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Sabrina Ionescu will suit up for the New York Liberty’s 2024 season debut against the Washington Mystics on Tuesday. The Liberty have some unfinished business after they lost last year’s WNBA Finals to the two-time champ Las Vegas Aces. A healthy Ionescu could be just what New York needs to try and get over the hump this year.
The Mystics and the Liberty both announced that they don’t have any players on the injury report so it will be a full blast for the opening tip. This is a rematch of a physical and testy battle in last year’s playoffs that ended with the Liberty moving on to reach the Eastern Conference Finals.
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The names on the roster are quite different but many are still excited to see Ionescu and a handful of stars available for the showdown.
What happened to Sabrina Ionescu?
After the New York Liberty suffered a heartbreaking 70-69 decision in Game 4 to lose the 2023 WNBA Finals, Sabrina Ionescu revealed what many suspected. The deadeye shooter had been dealing with a hip injury that caused her to have a somewhat underwhelming championship series. She didn’t want to make an excuse but admitted that she “couldn’t really walk.”
The former Oregon star opened up about the drastic steps she had to take just to be able to suit up for the Liberty in Game 1. She had to take an injection to make the pain bearable and try to help her teammates on the court. New York won Game 3 and came so close to making it a winner-take-all Game 5.
Sabrina Ionescu spent part of the offseason recovering from the said injury and getting ready for what might be a return to the title round. New York still has the starting five that carried the team to the best win-loss slate in franchise history and the finals since 2002. If they remain healthy, the Libs could again challenge for the title against the heavy championship favorites who are looking for a three-peat.
Sabrina Ionescu's stats vs Washington Mystics last year
Ionescu put up 21.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists in three regular-season showdowns with the Washington Mystics in 2023. She largely kept the same output when they met in the playoffs, making her case as Washington’s toughest cover. She tallied 20.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 3.5 APG, and 1.5 SPG in the Liberty’s 2-0 sweep.
Where to watch New York Liberty vs Washington Mystics
The game will be covered by ESPN 3 as it happens while the same is also featured on the WNBA League Pass. My9 and Fox Local will also air the game locally.
