The New York Liberty are moving on, and they did it by knocking out the team that entered the postseason with the league’s best record.
New York beat the Minnesota Lynx 87-71 on Tuesday night at Barclays Center to complete a 2-0 first-round sweep and advance to the WNBA semifinals. The win made the Liberty the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in WNBA playoff history.
Jonquel Jones set the tone
Jonquel Jones scored New York’s first seven points and finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Breanna Stewart also scored 21, while Sabrina Ionescu added 18 points and seven assists.
The Liberty closed the first half on a 9-2 run to take a 49-37 lead into the break. Minnesota never got closer than seven points after that, and New York controlled the second half with the size, spacing and playoff poise that have defined this core at its best.
The seed never told the whole story
Minnesota entered the postseason as the top seed after a 33-11 regular season. New York entered as the eighth seed after an uneven year. Once the series started, that gap disappeared.
The Liberty won both games by double digits. Jones controlled the paint, Stewart kept producing through contact and Ionescu stretched the floor while creating for teammates. The combination gave Minnesota problems it never fully solved.
What comes next
New York advances to the semifinal round with momentum and a reminder of what this roster can still look like when its stars are healthy, connected and playing with urgency.
The bracket says No. 8. The basketball looked much closer to a contender finding its timing at exactly the right moment.
Sources: WNBA game recap and WNBA game page.
