{"id":688095,"date":"2026-06-06T15:01:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T15:01:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/688095\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T15:01:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T15:01:12","slug":"ny-liberty-vs-indiana-fever-preview-primetime-at-barclays-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/688095\/","title":{"rendered":"NY Liberty vs. Indiana Fever preview: Primetime at Barclays Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"PORTLAND,<\/a><\/p>\n

PORTLAND, OREGON – MAY 30: Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever stands for the national anthem before the game against the Portland Fire at Moda Center on May 30, 2026 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ali Gradischer\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n

Another one on the board. The New York Liberty continued their homestand at Barclays Center on Thursday, taking on some old friends in the Toronto Tempo. New York extended its winning streak to three with a solid 97-82 Commissioner\u2019s Cup victory.<\/p>\n

But tonight, the opponent is the center of attention in more ways than one. The Indiana Fever are having a a tough week, but they got back on track with a win against the Atlanta Dream on Thursday night. More on that in a second.<\/p>\n

Sabrina Ionescu is questionable.Caitlin Clark is probable.<\/p>\n

The Fever pissed off of a lot off this week. The organization decided to revoke<\/a> the credentials of independent reporter Scott Agness for his reporting on Caitlin Clark\u2019s back injury and the Fever\u2019s plans for managing it. The team hasn\u2019t put out a statement explaining the move (and likely won\u2019t), no matter how many people chastise them. Simply put, it sucks, and they ought to feel embarrassed.<\/p>\n

If the Liberty can get into the paint, they can control the flow of this game. New York ranks second in the WNBA in FG percentage inside the restricted area, while the Fever allow the third-most field goal attempts in that same zone.<\/p>\n

This sets up a heavyweight battle down low. Jonquel Jones and Aliyah Boston are two of the best centers in Whichever star anchor manages to stay out of whistle trouble longest will give their team a massive leg up. For Jones, in particular, this season has been a great showcase of her skills. We\u2019re regularly seeing JJ running pick and rolls, initiating offense, and doing a bit of everything on both sides of the ball.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s probably the first time in a very long time that I\u2019ve been able to play coming off of screens and stuff, like the last time I did that was probably before I left Connecticut,\u201d Jones <\/a>said. \u201cAnd so to be able to get back into that and feel comfortable again and really working it into my individual workouts and stuff like that, so that when I do get out on the court, I feel that too but just not panicking when I get down there, I see guards waiting on me, taking that extra dribble, I think has been really good for me, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Satou Sabally has gradually started to find her footing. She\u2019s continued to come off the bench, but is looking more comfortable by the day and her skill at the forward position allows her to impact the game in all sorts of way. When everything is lined up for New York, they possess the most skilled and unique frontcourt in the WNBA.<\/p>\n

If Sabrina Ionescu makes her return tonight, it\u2019ll be interesting to see how minutes are distributed. Pauline Astier has done a great job running the offense and has continued to shine when driving to the rim. It gives New York some flexibility to take their time in managing Ionescu\u2019s health and gives them more room to take a look at the versatile roster they have assembled.<\/p>\n

Player to watch: Caitlin Clark<\/p>\n

To be Caitlin Clark is to have the eyes of the universe tracking your every move. That\u2019s great for the bank account and popularity. It\u2019s terrible when a camera<\/a> catches you going back and forth with your head coach after getting torched on defense all game long. Combine that with the front office getting yelled at by the league for playing fast and loose with Clark\u2019s injury status, and it makes for an exhausting experience.<\/p>\n

However, when things hit, it\u2019s one of the best shows in sports. The logo threes, the trash talk, and fan excitement after every big play are worth their weight in gold and one of the big reasons why every Fever game is on national television this year. For Clark, the goal will be keeping the turnovers to a minimum so Indiana can get cleaner looks. The Liberty are going to throw a bevy of different looks at her, making this a highly anticipated chess match between Stephanie White and Chris DeMarco.<\/p>\n

It pays to have plus defenders like Leonie Fiebich and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton back in action. Fiebich in particular gives the Liberty more length on the perimeter and someone that is always in the right position on both sides of the ball. Look for DeMarco to throw a variety of different looks and defenders at Clark, and Leo promises to be a key aspect of this primetime matchup.<\/p>\n

Ones in the air for Rick Adelman<\/a><\/p>\n

More reading: Fieldhouse Files<\/a>, Circle City Spin<\/a>, Swish Appeal<\/a>, Breakaway<\/a>, SB Nation<\/a>, Women\u2019s Basketball Roundup<\/a>, The Local W<\/a>, New York Daily News<\/a>, No Cap Space<\/a>, New York Post<\/a>, Newsday<\/a>, The Athletic<\/a>, NY Liberty Fan TV<\/a>, Fansided<\/a>, Just Women\u2019s Sports,<\/a> Winsidr<\/a>, The Stomp<\/a>, The Post Presence<\/a>, Her Hoop Stats<\/a>, Yahoo Sports<\/a>, ESPN<\/a>, CBS Sports<\/a>, and The IX Basketball<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PORTLAND, OREGON – MAY 30: Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever stands for the national anthem before…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":688096,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[436,99,434],"class_list":["post-688095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-new-york-liberty","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=688095"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688095\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/688096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=688095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=688095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=688095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}