Is Natasha Cloud playing tonight vs. the Valkyries? Latest on New York Liberty star's availability (May 27)

New York Liberty star Natasha Cloud is available to play in her team’s upcoming game against the Golden State Valkyries. Cloud’s first season with the Liberty is already off to a strong start, as she is recording 18.7 points, 7.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game. She is also shooting 55.6% and 50.0% from beyond the arc (all career highs).

Thanks to Cloud’s stellar showings, the Liberty have managed to win their first three games to start the season. She recorded 22 points and nine assists in a 92-78 win over the Las Vegas Aces. Cloud followed this up with 18 points and eight assists in a 99-74 loss against the Chicago Sky.

More recently, she recorded 16 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals in a 90-88 win over the Fever. Cloud also made a last-second defensive play to prevent Caitlin Clark from hitting the go-ahead bucket for Indiana. Speaking in March, Liberty’s general manager, Jonathan Kolb, called Cloud a prime fit for the team.

So far, she has proved him right.

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With Natasha Cloud’s arrival, the reigning champs now look stronger than they did last season and will look to make it 4-0 against the Valkyries on Tuesday. Cloud is available for the upcoming game, but the Liberty needs to adjust for Nyara Sabally, who is questionable with a knee injury, per ESPN.com.

Natasha Cloud explains heroic stop against Caitlin Clark at end of Liberty vs. Fever

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Natasha Cloud was Liberty’s best player in Saturday’s game against the Indiana Fever. She was consistently making plays on both ends of the floor, but the most important one didn’t come till the last seconds of the game. The Fever gave Clark the ball with just a few seconds left and two points separating both teams.

Clark dribbled around the perimeter and tried to shoot a 3, but was stopped by Cloud. Speaking postgame, Cloud shared her thoughts on her all-important stop.

"I knew they [were] obviously gonna go to Caitlin," Cloud said via SI.com. "I knew that it was gonna be, 'You gotta get your big dog pants on right now.'

"I knew she was gonna go left, so as soon as she brought that ball up, I just poked it out," she added.

Cloud will look to keep her stellar campaign going against the Golden State Valkyries this Tuesday.

About the author

Sameer is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who covers a diverse range of topics. He is currently pursuing a BSc degree from BITS, but his love for video games pushed him to pursue a gaming journalism career. He relies on diligent research and fact-checking to deliver top-notch content. He has previously worked in the hospitality sector with the Oberoi Group.

Sameer’s gaming journey began with Rockstar Games’ GTA franchise, specifically
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He strongly prefers multiplayer games, with FPS being his favorite genre, and has devoted 6K+ hours to CS:GO! However, he also dabbles in open-world, story-based games from time to time. Solo RPGs like Horizon Forbidden West hold a soft spot in his heart, and he would readily drop in it given a Jumanji-type scenario.

Sameer makes sure to follow Counter-Strike and Valorant esports tournaments, as he believes that watching a game being played at the highest level can be highly educational. He derives inspiration from Tarik's meteoric rise to become one of the biggest FPS streamers in the world following the release of Valorant.

Outside of work, you can find Sameer playing football or cheering for FC Barcelona. He also likes to read and write poetry.

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Edited by Veer Badani