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The New York Liberty will try to prevent a three-game skid Monday night without star point guard Sabrina Ionescu on the floor.
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Ionescu is not playing against the Portland Fire at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, with Annie Costabile of The Athletic confirming that the former Oregon Ducks star is sitting out the Fire game due to injury management.
“Sabrina Ionescu (injury management/left foot) has been downgraded to out, I can confirm. On Saturday she alluded to the fact she may miss the second night of the Liberty’s back-to-back, saying she’d take things ‘day by day’ after making her season debut last night,” Costabile wrote in a social media post on X, formerly Twitter.
The four-time WNBA All-Star missed the Liberty’s first five games of the 2026 campaign due to a foot injury she suffered in a preseason matchup against the Connecticut Sun. She made her 2026 debut on Sunday against Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings, scoring 11 points on 4-for-15 shooting from the field and dishing out seven assists to go with five rebounds in 31 minutes of action.
With Ionescu sitting out the Portland game, the Liberty have gone with Pauline Astier on the starting lineup in lieu of the former No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick.
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Ionescu’s next chance to suit up and play will be on Wednesday, when the Liberty host the Phoenix Mercury.
This is the third time that the Liberty and the Fire are facing each other. Portland won the first one (98-86) while New York took the second (100-82).
Related: Liberty’s Satou Sabally ruled out of Fire game with health issue
Related: Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu questionable for Fire game after injury return
