Overview
- The New York Liberty beat the Phoenix Mercury 84-74 on May 27 after a 23-0 run to close the third quarter that turned a tight game into a decisive win.
- Marine Johannes led New York with 21 points and a career-best seven 3-pointers, while Leonie Fiebich made her 2026 Liberty debut with nine points and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton contributed seven off the bench.
- Sabrina Ionescu was scratched with back soreness and did not play, and Satou Sabally was unavailable because of illness, forcing New York to rely heavily on depth instead of its intended core.
- The loss extended Phoenix’s skid to four straight games and highlighted defensive and rotation problems for the Mercury even as Monique Akoa Makani returned from overseas and rejoined the rotation.
- The win gives the injury-hit Liberty a short-term boost but underscores a larger season question: whether New York can reassemble its full 'Big 4' of Stewart, Jones, Ionescu, and Sabally and regain the consistency expected after major offseason moves.