The Liberty had no answers for 2026 top pick Azzi Fudd when she blitzed them in the second half of a loss earlier this season.
Paige Bueckers gave them problems, too.
Fudd, Bueckers and the rest of the surging Dallas Wings are set to return to Brooklyn on Tuesday for another tilt against two of the league’s best teams.
In the previous May 24 meeting, the Wings exposed the Liberty’s shoddy transition defense.
Fudd specifically lit the Libs up with several 3s on the break. She shot 6-for-9 from deep in the second half and finished with 24 points.
That game sort of served as a wake-up call.
The Liberty lost the following night to the Portland Fire before rattling off eight straight wins.
They have since beaten the Atlanta Dream and Las Vegas Aces on the road. The Libs won the Commissioner’s Cup by toppling the Aces last week before taking down the league-leading Minnesota Lynx on Friday.
“I feel like we’re a completely different team from who we were when we first saw them,” Sabrina Ionescu said. “We’ve continued to get better every game, and I feel like we’re at a different pace now than we were then. So for us, it’s just controlling what we can, continuing to get better as a team collectively on both sides of the ball.”
The Liberty have been in a state of building since training camp. They have a new coaching staff and several new players. Coach Chris DeMarco has stressed the importance of working toward the postseason.
Injuries have stalled some of that work.
The Liberty have deployed nine different starting lineups in 21 games this season.
Since Ionescu returned in mid-June, though, the Liberty seem to be garnering momentum. They’re top four in both offense and defense and second to only the Lynx with a 6.0 net rating.
The next step in this building process?
“The build is putting 40 minutes together,” DeMarco said. “We have to keep being consistent.”
Leonie Fiebich (foot soreness) and Satou Sabally (concussion protocol) sat out Monday’s practice.
Both are considered “day to day,” per DeMarco.
Fiebich’s foot issue flared up after Friday’s win against the Lynx. She’s questionable for Tuesday’s game.
Sabally has been sidelined for two weeks since getting hit in the head by an opponent’s elbow while pursuing a rebound.
DeMarco said Sabally is “feeling better” but isn’t cleared to return yet.
This is her second concussion in eight months.
