Liberty Make Final Sabrina Ionescu Decision vs Dream

The New York Liberty have announced Sabrina Ionescu's final status against the Atlanta Dream.

Aug 8, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) in action during the game between the Dallas Wings and the New York Liberty at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The New York Liberty are the defending WNBA champs, but their 2025 season has not been as dominant. The Liberty have lost three of their last four games and four of their last six, sliding to 22-14 on the season and sit in fifth place in the league.

While the Liberty is still set to make some noise in the postseason, their recent injuries have certainly been a concern. Two-time MVP Breanna Stewart has not played in nearly a month as she recovers from a right knee bone bruise.

Now, as the Liberty head into a huge matchup against the second-place Atlanta Dream on Saturday, they have to fight through another costly injury.

Sabrina Ionescu's injury status

Despite missing just one game all season, Liberty superstar Sabrina Ionescu is set to miss Saturday's contest. After initially being ruled questionable for Saturday's game, the Liberty have downgraded Ionescu to out with a left foot injury.

🚨Status Report Update🚨 pic.twitter.com/rhEliNLEKV

— Liberty Lead (@LibertyLeadSM) August 23, 2025

The Liberty lost their lone game without Ionescu this season, and are not in a good position to play without both her and Stewart on Saturday.

The Dream are undoubtedly a tough test for the Liberty, despite New York holding a 2-1 record over Atlanta this season. The Dream have been on a roll, winning ten of their last 13 games to improve to 23-13 on the season, good for second place in the WNBA, six games behind the first-place Minnesota Lynx.

The Dream have been led by Allisha Gray this season, who is coming off a dominant 27-point performance in a win over the first-place Lynx on Thursday. Gray and the Dream should have no problem taking care of a short-handed Liberty team on Saturday, but that does not mean they should take them lightly.

Liberty's next-player up

Aug 19, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) reacts after getting fouled after a made three point shot in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Lynx at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The Liberty will undoubtedly have to lean on Jonquel Jones, the 2021 WNBA MVP and five-time All-Star. Jones has been on a tear this week, averaging 23.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.5 stocks through two games while shooting 61.5% from the field and 50.0% from deep.

New York will also look to Natasha Cloud to step up in their backcourt, but ultimately, it will be hard for them to replicate what Ionescu brings to the table.

The Dream have enough talent to take care of business on Saturday at home, and they certainly need to take advantage and pick up a win as they look to secure the second-seed in the playoffs.

Related Articles

feed