The Liberty vs Valkyries matchup arrives Sunday with New York trying to stop a slide after a 99-88 loss in Seattle. Jonquel Jones said the group has to be better locked in, and the timing is sharper because this is the final game of a four-game road trip.
Jonquel Jones after Seattle
Jones did not leave room for excuses after the loss. "We just have to be better locked in," she said, then added: "At this point, we’ve had practice reps, we’ve had shootaround time, we’ve had time with each other and, like, I’m not about to come in here and make an excuse for us, like, we just have to be better. That’s just what it is. It’s not about the reps, it’s not about the playing time, it’s not about none of that stuff. It’s about having some heart and playing with some f–king heart."
The numbers from Seattle backed up the frustration. New York committed 16 turnovers that led to 15 Storm points, and the loss was its third in the last four games. That is the run the Liberty carry into Sunday, with the road trip ending against a team that already beat them 87-70 earlier this season.
Golden State and the rematch
Golden State comes in after back-to-back wins against the Atlanta Dream, and Gabby Williams said the matchup should have the same edge as the game that followed those wins. "We know how bad New York wants this after seeing what happened with them in Seattle. And so just expecting that they’re going to want to throw that first punch, and I think the way we handle tonight, that gives me confidence that we can handle New York on Sunday," she said.
Williams also pointed to the way her team prepared for Atlanta: "We knew that Atlanta was really going to go after us after that first game and I think it’s going to be something similar with New York."
Liberty rotation pressure
The Liberty still have pieces producing. Leonie Fiebich has averaged 15.8 points over the past four games while shooting 55.6 percent overall and 59.1 percent from deep, and Jones has averaged 17 points and 9.1 rebounds in June while shooting 79.3 percent in the restricted area and 44.9 percent from behind the arc.
But New York has also had stretches without Leonie Fiebich, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Sabrina Ionescu, and those absences have been part of the broader season picture around disappointing losses against the Portland Fire, Washington Mystics, Los Angeles Sparks and Storm. The next step is simple: cut the turnovers, match the physical edge from the start, and avoid another wasteful night against the Valkyries.
