PHOENIX (AP) — Breanna Stewart injured her left knee midway through the overtime of New York's 76-69 win Sunday over the Phoenix Mercury in Game 1 of their best-of-three playoff series.
Stewart drove baseline and was fouled. She went down and grabbed her left knee. After a New York timeout, Stewart attempted the free throw, but missed it. She had a knee brace over the injury, but came out a minute later.
New York coach Sandy Brondello said after the game that her star had asked to come out.
Stewart,
who had 18 points and six rebounds before leaving the game, missed about a month of the season with a bone bruise on her other knee she suffered in late July.
The series shifts to New York for Game 2 on Wednesday night, giving her an extra day to recover from the injury. The Liberty have had a difficult season with injuries. Besides Stewart being out for a month, Jonquel Jones missed significant time early in the year with a sprained ankle and Sabrina Ionescu was out for a few games late with a toe injury she suffered in practice.
If Stewart can't play Tuesday, New York has depth with Emma Meesseman, who they signed in August. Meesseman won a WNBA Finals MVP in 2019 while playing with Washington.
___
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
