New York Liberty get to end of regular season with 78-67 loss to Atlanta Dream
Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
That was pretty boring, save for some nice moments from the rookies in the second half. Onto the playoffs! The New York Liberty and Atlanta Dream did not play the most meaningful basketball game on Thursday night, the regular season finale for each squad.
The Dream needed a win to ensure a first round matchup with New York, extending their stay at the Barclays Center to a week ... but not really, considering an extremely likely Chicago Sky loss to the Connecticut Sun would produce the same result.
Meanwhile, New York officially clinched the #1 seed in their previous game on Tuesday night. but for all intents and purposes, have had home-court advantage locked up for about a month now. As much as their opponents, they've been battling themselves and human nature in September. On Thursday, one step from the finish line, human nature dominated them.
Around the W, the Las Vegas Aces and Minnesota Lynx were resting their key players, but Sandy Brondello opted to go a different route, with every rotation player available: “Players don’t want to sit. Pretty simple. They want rhythm.”
Well, New York may have accomplished the opposite on Thursday, not doing much to appreciate the fans on Fan Appreciation Night. At least season-ticket holders got free t-shirts, because it went downhill quickly after Sabrina Ionescu gave an opening address to the crowd...
Sabrina Ionescu thanked the fans tonight prior to the Liberty’s final regular season home game, which is themed fan appreciation night. #WNBA pic.twitter.com/AhEzGJTmTG— Jackie Powell (she/her) (@ClassicJpow) September 19, 2024
Liberty fans did have something to cheer about though, even as the hosts trailed 43-30 at halftime. In the first quarter, Queens legend and six-year Liberty player Tina Charles moved into sole possession of first-place all-time on the WNBA rebounding list, nicely complementing her #2 spot on the all-time scoring list. As a result, she was honored on the Barclays Center video board...
After the first quarter, New York honors long-time Liberty star Tina Charles, who is now the all-time leader in rebounds and second on the all-time scoring list. Congrats, Tina!! pic.twitter.com/N6M0SS0tDq— Myles (@MylesEhrlich) September 19, 2024
Breanna Stewart, who will near Charles on such leaderboards one day, was New York’s best player in the first half, posting 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting. When the second half started, though, Stewie was on the bench wearing her full warmup. The reigning MVP, after all, does not have a second gear, evidenced by this story’s cover photo, taken when she chased a loose ball into the first row. You have to save her from herself.
Still, Tina Charles’ Atlanta Dream deserve their credit as well. The league’s worst offensive team shot 50% from the field, rising to the moment and refusing to pass their burden off to Connecticut (who did blowout Chicago).
Characteristically loyal and loud Liberty fans stayed to the end though, and they were rewarded by the play of New York’s youngsters. Nyara Sabally continued her strong end to the season with 14 points, and the rookies got shine as well. Marquesha Davis scored four points, Jaylyn Sherrod put up eight, and each drew huge rounds of applause...
nice little sequence for NY's rookies here, Marquesha banks in a pull-up, Jaylyn Sherrod with a pick-six: pic.twitter.com/4KIhJER9KG— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) September 20, 2024
Said Sherrod: “The energy’s great, the fanbase is great, and I’m an energy player, so I just feed off of that.”
No starter played more than 25 minutes outside of Jonquel Jones, who crept up to 30 for some reason. She did not get hurt though, so all’s well that ends well. Not that Sandy Brondello was overly enthused about the group’s effort.
“Obviously, I wasn’t happy with our effort today, even for a game that ‘didn’t matter,’” she said, later adding that “anybody can beat anybody” in the playoffs.
Indeed, Brondello put some serious air-quotes around ‘didn’t matter.’ With two minutes left, Sherrod hit a 3-pointer to bring a deficit that was once 20 points to eight. On the next possession, Brondello challenged a seemingly obvious foul call. The challenge was unsuccessful, but the game did turn into something at least mildly entertaining.
Thus ends this game recap. Certainly shorter than normal, but hey, the New York Liberty didn’t give me much to write about on Thursday night. At least nobody got hurt!
Final Score: Atlanta Dream 78, New York 67
Next Up
Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Hopefully the Atlanta Dream packed clothes for a week-long stay. The Liberty will host the Dream in a best-of-3 first-round playoff series starting on Sunday afternoon. Tip-off is scheduled at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Box Score: Atlanta Dream 78, New York Liberty 67 - WNBA
Game Highlights: Atlanta Dream 78, New York Liberty 67 (Video) - WNBA
Dream into postseason with 78-67 win over New York Liberty - Doug Feinberg - AP
Liberty fall to Dream with starters playing limited minutes in first-round playoff preview - Bridget Reilly - New York Post
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings