The New York Liberty-Phoenix Mercury game was an opportunity to break the curse for both. Much like the Liberty, the Mercury had been underwhelming with a 2-5 record. And now, they were facing a team on a three-game losing streak as well. There is an elevated microscope on the 3-4 Liberty who wants to challenge for the title and has made some prominent offseason moves. And against Phoenix, they looked like a team that could. 

The Liberty were coming off a disappointing loss with roots in their lack of effort. On paper, they should have been able to take care of the Portland Fire. But it seemed over the course of their two losses that the expansion team just wanted it more. They struggled to keep the ball in the final quarter as Fire induced 19 turnovers. That proved to be a difference maker. On the other hand, the Mercury also had its third loss on the trot. 

And it was a heartbreaker. Needing two to tie, a pass meant for Alyssa Thomas was stolen by Angel Reese to finish the game, 82-80, for the Dream. Now, these two teams hoped to flip the switch against each other, but only one managed to do so. Ultimately, the team based in the ‘Big Apple’ walked off with a comfortable 84-74 win. Let’s have a look at the biggest takeaways from this matchup. 

New York Liberty Found Their Defensive Rhythm Inducing A Mercury Panic

Chris DeMarco and the Liberty fans would have been overjoyed watching how the third quarter finished. It was full-court pressure from the Liberty with quick switches inducing turnovers at almost every play. And it was a team effort rather than individual brilliance, which makes it even better. Double teams and deflections as Nate Tibbetts’ team just couldn’t find a way away from the press. 

The Liberty went on a 23-0 run to end the third quarter. It is the largest unanswered run in franchise history. This was the exact thing absent from their past losses, the effort on defense and the teamwork. 

Betnijah Laney Hamilton, Leonie Fiebich Make Immediate Impact

Injuries have been a part of the reason behind Liberty’s dismal start. New York listed Ionescu as questionable due to back soreness after missing the first six due to her left foot injury. They also listed new signee Satou Sabally as questionable. Both wound up on the bench as they continued to recover. However, the Liberty got the services of Fiebich and Hamilton, who were essential in getting this win. 

Fiebich arrived late because of her commitment overseas and immediately showed what she had been missing. She had an efficient 9 points, an assist, and a steal while starting the game. Fiebich also helped provide an outside threat along with Marine Johaness in Ionescu’s absence, shooting 2-3 from behind the arc.

Her defensive value was priceless as well, providing size at 6’ 4. Laney Hamilton came off the bench for a very important 7 points, 2 assists, and a steal. For more context, they had just 14 bench points in that Fire game and had 19 this time around courtesy of Hamilton and 8 points from Han Xu. “We need her vet presence and her tenacity. The challenge of all these pieces fitting together when it’s a different lineup every night,” Chris DeMarco said after the game. 

Even when the supporting cast stepped up, the main show continued to be Marine Johanness. 

Marine Johanness Is The X-Factor For New York

In a team with Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu, not many expected Marine Johannes on a vet minimum contract to be the difference maker. It turns out she has had to be. After some highlight reel-worthy moments, she finally took the game by the scruff of its neck.

Johannes had 21 points, all of them coming from beyond the arc. She was 7-9 from the three point line while adding 5 assists,2 steals and 3 rebounds. “MARINE MAGIC IN FULL EFFECT THIS SEASON 🪄 Marine Johannes is the first player in WNBA history to make at least 5 threes in 4 of her team’s first 8 games in a season 🔥,” ESPN Insights wrote. 

She has averaged 12.6 points per game so far. But her form suggests that her impact will only go up from here. On the flip side, the Mercury are in deep trouble, as this loss exposed their defense. 

Mercury Slips Into A Four-Game Slide, A Long Way Back From here

Let’s not forget the Phoenix Mercury reached the WNBA finals last year. They defeated the No. 1 seeded Minnesota Lynx in the semifinals, with Alyssa Thomas in the MVP conversation too. Now, they have lost their fourth game on the trot with a combined 29 points. It is their first four-game losing streak since 2024. And there are multiple problems Nate Tibbetts needs to tackle. 

The defense is severely lacking. They have the 10th best defense with a defensive rating of 107.6.  The lack of closeout and intensity is clearly visible as the Mercury’s ball pressure has declined. In this game, they had 17 total turnovers, conceding 26 points off them while conceding at 47% from the three-point line.

They are allowing 17.1 points per game off their turnovers while allowing opponents to shoot 39.1% from the three-point line, which is comfortably the worst in the league. However, defense is not the only problem, as the offensive punch has been reduced as well. 

Nate Tibbetts’ Jovanna Nogic Decision Questionable 

Satou Sabally had “respectful conversations” with Mercury general manager Nick U’Ren and coach Nate Tibbetts about her future in Phoenix. Sabally said she was “relatively” surprised when the Mercury opted not to core her, making her an unrestricted free agent. To replace Sabally, they have had Jovanna Nogic as their third scorer so far, and yet she played only 14 minutes against the Liberty. 

Kahleah Copper is doing her thing, averaging 18.8 points, including a team-high 19 points in this one. Thomas is right there with 16.6 points per game. Jovanna Nogic is the third scorer with 14.0 points per game, but she is beating the expectations. She has played just 23 minutes per game so far this season and shot a whopping 52.3% from the three-point line.

In her limited time in this game, Nogic still had 9 points, 2 rebounds and an assist while shooting 3-5 from the three-point line. For context, they had Neomie Brochant who started and played 19 minutes, as did Monique Akoa Makani.