The injury bug has arrived, and three championship contenders (non-Aces division) were hit.
The Connecticut Sun, who remain the only team to have defeated Las Vegas this year, lost arguably their second-best player in Brionna Jones for the season with a torn Achilles. This is the fourth straight year the Sun have dealt with a season-long absence to a starter, though they’ve managed to advance to the WNBA semifinals each time regardless. Connecticut still has the second-best record in the league and is undefeated without Jones in the lineup, but the big tests are coming.
GO DEEPER
Sun’s Brionna Jones ruptures Achilles, out for season
One of those will come against the New York Liberty, who will be without Stefanie Dolson for “weeks, not days,” per Sandy Brondello. With Han Xu also unavailable due to international play, the Liberty may inadvertently be forced into one of their best options: playing small. The frontcourt of Breanna Stewart, Kayla Thornton and Betnijah Laney closed the game for New York on Sunday, and that switch-ability could unlock something special for a Liberty group that has struggled with consistency. New York earned its gutsiest win of the season with a smaller five, only its second one-possession victory of the year.
The Liberty managed that win against…
