The New York Liberty surprised quite a few fans by making easy work of the Minnesota Lynx at home at the Target Center Sunday. New York put in a dominating 91-75 win over the top seed and immediately prompted a crucial question: could the Liberty knock the Lynx out of playoffs in the first round?
Anything is always possible in the playoffs, and the Liberty likely understand that more than most teams. New York proved Sunday the team has what it takes to win even with two shooting stars having off nights. Sabrina Ionescu was 4-for-14 and Jonquel Jones was 2-for-five, but the rest of the team stepped up, filled in the gaps, and made the win possible. That's something New York can do again, especially since they'll be playing at Barclays Center tomorrow.
The Liberty were aided by the tremendous efforts of Breanna Stewart, who has plenty of experience coming through in a big way for her teams at crucial moments. Stewart put in a monster of a performance Sunday and ended the night with 34 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocks. When speaking to reporters after the game, Ionescu described her teammate as a "walking mismatch" and noted that the team "just took really great shots" throughout the game.
Stewart has often performed well against the Lynx, and is averaging over 20 points per game against the team throughout her career, per ESPN. The outlet also noted that this game was the Liberty's third double-digit win over the Lynx this season; the teams have played four games against one another. In fact, it's pretty clear that New York has figured out what does and doesn't work against Minnesota, and the team has managed to frustrate the Lynx's Olivia Miles in a way that other teams in the league have not.
Stewart was pretty humble when speaking about what worked for her Sunday. She told ESPN her performance was largely due to the fact that she was "just really ready" for the game, a mentality that can't be ignored when it comes to crucial moments in the season, like the playoffs. She also credited her teammates with helping her and making sure they got her the ball no matter what. Stewart added, "But for myself, mentally, I was just ready to do whatever it took to lead the team and get the win today. And my teammates found me and got me good looks at the basket, so I just wanted to keep going."
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