Add The New York Post on Google Across three underwhelming and inconsistent months of play, the Liberty have provided countless reasons to be skeptical of their postseason chances.
In the aftermath of a quiet trade deadline, general manager Jonathan Kolb’s reluctance to improve a win-now roster could be considered indefensible.
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But the 2024 WNBA champions — and preseason title favorites — believe they have everything they need.
Their three superstars (Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones) took control early — combining for the team’s first 26 points — and the bench blew up late — sparking a 15-0 run — in Monday’s 95-83 win over the Storm at Barclays Center, as the Liberty claimed their first double-digit win since July 3.
Stewart finished with 24 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks.
Ionescu had 18 points (7-for-10 shooting) and five assists, while Jones added 20 points and seven rebounds.
Seattle Storm guard Flau’jae Johnson (4) drives to the basket against New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart during the first half of a WNBA basketball game at Barclays Center on August 3, 2026. Heather Khalifa for NY Post The Liberty (18-13) host the Storm (6-26) again Wednesday, having won five of six games since suffering through a season-worst 2-8 stretch.
“I’m not too privy on all of the trade situations, but obviously we know we have enough here,” Stewart said before the game “We need to build that confidence with all the players that we have. It’s kind of like one of those things where it’s like, ‘All right, this is it. Now let’s move forward. There’s nothing else. Let’s keep going.’
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“It’s business as usual. This is it. This is our group.”
The Liberty came out hot in their first home game in nearly two weeks, taking a 17-point lead behind the dominance of the franchise-defining trio.
New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones, center, is hugged by Sabrina Ionescu at Barclays Center on Monday, August 3, 2026. Heather Khalifa for NY Post But the Liberty’s shaky defense allowed the league’s worst team to recover, marking the latest in a troublesome string of playing down to their competition.
Seattle, which suffered its ninth straight loss, ended an 11-game losing streak with a home win over the Liberty in late June (sans Stewart).
When the Liberty stepped off the gas again in the third quarter, Stewart found help from the team’s reserves, who combined for 21 points.
Han Xu had seven rebounds, while Marine Fauthoux adding five assists.
“Nothing’s changed,” Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco said. “We love the players in our building and we have full confidence that we’re gonna be playing our best basketball when it matters.”
