3 reasons why Liberty suffered an embarrassing defeat against Mercury in Game 2

The Phoenix Mercury stunned the defending champion New York Liberty, 86-80, on Wednesday night on the road to even their best-of-three first-round playoff series at one apiece.

Phoenix built a lead as large as 31 points, while New York’s offense sputtered all game long. The Liberty shot poorly across the board—30.2% from the field, 23.1% from beyond the arc, and 64.0% from the line—compared to the Mercury’s 47.9/29.2/91.7 splits.

The decisive Game 3 tips off Friday night in Phoenix. But before that, here are three reasons the Liberty fell flat in Game 2.

3 main reasons for Liberty’s lopsided Game 2 loss vs Mercury

#1. Liberty starters went missing

New York entered the game banged up. Breanna Stewart suited up despite an MCL strain she suffered on Sunday, but she was mostly a non-factor, managing only six points in 20 minutes.

Her struggles mirrored the rest of the starting unit. Sabrina Ionescu shot 3-of-13 for nine points, Natasha Cloud chipped in eight on just five shots, Jonquel Jones finished with seven on nine attempts and Leonie Fiebich went scoreless on five tries.

All told, the Liberty starters combined for only 32 points on 10-of-38 shooting, including 4-of-18 from long range.

#2. Second quarter broke the game open

The first 10 minutes ended in a 25-25 tie, but the next stretch decided everything. Phoenix blew the game wide open with a 26-12 second-quarter advantage, highlighted by a 15-0 run.

By halftime, Alyssa Thomas already had 13 points, while Kahleah Copper and Satou Sabally added 12 apiece.

The Mercury never let up from there, outscoring New York 18-10 in the third and 17-13 in the fourth. The Liberty mustered just 23 points in the entire second half—two fewer than their first-quarter total.

#3. Phoenix’s stars delivered

The Mercury’s big names carried the night. Alyssa Thomas turned in 15 points, seven assists, and six rebounds while shooting 46.2%. Satou Sabally tallied 15 points, seven boards, four assists and four steals, while Kahleah Copper dropped 14 points on only nine attempts.

The bench was just as effective, with DeWanna Bonner posting 14 points, eight rebounds, and two steals, and Kathryn Westbeld chipping in 10 points.

Phoenix forced 15 New York turnovers and turned them into 25 points, while also running away in transition with a 20-2 fastbreak advantage. They outscored the Liberty 38-22 in the paint and racked up 22 assists on 34 made baskets.

Now, the Mercury hold the momentum after dropping Game 1 in overtime, 76-69, and will have a golden opportunity to eliminate the champs in front of their home crowd.

Edited by John Ezekiel Hirro