The last two times the Liberty played the Mercury, New York left with frustrating losses.
The Liberty — albeit shorthanded at the time — were disappointed with their lack of effort and overall play.
But with Jonquel Jones back, the Liberty wanted to use Friday night’s game as a chance to reintroduce themselves as the reigning champions, especially after the Mercury previously got the better of them last month.
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“We kind of wanted to come out and kind of set the tone and just introduce them to us at full strength,” Jones said. “So it was an important game for us.”
Jonquel Jones (35) reacts after her buzzer-beater at the end of the third quarter during Friday’s win. Heather Khalifa for the NY Post
Consider the message received loud and clear.
Sabrina Ionescu poured in 29 points and added eight assists and Jones added 20 points and 11 rebounds to help the Liberty get their lick back in an exciting 89-76 win.
Friday didn’t feel like a typical regular-season game.
Sabrina Ionescu (20) yells after scoring during the first half of a game against the Phoenix Mercury at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Friday, July 25, 2025. Heather Khalifa for the NY Post
Then again, a win for each team would’ve meant something more than just a tally in the “W” column.
The Liberty, who dropped their first two meetings against the Mercury, needed a win to prevent Phoenix from taking the season series and playoff tiebreaker.
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Meanwhile, Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts viewed this game as a measuring stick to see how his team — now healthy with Kahleah Copper and Satou Sabally back in the lineup — stacked up against one of the league’s best teams.
The Barclays Center crowd — a strong 17,000-plus — fueled the electric atmosphere by clacking their rainbow Liberty fans and were engaged and loud the entire “Pride Night.”
New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) and guard Natasha Cloud (9) celebrate during the second half of a game against the Phoenix Mercury at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. on Friday, July 25, 2025. Heather Khalifa for the NY Post
“We understood how important it was,” said Jones, who missed the Liberty’s first two games against the Mercury.
It was a physical game filled with star power.
Alyssa Thomas was the Mercury’s engine, leading the Phoenix charge with 20 points and 13 rebounds.
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But in the end, the Liberty’s scrappy defense and balanced offense was too much for the Mercury to handle as New York picked up its fifth straight win.
“Aside from the first quarter, we came and played the style of basketball that we really wanted to,” Breanna Stewart said. “Phoenix is tough. … But we were able to kind of give them a taste of our own medicine. Push the ball in transition, get stops, get rebounds and get out.”
Offensively, the Liberty were in sync and generating good looks all game. They were just missing shots early that normally they would make.
Natasha Cloud (9) brings up the ball during the second half of a game against the Phoenix Mercury on Friday, July 25, 2025. Heather Khalifa for the NY Post
Defensively, they had some lapses against a tough Mercury team and trailed by as many as 12 in the first half.
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But the Liberty — as they’ve done numerous times before — found a way to dig themselves out of the double-digit hole.
The score was tied at halftime, setting the stage for the second half to be a game within itself.
The Mercury might’ve punched first out of the break, but the Liberty got the last laugh.
What once looked like a nail-biter ended up being a comfortable win for the Liberty.
The Liberty (17-6) remain in second place in the WNBA standings, sitting 3 ½ games behind the first-place Lynx (22-4) and 3 ½ games ahead of the third-place Mercury (15-9).
New York Liberty guard Marine Johannès (23) brings up the ball during the second half. Heather Khalifa for the NY Post
By the time the Liberty meet the Mercury for their final regular-season matchup Aug. 30, New York should have Emma Meesseman.
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The Liberty showed in the second half Friday how hard they are to stop when they’re playing their brand of two-way basketball. Adding Meesseman in the mix is expected to make New York even more frightening for opponents.
“We’re just going to continually get better, but we’re focused on Liberty basketball,” Natasha Cloud said. “This game was a big statement game for us because… they got our number twice there and we have them [one] more time so to even out the series was very intentional for us..”
