Liberty’s Breanna expected to play in Game 2 vs. Mercury despite knee scare

New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart plans to suit up for Game 2 of the WNBA playoffs against the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night, despite suffering a left knee injury in the series opener.

Stewart sprained her MCL late in overtime of Game 1 after driving baseline and drawing a foul. Her knee appeared to buckle, and she immediately grabbed it in pain. She managed to take her free throw—missing it—before exiting the game a minute later with a brace on.

“I sprained my MCL, basically—that’s what I felt in the moment,” Stewart said. “It scared me more than anything. I’m very happy the MRI confirmed it’s something I can play through, depending on how much pain I’m in.”

On Wednesday morning, Stewart went through shootaround with a sleeve on her left knee. “I wanted to make sure I tried it in shootaround and, barring anything crazy happening between now and the game, that’s my plan,” she said. “I just want to wake up from my nap and not feel worse.”

Stewart admitted lateral movement was difficult after the injury, leading her to tell Liberty coach Sandy Brondello she needed to come out. She did not practice Tuesday, instead focusing on treatment. “Every day it’s gotten better,” she said. “Thankfully we had today. I was able to rest, recover, and get as much treatment as possible so I can hopefully compete with my team.”

Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts said the Mercury expected Stewart to play. “We’ve been planning on that,” he said. “You don’t want to see anybody be injured. I’m glad it was nothing serious.” He added that Phoenix will “probably” test Stewart’s mobility early in the game.

Before exiting Sunday, Stewart had 18 points and six rebounds. She previously missed about a month this season with a bone bruise in her right knee.

The Liberty have been tested by injuries all year—Jonquel Jones missed time early with a sprained ankle, and Sabrina Ionescu sat out late in the season with a toe injury.

If necessary, the series shifts to Phoenix for Game 3 on Friday.