Liberty eager to start new streak against injury-plagued Sparks

Field Level Media|published: Sat 20th June, 13:58 2026

Jun 19, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Liberty forward Satou Sabally (0) retreats on defense after scoring a basket against the Washington Mystics during the first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images

The New York Liberty are looking to begin a new streak.

The Liberty (11-5) had their eight-game winning streak snapped on Friday night against the Washington Mystics. Despite the three-point loss, the group has worked through some early struggles and grown into one of the WNBA's best teams this season.

While Breanna Stewart (19.5 ppg, 8.9 rpg) and Jonquel Jones (13.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg) have been steady all year, Satou Sabally has begun looking comfortable in her role off the bench after missing the first four games due to injury.

The 2025 All-Star for the Phoenix Mercury has averaged 14.0 points and shot 54.6 percent from the field over the last four outings. As she continues to get acclimated to her new team, their efforts to find her on offense are making the transition a bit smoother.

"I love that I have great people around me that keep spreading the floor," Sabally said. "It's really hard to guard all of us, so I just have to be ready."

The Sparks (7-8) lost 99-83 on Wednesday night at home to the Minnesota Lynx. It was their second consecutive loss and, as they navigate injuries to stars such as Kelsey Plum and Cameron Brink, the team hopes they can learn valuable lessons for the future.

"We've got to just learn what we need to and move forward," Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts said. "You just keep grinding and you've got to have, you got to have the grit to just not focus on what's not going well. And in terms of mentally, you've got to focus on what we can do to be better, and you know that's on all of us. Coaches, players, everybody."

Roberts said Brink (ankle) will miss Sunday's game, but she's hopeful Plum (lower leg) can return to the lineup after missing Wednesday's loss.

If the Sparks don't have Plum's 25 points per game again, then they'll rely more on Nneka Ogwumike. Ogwumike ranks sixth in the WNBA in rebounding at 8.9 per game and averages 15.2 points per game on 50.6% shooting from the field.

Sunday marks the first of a four-game road trip for the Liberty before returning home for the Commissioner's Cup championship game on June 30 against the Las Vegas Aces.

--Field Level Media