Sabrina Ionescu makes quiet return after missing 12 of Liberty’s first 13 games with injuries

Sabrina Ionescu was back for the New York Liberty Sunday after missing 12 of the team’s first 13 games with ankle and back injuries.

She didn’t start and didn’t to much on offense. But it was a welcome sight in New York as the Liberty secured a 86-64 Commissioners’ Cup win over the Washington Mystics despite her limited output.

Ionescu, a four-time All-Star and All-WNBA selection, missed the first five games of the season with a left ankle injury. She returned for a 91-76 loss to the Dallas Wings on May 24, then missed seven games with back soreness before her return to the court on Sunday.

Fortunately for the Liberty, they went 6-1 during that seven-game stint and improved to 10-4 on Sunday while picking up a Commissioner’s Cup win.

The Liberty previously cleared Ionescu to return against Washington, but she wasn’t in the starting lineup when the ball was tipped. Instead, she was eased back into the lineup off the bench and entered the game for the first time with 5:32 remaining in the first quarter. Ionescu was greeted with a loud ovation from the Barclays Center crowd.

She didn’t score in the first half but did find Leonie Fiebich for a wide-open 3 on a nice no-look assist.

The Liberty went into the break with a 36-31 advantage.

Ionescu came off the bench again in the third quarter and scored her first bucket back on a wide-open running layup set up by an entry pass from Jonquel Jones from the top of the key.

Ionescu finished the game with 5 points, 3 rebound, 3 assists and 2 turnovers in 26 minutes off the bench. More importantly, she didn’t appear to suffer any setbacks and looks well on her way to returning to the starting lineup and All-WNBA form.

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