Liberty Refuse to Blame Jonquel Jones Injury For Home Loss
BROOKLYN — The New York Liberty asked audiences to look toward the box score and game film for proof of their latest defeat rather than the injury report.
The defending WNBA champions have dropped two of their last three and saw an eight-game winning streak fall by the wayside on Thursday night, which hosted an 89-81 defeat to the Phoenix Mercury at Barclays Center. It was a painful night in more ways than one, as New York was forced to watch an ailing Jonquel Jones leave for the locker room early after another in-game injury.
"Losing a player like JJ, it really does deflate you, especially because she just came back," guard Natasha Cloud noted "She's been working her ass to get that ankle right, and then it happens again."
🚨 Jonquel Jones left the game with a knee injury and won't return Thursday. 💔
— WBB Buzzer 🔊 (@UnrivaledBuzzer) June 19, 2025
pic.twitter.com/zOjYw9WFPM
Jones left Barclays Center with her right ankle, the same one that forced her to leave June 10's win in Chicago early, in a boot but sans crutches. She departed with 8:35 remaining in the first half after landing on the foot of ex-New Yorker Sami Whitcomb on a drive. Jones was immediately ruled out because she did not shoot free throws awarded on a Whitcomb foul, as the singles were bestowed to Isabelle Harrison.
It didn't take much statistical sleuthing to see where the Liberty missed the lengthy Jones the most: New York allowed Phoenix 16 second chances on the offensive glass (including four in the final period amidst a futile comeback) which became 26 extra tallies. The Liberty, in turn, had only six in each category.
But head coach Sandy Brondello, perturbed with the week's efforts now that some elite competition lingers on the schedule (New York previously overcame a 17-point deficit to ring out a win over Atlanta on Tuesday) noticed trouble brewing long before Jones' unfortunate encounter with Whitcomb.
"Obviously, we're not happy with the way we played," Brondello said. "We should have been a little bit more aggressive in that first half and generated some energy. They got energy as it went along with the success that they had. So yeah, we we let that one go."
"Watching the ball that's just effort plays. That's all five of us boxing out and understanding that they're crashed really hard. Sometimes we just got to get to the post plays," Cloud said. "We got to help the post players out as guards too. So I'm going to get in there a little bit more try to get some more rebounds. But it's all five of us taking accountability."
Jones' fellow seafoam savants concurred, noting that 20 turnovers (tying a season-worst) don't disappear with the reigning WNBA Finals MVP's presence. That also provided opportunities for third-place Phoenix, which partly rode 19 points to its fourth consecutive victory, extending the longest-active tally in the Association.
"I think, at the end of the day, we allowed them to have too many offensive rebounds and too many turnovers," forward Nyara Sabally, who took over a bulk of Jones' lost minutes, said. "I think it wasn't really a know your personnel type of thing. It was more so just getting rebounds and not turning the ball over ... It's just me kind of trying to step into a bigger role, trying to feel filled in shoes. Obviously, she is such an impactful player on that team."
"We've had games with now, Leo [Fiebich] being gone. JJ out. Players are having to kind of just continue to integrate into the starting unit," said Sabrina Ionescu, who saw and sees the Jones-less minutes as a chance to foster early chemistry. "I think it just continues to add layers to to our chemistry as a team, and for us who continue to play together and start together, it's a point of emphasis that we need to continue to integrate them, make sure they find their roles, and feel confident, because we need everyone to feel confident in their roles."
Jonquel Jones leaves the floor after some contact with Sami Whitcomb#WNBA #LightItUpNYL pic.twitter.com/B9hacsjwOM
— Geoff Magliocchetti (@GeoffJMags) June 19, 2025
Jones' fate will no doubt stand as a talking point over the next few days: New York (10-2) left Brooklyn on Friday to embark on a four-game road trip, which tips off on Sunday in Seattle (7 p.m. ET, WWOR). The Liberty, which is a perfect 8-0 in games where a dressed Jones finishes the game either on the floor or on the bench, also gets another crack at Phoenix next week.
Brondello expects some self-reflection from her champions, whether Jones is on the floor for the trek or not.
"It's really hard when we lose JJ. That obviously takes a little bit of the energy away from us for a bit," Brondello noted. "That's normal, but we got to find a way to rebound. We just can't just put it all on her. So it's all about all of us ... There are things we can fix, its just a mindset we've got to flip."
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.