The second night of the 2023 WNBA playoffs brought all the heat and then some after the first night lacked any of it.
The No. 7 Washington Mystics, beset with injuries throughout the regular season, gave the No. 2 New York Liberty a test until Sabrina Ionescu lit up Barclays Center in Brooklyn. New York won,Within the hour, the No. 5 Atlanta Dream shot out to a surprising 20-point lead against the No. 4 Dallas Wings, a favorite to upset the super-teams.
It was Laney, with a hefty dose of help from center Jonquel Jones, who kept the Liberty in it until those stars started clicking. She was 6-of-9, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range, for 14 points and six rebounds at the half. Her putback at the buzzer gave the Liberty not only a 46-42 lead going into the locker room, but the “momentum [and] good energy” to fuel them in the second, she said.
They erupted in the fourth when Ionescu, angry about the referees not calling a shooting foul, nailed back-to-back transition 3s to snap a 7-0 Mystics run. The Liberty’s six-point lead shot back to 12. “They punked us and we had to come out here and prove what we’re made of, and we did that tonight,” Ionescu said.
Howard, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft, set the record for scoring in a playoff debut with 36 points. Her eight 3s on 15 attempts was also a record for a debut. She added four rebounds, three blocks and two assists. Her 19 points in the first quarter tied the WNBA record for most points in a quarter of any playoff game. Dream star Angel McCoughtry scored 19 in the third quarter of a 2011 contest.
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