Illustrated, Fansided, Just Women’s Sports, Winsidr, Her Hoop Stats, CBS Sports, and The IX Basketball
- New York Liberty Game Notes – New York Liberty
