Is Breanna Stewart Playing Tonight vs Mercury? Liberty Star Makes Final Announcement

With 3:01 left on the clock in overtime, Breanna Stewart made a layup that extended the lead to five and put them in a comfortable position. However, that layup came at a cost. On her way to making the layup, Stewie was fouled by Satou Sabally, and as a result, she landed awkwardly. Although she tried to play through the injury, eventually, she could not continue and called to be substituted with 2:07 left in the game. While it was a big setback for the New York Liberty, for the Phoenix Mercury, their planning for the next game seemed easier in case she missed the game.

Even though the Liberty pulled off a win and stole the home court advantage, all the questions were about Breanna Stewart and the extent of her injury. Last night, during head coach Sandy Brondello’s media availability, she said Breanna’s participation in the game would be a ‘game-time decision’ and that her MRI came relatively clean. While the announcement was positive in a way that she had avoided any major injuries, there was still a big question mark on her availability. However, recently, Breanna Stewart has put an end to all the speculation around her participation in tonight’s game 2.

After the team’s shoot around, Breanna Stewart spoke to the media and announced that she is planning to play game 2 of the first round.

Prior to talking to the media, Stewie was seen participating in the shootaround, which had raised hopes for her participation. And now, with her confirmation, the Liberty fan base can relax. Even though they managed to win the game, losing her for a potentially series-clinching game could have made things complicated. In game 1, she was the second-best player on the court after Natasha Cloud’s revenge-fueled performance. If Jonquel Jones (just 7 points)  and Sabrina Ionescu (6-18 shooting) continue to struggle, having Breanna Stewart back is going to be a big help.

While talking to the reporters, Breanna Stewart also gave an insight into the severity of the injury. When asked about the nature of the injury, she said, “So, I have like a sprain. I sprained my MCL, basically. But I think what I felt in that moment scared me more than anything. I’m really happy to have the MRI results back and know that it is something that I can play through depending on how much pain I want to be in.”

With the cloud over Stewie’s participation in the game now blown away, it will be interesting to see how that changes Phoenix Mercury’s planning for a do-or-die game.

Opinion: How Should the Phoenix Mercury Prepare to Face Breanna Stewart in Game 2?

Usually, when a team is the higher seed and has the home court advantage, the expectation is that they are the favorites to win the series. However, when it came to the Phoenix Mercury and the New York Liberty facing off, everybody expected the Liberty to win the series. And despite a good fight in Game 1, the Mercury lost 76-69 in overtime. However, with the news of Breanna Stewart’s injury and her potentially missing the game, the Mercury saw it as a glimpse of hope.

However, after Breanna Stewart’s announcement, it seems that to beat the Liberty, they would need to make some other plans. One of the major parts of this new plan should be to make sure that Satou Sabally gets involved in the game early. In game 1, Sabally has one of her worst performances as she shot just 11.8% for just 9 points. In order for the Phoenix Mercury to have any chance in the game, they need Sabally to be at her dominant best.

Another factor that could help them is points off turnovers. While Mercury’s defense did a great job forcing 20 turnovers, they were only able to score 15 points off them. Assuming they can force them into turnovers this game around, the Mercury needs to make sure that they cash in and make use of the extra possessions. They need to play with more pace and outrun the Liberty.

While it will not be easy to overcome the defending champions, the Phoenix Mercury’s season is on the line. They already gave the Liberty a big fight in game one and even came close to pulling off a win. But, since they are now playing away from home, every single player in the rotation need to be at their absolutely best. Will they be able to pull it off? I guess we’ll just have to wait till tonight.