The New York Liberty suffered an injury to a key player Tuesday night in the midst of a heated playoff race. All-Star center Jonquel Jones left the court with a left ankle injury in the first quarter against the Chicago Sky and did not return to the game. The Liberty initially ruled her as questionable after she went to the locker room, but they ruled her out for the game shortly after halftime. Jones sustained the injury when she tripped over Dijonai Carrington while backing into the post. Carrington kneed Jones in her lower-left leg and was called for a foul on the play. Jones immediately grabbed her leg in pain after falling to the floor.
The play where Jonquel jones hurts her ankle. If it’s a serious injury just end me … pic.twitter.com/DMJ4r910q2 — Gio (@jsmove7) August 19, 2026
The injury left the Liberty without their top post player for the remainder of the game, which was tied at 16-16 when Jones was injured. Chicago went on to a 93-86 upset win as backup Liberty center Han Xu played 26 minutes, nearly twice her season average of 13.7. Will injury impact Liberty in playoff seeding? The Liberty are certainly hoping the injury doesn't sideline Jones for long in the midst of a tight battle for playoff positioning. Jones entered Tuesday's game averaging 14.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 blocks per game. An inside-out threat, she shoots 49.4% from the floor and 38.8% on 4.7 3-point attempts per game. She made her sixth All-Star team this season. The loss dropped New York to 22-15, in position for the sixth of eight playoff spots with seven games remaining in the regular season.
New York's in comfortable position to make the playoffs with a six-game lead over the ninth-place Portland Fire. But seeding is up for grabs with teams seeded second through eighth behind the first-place Minnesota Lynx all within six games of each other. Jones' health will be key for the Liberty for the stretch run and once the postseason begins.