BROOKLYN, NY – AUGUST 10: Alanna Smith #8 of the Minnesota Lynx grabs the loose ball during the game against the New York Liberty on August 10, 2025 at Barclays Center Arena in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE(Photo by Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty Images) NBAE via Getty Images
No rebounds, no wins. The New York Liberty had a chance to win both ends of the back-to-back, but couldn’t stop fouling and couldn’t grab a rebound when they needed it. As a result, the Aces got their first win against the Liberty in two years.
The opponent tonight is at the top of the WNBA. The Minnesota Lynx have been off all week after beating the Liberty last Sunday. That WNBA schedule, am I right?
CBS is the place to be. Only game on the WNBA calendar and tip-off will be after 2 PM.
No Breanna Stewart, Isabelle Harrison, or Nyara Sabally.
Napheesa Collier is listed as doubtful. Per Madeline Kenney of the New York Post, there’s no timetable as to when Phee will return, but it appears she’ll be on the way back soon.
Minnesota won games one and two. These teams see each other again on Tuesday. That schedule…
To get you prepared for this matchup, our very own Lucas Kaplan joined Andrew Dukowitz of the Missing Lynx Pod!
Sabrina Ionescu will be tasked with getting good looks for the offense. In the last Lynx meeting, the Liberty couldn’t get into the paint after halftime and it bogged their offense down. New York is most dangerous when they’re getting into and finishing in the painted area. It won’t be easy against this stout Lynx defense, but that’s certainly something they’ll be focused on.
They’ll also be focused on making things hard on Kayla McBride. K-Mac scored a game high 18 points last Sunday and was able to consistently get just enough room to avoid the Liberty defense and get clean shot attempts from deep
How they defend McBride will be key to this matchup as well as possible future one when the stakes are higher. Leonie Fiebich figures to get the matchup again, and Leo has been working hard to fight through the exhaustion and fatigue she’s been dealing with for the past few weeks.
Having Kennedy Burke back will be a god send for the Liberty. In addition to giving them some much needed depth back in the front court, KB is someone that can consistently drive to the rim and put pressure on opposing defenses. Burke’s three point shooting has been her calling card this season, but she went 0-3 from deep against the Aces. If she gets open looks this time, look for a different result.
If all else fails, get the ball to Emma Meesseman. We saw that in action on Wednesday as she was the focal point of the offense in the fourth quarter. As she gets more chemistry and minutes with the team, they’ll have the timing down pat and can be even better.
Player to watch: Alanna Smith
Say hello to the leading contender for Defensive Player of the Year. Smith has been outstanding on that side of the ball and had perhaps her best outing of the season against the Liberty last weekend. Lan is incredibly tough and someone that can single-handedly change the course of a matchup.
No rebounds, no wins. If the Liberty want to win, they need to be a lot better on the glass. Amazingly, this team is 11th in the W in rebounding rate this season, and that’s unacceptable for a team of this caliber. To correct that, it will start with Jonquel Jones. JJ is third in rebounds per game, but she might have to do even more on that front to help the team out. When she’s dialed in, there are very few players in basketball that can keep up with her. In order to get the win today, New York will need the best version of Jonquel. When New York was able to win against Minnesota last year, they were able to get Jones the ball within the flow of the offense and get her enough space to operate. Sandy Brondello talked about spacing after Sunday’s loss, and we’ll see if the group can take the lessons they learned from last weekend and apply it to tonight.
In happy news, it looks like Hall and Oates have squashed the beef!
More reading: Canis Hoopus, Zone Coverage, Swish Appeal, Breakaway, SB Nation, Women’s Basketball Roundup, The Local W, New York Daily News, No Cap Space, New York Post, The Athletic, NY Liberty Fan TV, Fansided, Just Women’s Sports, Winsidr, Her Hoop Stats, Yahoo Sports, ESPN, CBS Sports, and The Next