The Phoenix Mercury and New York Liberty were set to tip off Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. ET on USA Network, with New York listed as a 5.5-point favorite even though both teams entered the game on three-game losing streaks. The matchup landed at a moment when the Liberty needed a response at home and the Mercury were trying to steady a rough start to the season.
That is why Sabrina Ionescu was the player everyone was watching. Head coach Chris DeMarco said she was hopeful to be available after sitting out New York's last game for injury management, a noteworthy update for a guard who had already missed the first five games with a foot injury before returning in the Liberty's 91-76 loss to the Wings. Her status mattered because New York had cooled sharply after a fast opening, scoring under 77 points in three straight games after averaging 100 points per game through its first four contests.
The spread also carried some weight because it came with a little friction. The Liberty were 3-4, 1-3 at home and back in the middle of a seven-game homestand, yet oddsmakers still made them the favorite against a Mercury team that was 2-5 and had allowed 92 points per game in its five losses. Phoenix had also been vulnerable from deep, with opponents shooting a league-high 38.1% on 3-pointers against it, while New York had shot under 42% from the field in three consecutive games.
This was also not a clean first look for either side. The teams were meeting for the first time this season after facing each other in the first round of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs, and the Mercury had won two of the three games played in New York in the postseason and regular season. New York had lost 81-74 to the Portland Fire on Monday, a result that only deepened the pressure on a team trying to salvage its homestand.
What came next was immediate and simple: the same teams were scheduled to meet again at Barclays Center on Friday evening. If Ionescu played, the Liberty would have a chance to change the feel of the week; if she did not, the questions around New York's offense would only grow louder.
Pauline Astier was not part of this matchup, but the Liberty's search for rhythm and the timing of Ionescu's return gave Wednesday night the feel of a game that could reshape how New York's homestand is judged.
