After an 81-74 loss to Portland Monday, the New York Liberty have lost three straight and four of their last five, dropping to 2-6 over their last eight games. Breanna Stewart says the team didn’t expect this start, with turnovers, second-half struggles, and i
For a moment, it looked like the Liberty had it under control—then the lead slipped away, turnovers piled up, and the scoreboard kept moving against them.
After an 81-74 loss to Portland on Monday. the New York Liberty (3-4) are now riding a three-game skid and have lost four of their last five matchups. The slide doesn’t stop at this season’s opening stretch. Dating back to last season. including a first-round playoff exit. New York is 2-6 over its last eight games—and the problem isn’t just the losses. It’s the pattern.
New York is scoring, but it can’t hold onto control at the other end. Over the Liberty’s last three games, it has averaged 73.3 points, ranking 14th in the WNBA. Its defensive rating of 112.1 ranks 11th. And the defending hasn’t come close to steadying: New York has allowed 80 points or more in each matchup. including 37 shots from beyond the arc.
Turnovers have compounded the pressure. The Liberty rank 14th in total turnovers in the WNBA with 109 this season. More than 40% of those turnovers—45—have come during the losing streak.
The issues show up most clearly after halftime. Over New York’s last three matchups. it has been outscored 139-109. including surrendering 32 points in the fourth quarter to Portland. The result is a team that can build advantages—then struggles to protect them. and can’t keep pace when opponents accelerate.
Breanna Stewart. one of the faces of New York’s resurgence effort. acknowledged the gap between what the team expected and what it’s experiencing now. When New York said during training camp—under a first-year head coach and with a retooled roster—that it would take time to develop. Stewart said this start was not part of the plan.
“This is definitely not” what she expected, Stewart said. “It’s a learning experience for everyone. I think that my message to the players in the locker room is like, ‘Nobody expected this.’”
Stewart added that she believes the team will eventually find the confidence it needs, even if the present feels unforgiving.
“It’s gonna take time, and there’s gonna be highs and lows, and while it seems like we’re in the lows right now, eventually we’ll get to a place where everybody really confident, comfortable in what’s going on.”
Injuries are part of the explanation, even if they don’t fully account for everything. New York is missing Sabrina Ionescu (foot) and Satou Sabally (cyst/illness). both of whom have been in and out of the lineup. The Liberty are also without Betnijah Laney Hamilton (personal) and Leonie Fiebich (rest/returning from overseas commitment).
All four players bring elements that help New York play at an elite level, including facilitation, scoring, and high-pressure defense. With those pieces shifting in and out, New York has looked disjointed through the early slate of games.
Stewart said she would rather live through a stretch like this early than have it happen later.
Still, even with a light strength of schedule through the first quarter of the season, the Liberty have struggled to look like themselves. New York has four games against 2025 playoff teams in its first 11 matchups.
At some point, if the losses keep coming, injuries won’t be a sufficient reason for a mounting record. But right now, the schedule offers an immediate chance to respond.
On Wednesday and Friday, New York has consecutive games against the Phoenix Mercury (2-5)—a matchup stretch that could determine whether this becomes a temporary skid or the kind of downturn that starts to change the way a season feels.
After Monday’s loss, head coach Chris DeMarco said the Liberty know exactly where the game tilted. “This is how it goes sometimes. We had a lead. We let it get away. Turnovers hurt us,” DeMarco said.
He also pointed to the difficulty of building offensive rhythm when turnovers keep interrupting possessions.
“It’s hard to establish a rhythm offensively with so many turnovers,” DeMarco said. He believes the team showed enough to build on, including improvements on defense.
“We did some good things,” DeMarco said Monday. “Made strides defensively that the team can use as it heads into its next game.”
DeMarco framed the next steps in simple terms: confidence, readiness, and execution.
“We’re gonna be ready to play Phoenix (on Wednesday),” he said. “Our biggest thing is like we’re gonna have confidence going into the Phoenix game. We’ll be ready to play. That’s it.”
The Liberty’s season is still salvageable. But the margin for “time” is shrinking fast. Every day that New York fails to steady its defense, cut its turnovers, and protect leads tightens the pressure—until the question in the background stops being speculative and becomes urgent.
New York Liberty WNBA Breanna Stewart Chris DeMarco Portland Phoenix Mercury Sabrina Ionescu Satou Sabally Betnijah Laney Hamilton Leonie Fiebich turnovers defensive rating