Latest news with #Liberty
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7 hours ago
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Natasha Cloud surpasses WNBA legend despite loss to Fever
The post Natasha Cloud surpasses WNBA legend despite loss to Fever appeared first on ClutchPoints. The New York Liberty are no longer the only team in the WNBA undefeated following their 102-88 loss to the Indiana Fever. Buried by an avalanche of three-point shots amid Caitlin Clark's return, the Liberty dropped to 9-1 on the season. Despite the loss, it was a big night for Liberty guard Natasha Cloud who managed to climb the WNBA record books with history, surpassing a legend in the process. Advertisement During the Liberty's loss to the Fever, Natasha Cloud finished with a team-high five assists, which was good enough to pass WNBA legend Cappie Pondexter in the history books for ninth on the league's all-time assists list. Cloud is one of three active WNBA players, including Chelsea Gray and Courtney Vandersloot, on the all-time assists list. The loss against the Fever notwithstanding, the Liberty are still among the absolute elite teams in the league, and arguably the favorite to repeat as WNBA champions. A big reason for that has been the addition of Cloud. The Liberty had two major losses in the backcourt coming into this season with Courtney Vandersloot signing with the Chicago Sky, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton ruled out for the season due to injury. Cloud's addition to the Liberty has helped offset those losses. She was originally acquired by the Liberty in a trade with the Connecticut Sun. Coming into the Fever game, Cloud had appeared in nine games for the Liberty at a little over 26 minutes per game. She's been averaging 9.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.9 steals with splits of 43.5 percent shooting from the field, 33.3 percent shooting from the three-point line and 92.9 percent shooting from the free-throw line. The No. 15 overall pick in the 2015 WNBA Draft by the Washington Mystics, Cloud played the first eight seasons of her career with the Mystics. Last season she played for the Mercury after signing as a free agent. She was instrumental in the Mystics' 2019 championship run. Related: The difficult lessons the Liberty received from 1st loss of season Related: Sabrina Ionescu gets 100% real on Caitlin Clark's big performance
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7 hours ago
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Natasha Cloud, Brittney Griner joyfully reunite before Liberty-Dream clash
The post Natasha Cloud, Brittney Griner joyfully reunite before Liberty-Dream clash appeared first on ClutchPoints. The New York Liberty and Atlanta Dream both have serious ambitions this season, and earning a win in Tuesday's showdown should bring them a little closer to fulfilling them. On this night, the defending champions reigned supreme, pulling out an 86-81 home victory. Advertisement But before charging into battle in the Barclays Center, two ex-teammates gleefully reconnected on the court. Liberty guard Natasha Cloud leaped up to hug Dream center Brittney Griner, via Atlanta's official X account. Although the two former champions played only one season together on the Phoenix Mercury, they clearly formed a special bond. Griner and Cloud are each hoping for a better conclusion to the WNBA campaign, following a first-round playoffs exit at the hands of the Minnesota Lynx last year. The former is a Mercury legend who helped the franchise win a championship in 2014, but she felt it was time to move on after a decade-plus in The Desert. Cloud is also enjoying her new environment, serving a key role on a Liberty squad that currently owns the second-best record in the league. Coincidentally, both talents recently achieved huge milestones. Griner passed WNBA trailblazer Lisa Leslie for the second-most blocks ever, and Cloud jumped into ninth on the all-time assists list. They are putting those exquisite individual skills to good use on their new squads. Griner is averaging 1.4 rejections with the Dream, while Cloud posts 6.1 assists per contest. Advertisement Neither player is producing a ton of offense at this point of their respective careers, which was also the case in this latest matchup, but they can bring invaluable defensive intensity. Based on where New York (10-1) and Atlanta (8-4) currently sit in the WNBA hierarchy, these additions are already paying dividends. Though, Phoenix is doing just fine in its own right. The revamped Mercury are 8-4, now tied with the Dream for fourth place. Despite weathering significant offseason departures, the squad is in prime playoff position. It will be interesting to see where these three franchises wind up when it is all said and done. Related: Liberty get major Jonquel Jones injury update for Dream clash Related: Natasha Cloud surpasses WNBA legend despite loss to Fever
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7 hours ago
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Liberty get crucial injury update on 2024 WNBA Finals standout for Sun clash
The post Liberty get crucial injury update on 2024 WNBA Finals standout for Sun clash appeared first on ClutchPoints. The New York Liberty are off to a near-franchise record start as the top team in the Eastern Conference with a record of 6-0 to begin the regular season. After dealing with a brief injury scare to starting center Jonquel Jones, the Liberty got her back in the lineup during their win against the Washington Mystics on Friday. But the Liberty might still be short-handed against the Connecticut Sun with the latest injury update on backup center Nyara Sabally. Advertisement Nyara Sabally is officially listed as questionable on the Liberty's injury report for the team's upcoming game against the Sun, as per Underdog WNBA. Sabally suited up in the first two games of the season for the Liberty, but has been sidelined since then. She is listed with a knee injury. In the two games that Sabally played this season, she came off the bench at just about ten minutes per game. She was averaging 4.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals with splits of 50 percent shooting from the field and 100 percent shooting from the free-throw line. The No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft by the Liberty, Sabally emerged last season as a key reserve during the team's championship run. In the playoffs, Sabally played in nine games in a little over ten minutes off the bench. She averaged 4.4 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 54.2 percent from the field and 87.5 percent shooting from the free-throw line. In the deciding Game 5 of the WNBA Finals, Sabally came through a huge way for the Liberty. She finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, one steal and one blocked shot in 17 minutes. She shot 5-of-7 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line. With Sabally sidelined for the time being, the Liberty have used reserve bigs Kennedy Burke and Isabelle Harrison. Burke was on the team last season while Harrison was signed as a free agent this past offseason.
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7 hours ago
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Liberty HC Sandy Brondello offers Jonquel Jones injury update
The post Liberty HC Sandy Brondello offers Jonquel Jones injury update appeared first on ClutchPoints. New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello gave an update on Jonquel Jones' injury. The star center had to exit the game against the Washington Mystics in the first quarter with an apparent ankle injury. New York won the game 86-78 to continue its perfect season and go 2-0 in the Commissioner Cup. The Liberty won their first championship in 2024 and look potentially even better in 2025, with a familiar cast in addition to the newest point guard, Natasha Cloud. Advertisement But this group looks even more dangerous and versatile on both ends. Jones has additionally continued her momentum from winning Finals MVP for the first team in her career, but all eyes are now on how long this health setback will keep her out. Brondello provided an immediate update in the postgame of the win over the Mystics. 'She tried to come back at halftime, but still had a little bit of pain. I don't know if she's had any x-rays on that [yet], so we don't know if it'll keep her out.' The Liberty are now 8-0, which is the best start in franchise history. To stand alone above all WNBA teams, New York would have to win six more games to surpass the 2016 Minnesota Lynx. Fittingly, the Lynx are also on a quest for that record, having gotten off to an 8-0 start themselves. Minnesota and New York met in an epic five-game WNBA Finals the previous year, and both teams have looked a tier above the rest so far. Should they not meet in the Commissioner Cup, the league's top two teams will not clash until late July. Based on how Jones played against the Lynx last season, she will be just as critical against them in a potential playoff rematch. But we're a far way from that part of the year. The Liberty can only focus on improving as a team over the next few months and staying healthy. And there is no need to rush Jones back into action if there's a long-term health risk. There's plenty of talent on this roster to tread water for now and get back on schedule when the five-time All-Star returns. The Liberty have to look at the bigger picture when evaluating this injury, and based on recent history, they most certainly will. Related: Historic start puts Liberty on WNBA Finals rematch path Related: Breanna Stewart is doing something the former MVP has never done before
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7 hours ago
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Liberty's Jonquel Jones suffers injury scare vs. Mercury
The post Liberty's Jonquel Jones suffers injury scare vs. Mercury appeared first on ClutchPoints. The New York Liberty and their fans are hoping for the best after watching one of their most important players exit Thursday's game versus the Phoenix Mercury. Jonquel Jones went down with a lower-body injury, grabbing her knee in clear pain. She limped to the locker room and was eventually ruled out for the remainder of the contest with an ankle injury, per Sara Jane Gamelli. Advertisement Jones recently returned from a two-game absence, missing the Liberty's win over the Chicago Sky and their loss to the Indiana Fever (first of season) with an ankle sprain. This latest setback occurred on a drive attempt in the first half. Jones' awkward landing gave way to a subdued Barclays Center crowd. Considering that the veteran center claimed WNBA Finals MVP honors en route to the franchise's first-ever championship last year, it would likely be extremely challenging to outlast the rest of the competition without her. When the knee is involved, people naturally prepare for the worst-case scenario. Luckily, despite Jones' initial reaction, that does not appear to be a serious concern at the moment. The reigning champs will do their best to press on against the formidable and feisty Mercury (9-4) following this unfortunate development. They narrowly trail in the fourth quarter at time of print. Breanna Stewart is fully embodying the alpha role, erupting for 30-plus points in front of the home fans. Jonquel Jones finished with two points, four rebounds and one block in nine minutes of action. Ideally, New York will be able to provide more clarity regarding the two-way star's re-aggravated ankle injury after this contest concludes. Advertisement The Liberty (10-1) boast plenty of depth and firepower, but replacing Jones' production is not something the team wants to think about right now. Or ever. Related: Liberty's Breanna Stewart shatters WNBA record in performance vs. Mercury Related: How Nyara Sabally's EuroBasket decision is already paying off for the Liberty
