The New York Liberty picked up the 2025 WNBA season right where they ended the 2024 season. The defending champions showed no signs of a championship hangover and started the season with a 9-win streak. Led by Sabrina Ionescu’s career-best year till now, the Liberty are sitting at the second spot on the standings (17-6). There were fears of the Liberty falling off after reigning Finals MVP Jonquel Jones got injured. However, a five-game win streak removed any fears.

Now, at the business end of the WNBA season, the Liberty are riding high on momentum and trying to close in on the Minnesota Lynx for the top seed. However, the Liberty’s closest competitors, the Phoenix Mercury, are struggling at the wrong time. On a 3-game losing streak, the Mercury are now 2.5 games behind the Liberty. In the recent matchup between the two, the Liberty won the game comfortably (89-76). However, despite the win and a clinical  29-point performance, Sabrina Ionescu was not satisfied. 

At the post-game press conference, Sabrina addressed their lack of focus and their mentality. She said, “ Yeah, I think we came out a little sloppy and that was kind of the moment where we got into that timeout and we’re like, all right, we can’t do this. Like, we can’t play that game. I obviously had turned the ball over a little bit and just rushed some shots. And so I think that was kind of a re-group moment to be able to come back.”

Sabrina Ionescu also laid down the blueprint that the New York Liberty need to follow to avoid being in a situation like this again. She explained, “We gotta take care of the ball. We got to get good shots. Because we were getting really good looks. We just weren’t executing.” Sabrina also said that another key point in turning around the situation was seeing some shots go in. When they started making the shots, the momentum started shifting in their favor, and they were even better defensively. 

Phoenix Mercury Continue Their Slide With a Third-Straight Loss

The Phoenix Mercury’s 2025 WNBA season started in an inconsistent fashion. Until mid-June, the team was not able to win three consecutive games. However, in June, the team won 6-straight games, and it seemed like they had found a rhythm and momentum to establish themselves as one of the top contenders for the title. But, like clockwork, the team’s inconsistencies have come back to haunt them again. 

Once in a position to be the clear 2 seed in the table, the team has slid 2.5 games away from it. With the team adding veteran forward DeWanna Bonner in early July, there were hopes of a change in the team’s fortunes. However, the team has gone 2-3 with Bonner till now. With the Seattle Storm breathing down their necks, it’s imperative that the Mercury figure things out quickly. 

The season has entered the business end, and any short slippage or a losing streak can have big consequences. Every team wants to have as much home-court advantage throughout the playoffs for maximum advantage. With the Phoenix Mercury on a 5-game road trip, things need to change and change quickly, otherwise the home-court advantage might slip away from their grasp.