Sabrina Ionescu will miss her fifth consecutive game with back soreness when the New York Liberty host the Indiana Fever on Saturday night.
Liberty coach Chris DeMarco informed reporters of Ionescu’s status during shootaround on Saturday. The seven-year veteran went through her first full practice since suffering the back injury on Friday, but was sore afterwards. DeMarco said he hopes Ionescu will be able to play in New York’s road games at Connecticut and Atlanta next week.
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Ionescu, 28, has only played in one of the Liberty’s 10 games this season. After sustaining a left ankle injury during the preseason, she didn’t return to the lineup until May 24’s matchup with the Dallas Wings. Ionescu played 30 minutes in that game, scoring 11 points with five rebounds and seven assists.
However, she developed back soreness after playing against the Wings and has missed the Liberty’s past four games.
Fever star Caitlin Clark is listed as probable on the WNBA injury report, also dealing with a back issue, and is expected to play on Saturday night.
The Liberty (6-4) are only a half-game ahead of the Fever (5-4) for fifth place in the WNBA standings. New York has won three consecutive games after a three-game losing streak, defeating the Phoenix Mercury twice and the Toronto Tempo.
New York began the season as the first team in WNBA history to average at least 100 points during its first four games, scoring without Ionescu and going 3-1 to begin the season. In six games since then, the Liberty has averaged 85 points, including a season-low 75 points in a win over the Mercury.
Breanna Stewart currently leads the Liberty in scoring at 18.8 points per game, followed by Jonquel Jones’ averaging 13.6 points. Last season, Ionescu was the team’s second-leading scorer, averaging 18.2 points.
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