The Aporia · Jonquel Jones regains dominant MVP form at perfect time for Liberty

Jonquel Jones regains dominant MVP form at perfect time for Liberty

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Lehman, J. (2026, September 30). Jonquel Jones regains dominant MVP form at perfect time for Liberty. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/30/sports/jonquel-jones-regains-dominant-form-at-perfect-time-for-liberty/

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Quick Summary

Jonquel Jones returned to dominant form in the WNBA playoffs, leading the Liberty to an 87-71 victory over the Lynx on Tuesday night at Barclays Center. Scoring 21 points with 13 rebounds and two assists, Jones showcased her versatility by playing strong defense, hitting three-pointers, and dominating the boards. Her performance was crucial in securing the Liberty's spot in the semifinals against either the Dream or Mystics.

Written by AI on 2026-10-02, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

The New York Liberty secured a shocking 91-75 victory over the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in Game 1 of their best-of-three WNBA playoff series on Sunday, April 23, 2026. Despite finishing as the eighth seed with a record of 26-18, the Liberty's star player Breanna Stewart led the charge with an impressive performance of 34 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists. The win puts the Liberty one game away from eliminating the previously undefeated Lynx, who must now win Game 2 to avoid being the first top-seeded team in history to fail to advance past the first round since a format change in 2022.

Stewart's clutch play was pivotal, as she scored crucial points and made key defensive plays against her former college teammate Napheesa Collier. The Liberty capitalized on multiple Lynx turnovers and foul trouble, with Collier and All-Star center Natasha Howard each fouling out of the game. Rookie Olivia Miles struggled in her first playoff appearance, scoring just 11 points.

With Game 2 scheduled for Tuesday, April 25, at home, the Liberty now hold a narrow advantage but remain wary of a potential Lynx comeback, as they narrowly escaped a similar situation last year against Phoenix. The Liberty’s defense was instrumental in limiting the Lynx's scoring opportunities and forcing turnovers that kept the game close until the final quarter when New York pulled away. Despite their historic lead, Stewart emphasized the need for continued focus to avoid being caught off guard by Minnesota's resilience.

Written for “Liberty-Lynx WNBA Playoff Matchup” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 13 other(s) covering the same event.

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This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

Liberty brush off concerns over banged-up stars before playoffs Different event

New York Post

Hedges 1 of 24 claims Outlet record 66/100

“Article A discusses Jonquel Jones' uncertain status before Game 1, while Article B reports her dominant performance in a later playoff game.”

No. 8-seeded Liberty sweep top-seeded Lynx 87-71 in quarterfinals, advance to WNBA semifinals Same event

Toronto Star

Hedges 0 of 23 claims Outlet record 64/100

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0 of 19 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

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not political

takes no side on a contested political question

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66/100

New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

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Who wrote this

Jonathan Lehman

5 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction

🔮 Turns out, the entire era of Liberty basketball might need a reset timeout.

2026-10-10 · assertive framing · Liberty’s season comes to crushing end as they’re swept out of WNBA semifinals by Dream

🔮 The four-time All-Star guard exited for good after attempting to re-enter the game in the second quarter, and finished with seven points in 11 minutes. “Knowing that Allisha will be out, it hurts.

2026-10-06 · assertive framing · Dream star Allisha Gray out for Game 2 in Liberty lift

🔮 The Lynx trio of Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams shared an extended embrace on the court as the final seconds ticked off their stunning loss.

2026-09-30 · assertive framing · Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu puts past struggles behind her with dominant Game 2

Also by Jonathan Lehman

Chris DeMarco not worried about his job security after season-ending Liberty loss

2026-10-10 · New York Post

Liberty’s season comes to crushing end as they’re swept out of WNBA semifinals by Dream

2026-10-10 · New York Post

Dream star Allisha Gray out for Game 2 in Liberty lift

2026-10-06 · New York Post

Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu puts past struggles behind her with dominant Game 2

2026-09-30 · New York Post

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Claims (19 extracted, 0 hedged)

This was Finals MVP Jonquel Jones, reappearing on the playoff stage right on time for a Liberty team suddenly with the mojo to add another piece of hardware to its collection. asserted

This → reappear → collection

We’ve got you covered on the Liberty beat Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Madeline Kenney about all things Liberty and WNBA. asserted

you → get → things

scored the first seven points of the Liberty’s 87-71 win over the Lynx on Tuesday night at Barclays Center and didn’t let up from there, the best player on a floor strewn with All-Stars as she lifted her team into the semifinals. asserted

she → score → semifinals

Jones scored on a putback on the Liberty’s first possession, canned a 3-pointer on their next trip and followed with another putback. asserted

Jones → score → putback

The Liberty never trailed. asserted

Liberty → trail → ?

“I just wanted to come out and be aggressive,” Jones said. asserted

Jones → want → ?

The 32-year-old, who claimed MVP honors when the Liberty triumphed over the Lynx for the title in a five-game slugfest in 2024, finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds and two assists, putting on a modern-big master class. asserted

Liberty → claim → class

The Lynx, who start the 6-foot-2 Natasha Howard at center and quickly went small after Jones demoralized them in the early going, didn’t have an answer. asserted

Jones → start → answer

“Obviously, we had a size advantage against them, and I felt like being in the paint was just going to be advantageous for me and also for the team,” Jones said. asserted

Jones → have → team

“My biggest thing was just trying to affect the game in that way, whether it was rebounding or posting up.” asserted

it → try → way

Her and-1 over Napheesa Collier with 6:10 remaining that pushed the Liberty’s lead to 79-60 was the exclamation point. asserted

that → remain → 79

“When JJ is doing that, it makes our jobs easier,” Sabrina Ionescu said. asserted

Ionescu → do → that

“For me as a point guard, it’s my job to try and get her easy ones, especially when she’s rolling and sealing, and glad we were able to find her tonight.” asserted

we → ’ → her

Jones also anchored the Liberty’s defense, which held the Lynx to 38.2 percent shooting, including just 18-for-48 on 2-pointers. asserted

which → anchor → pointers

“They were very good defending the rim,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. asserted

Reeve → defend → rim

Jones’ performance was a 180 from her struggles in the Liberty’s first-round playoff exit a year ago, when she averaged 5.7 points on combined 7-for-26 shooting in a three-game loss to the Mercury. asserted

she → average → Mercury

And it bodes well for a matchup in the next round with the Dream or Mystics, two teams with athletic young bigs who gave the Liberty trouble during the regular season. asserted

who → bode → season

“She set the tone for us, offensively, defensively, her ability to get on the boards,” Ionescu said. asserted

Ionescu → set → boards

“That’s what JJ does.” asserted

JJ → ’ → what

Jonquel Jones regains dominant MVP form at perfect time for Liberty

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Claims (19 extracted, 0 hedged)