For the first time in the 2023 WNBA playoffs, the New York Liberty looked like themselves on Friday night in a 92-81 win over the Connecticut Sun in Game 3 of their semifinal series. With the victory, the Liberty took a 2-1 series lead, regained homecourt advantage and moved to within one win of a trip to the Finals.
After struggling on offense for this entire run, the Liberty tied a postseason record for points in a first quarter with 37 and jumped out to a 21-point lead at the end of frame. That, essentially, was the game. While the Sun hung around and prevented things from ever getting out of hand, the Liberty led by double digits for the majority of the 40 minutes.
Breanna Stewart’s return to form was the biggest difference on an individual level. The recently named MVP had her best game of the playoffs, finishing with 25 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks on 11-of-19 from the field; she had only made 10 field goals in Games 1 and 2 combined.
It wasn’t…
