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Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty escaped with a 90-88 win over the Indiana Fever on Saturday. Roughly 24 hours after their victory, the New York Knicks pulled off a 106-100 win against the Indiana Pacers. Ionescu said she stayed up late to watch the thrilling Game 3 victory by the Knicks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse Arena.
The WNBA star shared her thoughts when asked about the rivalry between New York and Indiana in basketball.
“We’re a Nets team over here, so not gonna get in trouble on that one. I’m just an NBA fan in general, so being able to watch the series and was really hoping the Knicks were gonna be able to pull out a win. I think it’s huge the way that they came back and were just able to chip away and win there is really tough. … I was happy to see them kind of get that win and make it a good series.”
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Sabrina Ionescu knew very well the Pacers had taken a 2-0 lead after back-to-back wins at Madison Square Garden to open the series. The Knicks were desperate to break through as no team has ever recovered from a three-game deficit in the NBA playoffs. Ionescu was happy the series has become competitive following New York's Game 3 win.
Sabrina Ionescu and the Liberty have dominated the Indiana Fever over the last three years
The New York-Indiana rivalry has not been as interesting in the WNBA over the last three years compared to the NBA. While the Knicks and the Pacers have had bruising playoff battles during that stretch, the Liberty have had a one-sided rule against the Fever during the same span.
In 2023, Sabrina Ionescu and her teammates won the season series 4-0. The Liberty-Fever matchups got a boost when Indiana made Caitlin Clark the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft. In the first meeting between the two teams, Ionescu and Co. drubbed the Fever 102-66 and won the next two head-to-head showdowns.
The Fever eventually broke through with an 83-78 win on July 6 despite 22 points, four assists and three rebounds from Ionescu. Clark got her first win against the Liberty by dropping 19 points, 13 assists, 12 rebounds and two steals.
The Fever are showing that they’re ready to challenge the Liberty. In their first matchup this season, New York escaped with a 90-88 win. Natasha Cloud came up with the game-winning play on defense, stripping Caitlin Clark of the ball to preserve the lead.
Sabrina Ionescu’s team is 8-1 against the Indiana Fever over the last three seasons. The dominance might not last for long if Indiana sustains its two-way excellence.
