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WNBA star shares big injury news ahead of playoff game

Breanna Stewart is dealing with a sprained MCL — but plans to play in Wednesday’s Game 2 between the New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury.

Washington Mystics v New York Liberty
Washington Mystics v New York Liberty
NBAE via Getty Images
Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.

Breanna Stewart is likely to play in Wednesday’s Game 2 between the New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury, she told reporters at shootaround on Wednesday, per Myles Ehlich of Winsidr.

The Liberty star suffered an MCL sprain in Sunday’s Game 1, she revealed, and said her pain was at around a 3 out of 10.

Stewart underwent an MRI on Monday, per ESPN’s Ramona Shelbourne, and Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said scans came back “relatively clean,” per Desert Wave Media. At Tuesday’s practice, Brondello deemed Stewart a game-time decision.

But, Stewart said she’s planning on giving it a go in Game 2.

“With injury, there’s probably always a chance [of re-injury], but I’m willing to take that because I want to — I want to be out with my team,” Stewart said, per Ehlich. “And they told me that, structurally, everything looks okay. My plan is to go.”

She did note she’d see how the rest of the day will play out: “I just want to make sure I don’t wake up from my nap and feel like shit.”

Breanna Stewart was crucial in the Liberty’s Game 1 win

Stewart was great in Game 1, tallying 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. She finished the game with a +16, the highest on the team. The Liberty ultimately won Game 1 in overtime, but the big story was her non-contact knee injury, which saw her finish overtime on the bench in tears.

The Liberty host the Mercury at 7:30 pm at Barclays Center for Game 2. A win would send them to the semi-finals, while a loss would send the series back to a decisive Game 3 in Phoenix.

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