In today’s episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball, Maria Marino and WNBA betting expert Dano Mataya discuss the New York Liberty’s first loss of the 2025 season to the Indiana Fever, highlighting Caitlin Clark’s stellar performance and Jonquel Jones’ absence.
“Caitlin Clark had a performance for the ages,” Marino said. “The Fever definitely made a statement. Really, really big win for them, but the obvious thing that you just can’t ignore is Jonquel Jones was out.”
They analyze the Liberty’s strengths, compare them to the Minnesota Lynx as their biggest rival, and preview upcoming challenges. The conversation covers the importance of Jonquel Jones to the Liberty, Sabrina Ionescu’s development, and the emerging threat of the Atlanta Dream. Marino added that the Liberty are 27-0 in the regular season when JJ records a double-double, and the first meeting between the teams, the 2024 WNBA Finals MVP had 14 points in the fourth quarter to propel Liberty to a win.
“There’s still not enough attention on what Jonquel Jones does for this team,” Marino said.
They also examine the Liberty’s toughening schedule, including a crucial matchup against Atlanta and a challenging four-game road trip, emphasizing the team’s resilience and ability to bounce back from losses.
“Liberty have been the standard of excellence this entire season when healthy,” Mataya said. “They’re dominating the teams they should dominate.”
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