CHICAGO — Jonquel Jones said Thursday’s game at Chicago wasn’t going to be a cakewalk. She predicted it’d be a physical bout considering how the Sky play.
Jones was right about the physicality, but Thursday’s 99-74 victory appeared to be a piece of cake for the defending WNBA champions, who improved to 2-0 on the season.
Breanna Stewart and Leonie Fiebich had towels draped on their shoulders, and Jones pulled on a Liberty T-shirt in the fourth quarter.
Sabrina Ionescu was laughing with her teammates on the bench.
The typical things dominant teams do during blowouts.
After making only four 3-pointers on 19 percent shooting in their season-opening win Saturday, the Liberty set a league record Thursday for most 3s by a team in a game when Kennedy Burke drained their 19th 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) shoots against Chicago Sky guard Rebecca Allen (9) during the first half at Wintrust Arena. Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
As a team, they shot 55.9 percent from downtown.
Natasha Cloud led the Liberty with 18 points and eight assists, and Burke added 17 points off the bench.
New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) shoots against the Chicago Sky during the first half at Wintrust Arena. Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
The Liberty ran away with the game in the second quarter.
Even with Ionescu sitting most of the frame after picking up her third foul, the Liberty managed to outscore the Sky 25-9 to carry a 21-point lead into halftime.
The Sky came out of the locker room swinging.
They rattled off eight unanswered points to trim the Liberty’s lead to 13, which forced coach Sandy Brondello to take a timeout.
That was the closest the Sky would get.
Sabrina Ionescu, who scored 16 points, drives on Ariel Atkins during the Liberty’s 99-74 blowout win over the Sky on May 22, 2025. Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
The timeout was a chance for the Liberty to regroup, and the Sky quickly unraveled after that.
Angel Reese was whistled for an offensive foul and then received her second technical foul of the season for arguing the call.
The Liberty watched their lead swell again to 21 by the end of the third.
Natasha Cloud, who scored a game-high 18 points, drives between two Sky defenders during the Liberty’s blowout win. Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
The Liberty eclipsed 90 points in each of their first two games this season. But Thursday was far from a perfect showing for them.
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Their offense looked out of sorts at times, especially in the first half, and they committed 20 turnovers.
That would have been more problematic against a more organized, high-functioning team such as Caitlin Clark’s Fever, against whom the Liberty play Saturday.
Angel Reese, who had two points and 12 rebounds, reacts with frustration during the Sky’s blowout loss to the Liberty. Getty Images
But against the Sky, it didn’t matter.
“I wasn’t happy at halftime,” Brondello said. “We were all clunky. And regardless of the score, we didn’t have the pace and the urgency and the spacing that we need as we move forward.”
The Liberty allowed the Sky to attempt 25 free throws, though they converted on only 52 percent of them. Chicago also won the battle on the boards, outrebounding the visitors 36-28.
Sabrina Ionescu is fouled by Courtney Vandersloot, her former teammate, during the Liberty’s blowout win over the Sky. Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
“A lot of areas we can get better at,” Brondello said. “Obviously, I’m going to have joy because we won a game, but we’re nowhere near where we need to be on the defensive end. And definitely, overall, I thought we were solid. But we still had breakdowns there, too.”
Chicago is a team that’s searching for its identity and in the process of installing a new system under first-year head coach Tyler Marsh.
They still are establishing cohesion among their three new starting guards and two young post players, Kamilla Cardoso and Reese.
Still unbeaten, the Liberty will put their perfect record to the test Saturday at Indiana.
New York Liberty players celebrate after scoring a basket against the Chicago Sky during the first half at Wintrust Arena. Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
But the Liberty were going to enjoy this sweet victory for the night.
“It builds momentum to the next game,” Burke said. “We got a tough matchup coming up and we just have to stay prepared offensively [and] defensively, we got to be better.”