WNBA Playoffs: Sabrina Ionescu's blossoming all-round game takes Liberty to the semifinals

Sabrina Ionescu draws a foul, dribbles a few times and then shoots a one-legged three-pointer. It doesn't count, but of course the shot goes in.

It was such a night for Ionescu.

And as the ball falls through the net, a broadcast microphone captures the sound of an excited fan.

“I love you, Sab!” screams the fan.

It was a night like that for Liberty fans, too. A night they had Ionescu to thank for. The guard scored 36 points, equaling Cappie Pondexter's postseason record for Liberty, and helped New York to a 91-82 victory over Atlanta that secured New York a spot in the semifinals.

Ionescu also had 9 assists, 3 steals and only 2 turnovers.

“I just do whatever it takes to win,” Ionescu said. “I know I'm capable of scoring goals, but I also know that a big part of my job is to create space for my teammates and create good chances for them.”

The Liberty relied on Ionescu's full effort to get past the Dream, as well as Jonquel Jones' 20 points and 13 rebounds and Breanna Stewart's 13 points.

The Dream were pesky, especially in the first half when they led by as many as 11 points. Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello told her team to hurry up because she didn't want to go to Atlanta for Game 3, and under Ionescu's leadership, the Liberty responded.

New York defeated Atlanta 48-34 in the second half.

“We want to play well going into the next round and I think this game really prepared us well,” Brondello said. “Atlanta played great. That was probably one of their best games all season. We had to fight for everything we got.”

With 2:22 left in the fourth quarter, Ionescu rushed to the basket, found a gap between defenders and stopped for a runner. Ionescu contorted her body and found the perfect angle, letting the ball bounce off the backboard and putting her team ahead 87-78.

Ionescu established herself as a 3-point shooter last season, sinking 44.8% of her attempts and winning the WNBA All-Star 3-Point Contest by sinking all but two of her shots. But this season, it's Ionescu's play inside the arc that's special. In 2023, she sank 38% of her 2-pointers, a number that has increased to 46% this season.

“I think you can tell Sab has worked hard to get better,” Dream coach Tanisha Wright said. “She's done a great job of not only shooting threes, but she's a three-point shooter who can score at the basket, in the midcourt and beyond the three-point line.”

Against Atlanta, Ionescu scored 21 of her 36 points either at the basket, from mid-range or from the free throw line, where she made 7 of 7. In the second half, Ionescu's determination to get to the basket was even greater. She scored 23 of her points in the half and made just two three-pointers in the third and fourth quarters.

“My focus was to get downhill and make some easy passes,” she said. “We made stops on defense and ran. At the end of the second quarter, we got a little lucky with a three-pointer. … That was the point where I thought, 'I need to get in the box.'”

Ionescu's decision sparked a comeback from Liberty, and her team was able to go from a five-point deficit at the start of the third quarter to a one-point lead by the final period.

There was a time when Ionescu may have been repeatedly shooting ill-advised three-pointers. In 2023, 62.6% of her attacks came from beyond the arc, while that number has dropped to 46.5% this season. Her decision-making and ability to score from the jump are among the many improvements Ionescu made in the offseason.

“She takes what the defense gives her,” Jones said. “She can impact the game in so many different ways. It's about playing the game and trusting your teammates, and that's what she does great. That opens everything up for us because the defense doesn't really know what to do.”

And while a deep three-pointer has thrilled crowds in the past, this time it was Ionescu's overall impact that captivated Liberty fans. During the third quarter, when Ionescu didn't even attempt a long-range shot, she was joined by one of New York's most famous sports fans.

As she approached the sideline for a throw-in, Spike Lee extended his hand for a high-five.

“I felt like the whole of New York had been injected into me,” Ionescu said, laughing. “And at that moment I thought, 'We're going to win this game.'”