Liberty Star Sabrina Ionescu OUT vs. Storm
The New York Liberty are dealing with a storm of injuries as they face the Seattle Storm in the Pacific Northwest.
In the leadup to Sunday's weekend closer at Climate Pledge Arena, Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello announced that Sabrina Ionescu "woke up with a kink in her neck" that would keep her out of the contest. New York (10-2) is now down three starts with Jonquel Jones out due to an ankle injury and Leonie Fiebich competing for Germany in the EuroBasket tournament.
"I think it was from the flight, just feeling tired, but it's just worse today," Brondello said of Ionescu's ailment. "She had something similar last year, so we want to be really mindful of that big picture."
Brondello was willing to label Ionescu "day-to-day," hinting that she could be ready by the time the Liberty return to action on Wednesday against Golden State. A Bay Area native, Ionescu is averaging 20.4 points and 5.2 assists over the first dozen games, which featured consecutive 34-point showings earlier this month.
Brondello would not disclose her starting five during the pregame conference but it stands to reason that Kennedy Burke and Nyara Sabally will assume larger roles with Ionescu joining Fiebich and Jones on the list of departures.
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.