WATCH: Sabrina Ionescu seals Liberty’s first win over Lynx this season with incredible four-point play

Few players electrify their home arena like Sabrina Ionescu, and Barclays Center has rarely sounded as loud as it did on Tuesday when she sealed the New York Liberty’s 85-75 win over the Minnesota Lynx with an absurd four-point play in the closing minute. 

With less than 40 seconds to play, the Liberty were clinging to a four-point lead as they tried to get their first win over the Lynx this season. As the shot clock wound down, Ionescu controlled the ball near midcourt and called for a screen from Kennedy Burke. Despite the fact that Burke’s screen didn’t really create much space, Ionescu launched a rainbow from way behind the line. Maria Kliundikova crashed into her as she let it go, and Ionescu was already on the ground by the time the ball swished through the net to the delight of the Liberty fans. 

Asked about the shot during her walk-off interview, Ionescu only had two words and a gesture: “Night night.”

After a review, the foul was upgraded to a flagrant for a reckless closeout, which gave Ionescu two shots to complete the four-point play. It turned out she needed both of them. The Liberty also got the ball back, and on the ensuing inbound Ionescu found Burked for a layup that served as an exclamation point. 

Ionescu didn’t have her best shooting night — she went 5 of 18 from the floor — but she stepped up when it mattered most to give the Liberty a huge win and finished with 17 points, four rebounds and 11 assists. 

The rivalry between the Liberty and Lynx had been ratcheted up in the last few days after comments by Courtney Williams and Sandy Brondello. Williams called the Liberty a “punk-ass team” during a StudBudz stream, and Brondello responded Monday.

“Of course we have a rivalry, and it’s great for the league,” Brondello said. “I don’t know why they play it down. We don’t like each other, that’s just how it is.”

Liberty coach Sandy Brondello responds to ‘punk-ass team’ comments from Lynx: ‘Of course we have a rivalry’

Jack Maloney

The Lynx have been the best team in the league this season, and even after Tuesday’s defeat, which snapped their six-game winning streak, they have a six-game lead in the race for the No. 1 seed. The Liberty, meanwhile, have been beset with injuries all season and are stuck in third place — a half-game behind the second-place Atlanta Dream and only one game up on the fourth-place Phoenix Mercury and fifth-place Las Vegas Aces. 

Securing a win on Tuesday not only gave the Liberty some measure of revenge after three consecutive losses to the Lynx this season, but boosted their chances of staying out of the 4/5 slot, which would set up a potential meeting with the Lynx in the semifinals instead of a Finals rematch.