NY Liberty vs. Chicago Sky preview: The champs hit the road for two
Off to a good start. The New York Liberty unveiled their championship banner and receied their rings as well. After that, they and the 17,344 fans in attendance at Barclays Center got down to the business of the 2025 season. They pulled away late in the fourth quarter to comfortably beat the Las Vegas Aces. The Liberty won't be back home until after the Memorial Day holiday.
The opponent tonight is having their home opener. The Chicago Sky opened the season on Saturday afternoon in a national TV showdown against the Indiana Fever. The game was close early, but the Sky let go of the rope after halftime and wound up losing by 35 points.
Where to follow the game
For the first time this season, the game will air on MY9. Here's the commentary team for this season.
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The champs have a great crew behind the mic! Any time Grady is behind a mic is a good thing.
Tip after 8:00 p.m. ET and the pregame with Tina Cervasio will begin at 7:30.
Injuries
Nothing doing for the Liberty.
Moriah Jefferson is out for the Sky.
The game
It's been a heavy week for the Sky. During the game on Saturday, Angel Reese got hacked by Caitlin Clark and it was upgraded to a flagrant foul.
Caitlin Clark commits a foul on Angel Reese and Angel was not happy about it. Please don't overreact in the replies
— CJ Fogler (@cjzero.bsky.social) 2025-05-17T20:41:15.579Z
It was later alleged that there was an incident of some sorts, which is being investigated by the league. The team is letting this investigation take its course and are back to focusing on the game. We'll keep you posted once there's an update.
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The game promises to be incredibly physical. The Sky were one of the best rebounding teams in the WNBA in 2024 and after suffering a bad loss on national TV, will be extra motivated in their home opener. At practice on Tuesday, Jonquel Jones spoke about that at practice on Tuesday:
'They're a really physical team. They use their physicality to kind of mask some of the other ways that they may not be there yet. And I think that if we go in there and we think it's just gonna be a cakewalk and it's just gonna be an easy game, then you look up and you're down 20 points and you're wondering why. '
So we just have to be ready for that level of physicality. We have to be ready and understand that like we gotta hit first. We can't just wait for them to indicate or show us like what the level of physicality will be for that game. We have to set the tone and set the standard.'
That will start with Kamilla Cardoso. KC had a solid rookie season and finished 12th in the W in rebounding. She has good touch at the rim and is a load to handle on the glass. For Jones, Nyara Sabally, and the rest of the Liberty, they'll have to find ways to limit her impact and get her into foul trouble.
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Guard play will be essential tonight. Natasha Cloud had the Liberty debut of a lifetime as her energy and defense took the Barclays Center crowd to another level. She'll be matched up with NY's point guard from last year, Courtney Vandersloot. Sloot had a great run in NY, but decided to return to Chicago and help the Sky in their quest to return to contention. She gives a somewhat young team championship experience and can create open looks for a team starved for scoring.
Player to watch: Angel Reese
Angel's at the center of the storm again, but the second year star has taken some steps forward. She had a great time at Unrivaled this winter and comes into this season with more confidence and a sureness to her game. For Reese, the questions of her finishing at the rim will continue to be there until she develops better touch down there. In the meantime, her motor and relentless will make her someone that's incredibly tough to deal with.
There's been a lot of discussion about the Liberty's new 'five out' offense. Long story short, it looks to maximize space and create as much room as possible for the players on the court. For Breanna Stewart, it will allow her to make the very most of her shot attempts.
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I saw Stephen Trinkwald make this point over the weekend, and it beared out in the video
I'm sure I'm not the first to point this out, and she obviously did a lot of ball handling and got to the FT line off the dribble a couple of times, but eight of Breanna Stewart's ten made twos came without a dribble on Saturday That's always going to be where she is at her best offensively
— Stephen (@trinkwald.bsky.social) 2025-05-19T18:18:20.440Z
Finding Stewart on the move and maximizing Jones' passing skills will make the Liberty even more dangerous. Great timing and even better movement off the ball is the recipe to stop any defense. Look for the Liberty to be aggressive in getting to the paint.
From the Vault
Ones in the air for Frank White
More reading: Swish Appeal, Chicago Sun Times, Chicago Tribune, Women's Basketball Roundup, The Strickland, The Local W, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Athletic. Fansided, Just Women's Sports, SI All Knicks, Winsidr, Her Hoop Stats, CBS Sports, and The Next
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