This is the beauty of a superteam.
This is the greatness of Breanna Stewart.
Down two starters, the Liberty have barely blinked.
Slowed down briefly, perhaps.
Breanna Stewart attempts a shot during the Liberty’s win against the Sparks on Saturday. Michelle Farsi for the NY PostBut the Liberty train keeps chugging along, with little sign of anything getting in its way.
They played without Courtney Vandersloot and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton again, but the Liberty have just too much firepower.
Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones were enough themselves, as the Liberty cruised past the Sparks, 98-88, on Saturday afternoon at Barclays Center.
Sabrina Ionescu collected nine assists, along with 24 points, for the Liberty on Saturday. Michelle Farsi for the NY PostIt marked the Liberty’s 10th win in their last 11 games, and their second consecutive without the two starters — both of which came in back-to-back home games against Los Angeles.
It also brought the Liberty to 14-3 — their best start to a season in franchise history.
“It shows a lot about our commitment to being the best team we can be and making no excuses with the [players] that aren’t here,” head coach Sandy Brondello said. “Everyone will go through adversity with players out. It’s about role players stepping up when they’re called on.
“But in the end, it’s our big three taking ownership of making sure they’re bringing their best game every single day.”
Breanna Stewart blocks a shot during the Liberty’s win Saturday. Michelle Farsi for the NY PostThe trio of Stewart, Ionescu and Jones scored 28 of the Liberty’s 30 points to close the second quarter, highlighted by a 30-foot 3-pointer by Ionescu.
Stewart scored eight of 10 points during one stretch of that run.
The Sparks had no answer for Stewart, who finished with a game-high 33 points and seven assists and shot a red-hot 12-for-19 from the field.
Jonquel Jones made six shots for the Liberty during their win against the Sparks. Michelle Farsi for the NY PostShe was also heavily involved on the defensive end, recording three steals and six blocks — tying a regular-season, single-game career best in rejections.
Stewart brought the raucous 13,639 fans to their feet and to a roar when she stuffed Stephanie Talbot on a fast break in the third quarter.
She recorded 24 points, five assists and five blocks in the first half, becoming the first player in WNBA history to have at least 20 points, five assists and five blocks in a half.
“I felt like we were letting them off the hook a little bit,” Stewart said about that second-quarter run. “I wanted to make sure I was demanding the ball, especially in the post. Threes were falling, just the way we continued to move the ball, my teammates found me and got us into the zone and the run we wanted to be at.”
Kayla Thornton made a career-high six 3s for the Liberty on Saturday. Michelle Farsi for the NY PostIonescu added 24 points and nine assists while Jones chipped in 14 points and 13 rebounds.
The Liberty’s depth goes well beyond their stars.
Veteran Kayla Thornton, filling in for Laney-Hamilton, finished with 20 points and drilled four 3-pointers in the third quarter.
Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart celebrate during the
Liberty’s win against the Sparks. Michelle Farsi for the NY PostShe first extended the Liberty’s lead to 60-46 with 7:10 left in the third quarter, to give them their largest lead of the game to that point, after the Sparks started the second half hot.
And after Ionescu expertly found Stewart on a fast break for a 67-51 lead, another 3-pointer from Thornton gave the Liberty a 70-51 lead.
Another trey from Thornton soon after made it 75-53 with 3:32 left in the third quarter.
Thornton finished 6-for-7 from behind the arc — a career high.
Five of them came in the second half.
“Just staying ready,” Thornton said. “… Bringing energy and confidence, that’s kind of my two main things.”
The Liberty momentarily stumbled in the second quarter, finding themselves down 31-23.
Breanna Stewart scored 33 points for the Liberty during their win against the Sparks. Michelle Farsi for the NY PostBut they subsequently rattled off an 8-0 run to tie the game at 31-31 with 7:07 left in the quarter and continued on a 21-6 run to take a 44-37 lead with 3:20 left in the quarter.
That ballooned to 54-44 by halftime, and the Liberty didn’t look back.
Leonie Fiebich, filling in again for Vandersloot, was quiet with seven points.
Jonquel Jones added 14 points, 13 rebounds and five assists
for the Liberty. Michelle Farsi for the NY PostDearica Hamby paced the Sparks with 20 points.
The Sparks are without popular rookie and No. 2 overall pick Cameron Brink, who is out for the season with a torn ACL.
They shot just 29.6 percent from 3-point range, compared to the Liberty’s 44.4 percent.
Breanna Stewart blocked five shots in the first half of the
Liberty’s win Saturday. Michelle Farsi for the NY PostAlready nearly unstoppable in recent weeks, this Liberty juggernaut is set to get some of their best players back soon.
Who — or what — is going to stymie them?
“It’s their commitment to the program, it’s their commitment to each other to be the best team we can be,” Brondello said. “That’s what we’re always going to focus on.”






