Liberty Duo Still Out, But Return Looming

The New York Liberty's medical storm isn't quelled quite yet.

New York will once again go without Sabrina Ionescu and Nyara Sabally when it faces another late tip-off against the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena on Friday (10 p.m. ET, Ion).

Making the declarations during her pregame availability, Brondello said that she "plan(s) to have" Ionescu in the team's next game, the regular season home finale against the Washington Mystics on Tuesday night. Ionescu will miss her fifth in the last as she continues to deal with foot issues stemming from a late tangle-up with Kamilla Cardoso during a showdown with the Chicago Sky on Aug. 21.

"(It's about) Sabrina's comfort level, to be quite honest," Brondello said of Ionescu's availability. What she can, can't do, Sabrina knows. If she could get out there, she would have, (but) she wasn't comfortable to be pushing off."

"So we were just playing being smart with that, because when she does come back, we want her to hit the ground running. We've got two games to finally have our full team together and to work out the rotations and build their chemistry up. We haven't seen the big three together very much this year. So it would be nice to see him back on court, put the other whole pieces together."

Ionescu is part of the "big three" alongside fellow legends of the game Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart. New York has a perfect 11-0 mark when its starts and finishes a game with that trio on the floor this season, but injuries have kept them apart for a good part of this original championship defense.

Sabally will once again work through warm-ups in her gear but will not play on Friday, duplicating a process the Liberty engaged with on Tuesday in Golden State. Brondello hinted that it was a mental experiment as Sabally inches her way back to the floor, as her remark of "better late than never" hints that the 2024 WNBA Finals heroine will be able to partake in at least one game before the regular season lets out.