WNBA playoffs: New York Liberty sweep past Washington Mystics to advance into semifinals

The New York Liberty advanced to the semifinals of the 2023 WNBA playoffs in thrilling fashion on Tuesday, completing a two-game sweep of the Washington Mystics with a 90-85 win in overtime in Game 2 of their first-round series. Jonquel Jones made a pair of free throws to send the game to overtime, and finished with 19 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks in what was a truly chaotic affair. 

With that result, the Liberty won their first playoff series since 2015, when they also beat the Mystics in the first round. Now, they’ll face the winner of the Connecticut Sun versus Minnesota Lynx, who are heading to a winner-take-all Game 3 on Wednesday. Regardless of who wins, the semifinals will start on Sunday in New York. 

(2) New York Liberty def. (7) Washington Mystics, 2-0

Game 1: Liberty 90, Mystics 75 (Liberty lead 1-0)

Game 2: Liberty 90, Mystics 85 — OT (Liberty win series 2-0)

Player to watch in semifinals

Liberty: Jonquel Jones
Breanna Stewart is the Liberty’s best player, but the one to watch in this series is Jonquel Jones. The former MVP got off to a slow start this season but rounded into form as the summer went along and was a major reason the Liberty looked so dominant in the final few months. The team was 13-1 when she made double-digit shot attempts.