Breanna Stewart is giving the Liberty all she’s got.
For the second consecutive postseason game, the two-time MVP stayed on the court from tip-off to final buzzer.
She played 40 minutes in Sunday’s second-round Game 1 loss to the Atlanta Dream. And Stewart did the same in last Tuesday’s first-round series clinching victory against the Minnesota Lynx at home.
Game 1 of the first-round series featured Stewart on the court for 38 minutes.
After logging the fourth-most minutes per game in the regular season (32.9) and with minutes rising in the postseason, Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco was asked how he planned on managing Stewart’s workload moving forward.
“It’s just going to depend on the rest days in between,” the head coach said Sunday.
The Liberty only needing two games to sweep the Lynx worked in DeMarco’s and Stewart’s favor. Stewart — and the team — benefitted from extra rest at home by taking care of business with the top-seeded squad.
And the league scheduling an extra day of rest between Sunday’s Game 1 and Wednesday’s upcoming Game 2 bodes well for Stewart, who is averaging 24.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 2.3 blocks in 39.3 minutes through three postseason games.
But the miles are starting to mount for the Liberty’s MVP with no telling how long this second-round series against the fast-paced, defensive-minded Dream squad will last.
Only time will tell if signs of fatigue will show for the 32-year-old, who has no issues staying on the floor with the team hoping to reach the WNBA Finals for the third time in four seasons.
“It’s tricky sometimes. Sometimes it can be better to get the rest, or in another case, have you played closer to this game? There’s a rhythm to it. We’re just going to continue to monitor it and make sure she’s good to go,” DeMarco said.
Stewart did sit for the Liberty’s regular season finale against the Dream on Sept. 23 due to knee soreness. However, she’s been absent from any status report following that DNP.
The Liberty star has stayed relatively healthy — she missed just two WNBA games this season — despite heavy minutes and minimal breaks.
She participated in the 2026 All-Star Weekend festivities after earning her eighth selection.
Unlike most of the league, Stewart had no rest during the FIBA World Cup break as she played key minutes in Team USA’s run to a gold medal in Berlin last month.