The Liberty will be hitting the road to start the playoffs.
asserted
Liberty → hit → playoffs
The Dream ensured that Monday night by handing the home team a 95-84 loss at Barclays Center.
asserted
Dream → ensure → Center
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asserted
you → get → things
Liberty, who play Atlanta here again Wednesday in their regular-season finale, can finish no higher than fifth but as low as eighth.
asserted
who → play → eighth
The playoff field is set, though the matchups are anything but.
asserted
matchups → set → ?
None of the eight teams have secured their seeding, with only three days left in the regular season.
asserted
days → secure → season
While it’s not unusual for the order to come down to the wire for a few spots, this level of uncertainty so late in the season is believed to be unprecedented.
asserted
level → ’ → season
But Dream coach Karl Smesko said the league’s parity is setting the table for this to be “the best playoffs in pro sports.”
asserted
this → say → sports
The fans in Brooklyn understood the assignment.
asserted
fans → understand → assignment
They cheered for every basket made.
asserted
They → cheer → basket
They shouted “defense” when encouraged.
asserted
They → shout → defense
They yelled “M-V-P” when Breanna Stewart stepped to the free-throw line and hurled “ref, you suck” jeers when they took issue with the officiating.
asserted
they → yell → officiating
Stewart gave her all.
asserted
Stewart → give → ?
She battled to the end and even got her first technical foul since 2017 as a second-year pro.
asserted
She → battle → pro
She finished with a team-high 27 points and 14 rebounds.
asserted
She → finish → points
Jonquel Jones added 18 points and 12 rebounds.
asserted
Jones → add → points
Meanwhile, the Dream had five players score in double digits, including DeWanna Bonner with 17 points off the bench.
asserted
players → have → bench
Angel Reese, who battled Jones inside for most of the night, tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds.
asserted
who → battle → points
The Liberty had shown a lot of promise in the first two games since returning to action.
asserted
Liberty → show → action
They beat both the league-leading Lynx and expansion Tempo.
asserted
They → beat → Lynx
But back in front of their home crowd for the first time in three weeks, they did not deliver.
asserted
they → deliver → weeks
The Liberty went 1-for-13 from deep in the first half for their fewest 3s in the first two quarters of a game since July 2024.
asserted
Liberty → go → July
The Liberty nonetheless stayed in it and could’ve entered halftime tied, but they failed to corral a late defensive rebound.
uncertain
they → stay → rebound
Instead, Bonner got the ball and put it back up, drawing a foul from Leonie Fiebich for a three-point play.
asserted
Bonner → get → play
Things didn’t get better for the Liberty in the second half.
asserted
Things → get → half
The Dream opened with a 9-2 run that built their lead up to 10.
asserted
that → open → 10
The Liberty caught fire for a stretch.
asserted
Liberty → catch → stretch
Pauline Astier sank a 3-pointer.
asserted
Astier → sink → pointer
Sabrina Ionescu drained another.
asserted
Ionescu → drain → another
Stewart scored, too.
asserted
Stewart → score → ?
An 8-0 run made it 55-53 with 4:21 left in the third.
Give the Liberty credit.
asserted
it → make → credit
They, specifically Stewart, didn’t go down without a fight.
asserted
They → go → fight
But the Dream held on in only the second meeting between the two teams this season.
asserted
Dream → hold → teams
The Liberty won the last meeting on 104-90, on June 11 in Atlanta.
asserted
Liberty → win → Atlanta
The Dream are 16-4 in their past 20 games and haven’t lost consecutive games since early July.
asserted
Dream → lose → July
The Aporia
