Liberty Duo To Miss Start of Final Four
The New York Liberty failed to strike medical gold in the Bay Area.
New York will once again go without Sabrina Ionescu and Nyara Sabally when it faces the Golden State Valkyries on Tuesday night at Chase Center (10 p.m. ET, My9), forcing it to get yet another game without a full contingent. Both were listed as questionable on the pregame report.
Ionescu, set to miss her fourth game over the last five, is dealing with a toe injury stemming from a foot ailment endured in a recent game against Chicago. Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said that Ionescu is considered day-to-day and the hope is once again to get her back for the next game, which moves a three-game road trip to Seattle on Friday night.
"She's progressing. She had a decent little workout yesterday, but not good enough to go today. So hopeful she'll be okay for Seattle," Brondello said of Ionescu, a Bay Area native who came back from a neck injury somewhat early to play in the Liberty's prior to San Francisco in June. "Unfortunately, she can't play tonight, but we've got big picture in mind. We just need to get her healthy, because she's so important for what we're doing."
Sabally, on the other hand, is in an interesting situation: Brondello revealed that she will dress for the first time since the pre-All-Star break slate and that she will go through warmups but will not partake in the game itself. Brondello is still hopeful that Sabally, who has been limited to but 15 appearances this season, will be able to take the floor before the end of the season.
"She's been out for so long, so it's just to get a game feel, put the put the uni on, get into her warm-up spot, as we near the return, so she's just locked in and watching the game as if there's a potential that she could play, even though she's not, but just getting that mindset right," Brondello said of what the team hopes to gain from having Sabally dress without a chance of playing. "Our performance staff has outlined a plan for her, and everything's going to plan ... She's progressing. She had a really good workout playing two-on-two yesterday."
"We'll continue to build her up and up, into five-on-five. She's feeling comfortable when she goes out there, but the main thing is, she's feeling good, and that's great because Nyara, it's been a struggle for all season long, and she's a player that we've missed and we believe in. So, you know, hopefully she'll be back, you know, before the end of the season."
The Liberty have plenty on the line once things tip off on Tuesday, as they'll clinch a playoff spot with a win over the expansion Valkyries. Golden State is closing in on a playoff spot itself and is looking to salvage the four-game interconference set.
Geoff Magliocchetti is a veteran sportswriter who contributes to a variety of sites on the "On SI" network. In addition to the Yankees/Mets, Geoff also covers the New York Knicks, New York Liberty, and New York Giants and has previously written about the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Staten Island Yankees, and NASCAR.