Liberty Miss Playoff Clinch, Tiebreaker vs. Mercury
The New York Liberty kept cool in the desert at the worst possible point.
New York missed out on a golden opportunity to generate some postseason momentum on Saturday night, dropping a crucial 80-63 decision to the Phoenix Mercury at PHX Arena.
Kahleah Copper led the way with 22 points while Natasha Mack had 10 rebounds as the Mercury won its fourth game in a row to inch closer toward securing a top four spot on the WNBA playoff bracket. MVP candidate Alyssa Thomas fell just short of a double-double with 14 points and nine assists. Phoenix (25-14) took advantage of metropolitan mistakes, scoring 39 points in either second chances or turnovers, whereas New York had only nine such tallies.
Emma Meesseman led New Yorkers in scoring with 17 tallies in defeat.
The loss is doubly painful for the Liberty (24-16), who missed out on two major opportunities: a win would've not only secured their spot on the 2025 WNBA playoff bracket but it also would've split the season series with the Mercury, who could well be their first-round playoff opponent in a couple of weeks.
Though still without Sabrina Ionescu (missing her third game in the past four due to a toe injury), the Liberty received a boost with the returns of Natasha Cloud and Jonquel Jones. New York trailed by one after a sloppy opening period, one that saw Mack pull in four offensive rebounds on her own.
Enhanced physicality and a flurry from Cloud, clad in a protective facemask after enduring a slight fracture in her nose, helped the Liberty take a lead at halftime. They also won the period's rebounding battle by two en route to the lead.
A defensive crackdown from Phoenix, however, commenced shortly after, one that let up only 24 points in the second. New York had a 48-45 lead near the midway mark of the final frame but the Mercury closed things out on a 35-15 run over the last 14-plus minutes. The onslaught began with back-to-back triples from Copper and Kathryn Westveld, and the Liberty was unable to keep up, especially with 10 turnovers surrendering 18 second half points.
The Liberty can still clinch a playoff spot if either Los Angeles or Golden State loses on Sunday. Their next chance to get back on track lands on Tuesday when this road trip reaches the Bay Area to face the aforementioned Golden State Valkyries (10 p.m. ET, My9).
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.