Liberty's Path to the Playoffs Hits a Roadblock in Phoenix

The Liberty went cold against the Mercury in Phoenix.

It didn't take long for the New York Liberty's newly clean injury slate to get dirty again.

New York not only dropped a crucial contest to the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday night but they might've lost Natasha Howard for whatever's left of their postseason push. Howard, a 2022 WNBA All-Star, left the weekend contest with an ankle injury and did not return to the team's 76-62 loss to the Mercury.

With the loss, the Liberty (13-19) not only fell out of the eight-team WNBA playoff bracket but also dropped the head-to-head tiebreaker. Phoenix, the new holders of the final seed, went 2-1 against New York this season and avenged a 20-point loss suffered at Barclays Center on Sunday. 

With Betnijah Laney appearing in her first game since May 17, the Liberty had a full 12-play roster for the first time this season. Their hosts were missing their top scorers as both Skylar Diggins-Smith (non-COVID illness) and Diana Taurasi (quad) were among the Phoenix scratches. 

But the Mercury (14-19) built a lead that reached as high as 17 thanks to season-best scoring efforts from Diamond DeShields (25) and Shay Peddy (20, also a career-best). The big lead formed by the substitute scorers allowed the Mercury to nurse their advantage with a sterling defensive effort that surrendered only one double-figure scorer for the Liberty (Sabrina Ionescu at 20). New York shot 31 percent from the floor, which included a dreary 7-for-32 output from three-point range. 

Phoenix went over five minutes without scoring after forming its largest lead of the night, but the Liberty's cold shooting kept them on the wrong end of the scoreboard. 

The loss perhaps pales in comparison to the concern around the status of Howard, the Liberty's leading rebounder at 7.5 per game. Howard returned to the New York bench but was ruled out for the remainder of the contest.

Though it was likely of little consolation to Ionescu, her assist on the Crystal Dangerfield triple that opened the Liberty's scoring allowed her to become the first player in league history to earn 500 points, 200 assists, and 200 rebounds in a single season.

The path to the playoffs continues on Monday night when they head to North Texas for a doubleheader against the Dallas Wings (8 p.m. ET, The YES App/NBA TV). Dallas (16-16) currently holds the sixth seed and took the first portion of the teams' three-game set, an 81-71 win at Barclays Center on May 15.