Sabrina Ionescu Hits Steph Curry’s ‘Night Night’ After Dagger 3s Help Injury-Ravaged Liberty Win

Sabrina Ionescu gave a subtle shout-out to Stephen Curry by bringing out his 'Night Night' trademark celebration during her recent game.

Sabrina Ionescu Hits Steph Curry’s ‘Night Night’ After Dagger 3s Help Injury-Ravaged Liberty Win

Sabrina Ionescu (Image by FirstSportz)

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The saying, “When the light shines the brightest, only the best step up,” came into existence in the most recent New York Liberty match against the Minnesota Lynx. This is because the Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu stepped up when it mattered the most for her side. With just 35 seconds left in the 4th quarter, the Liberty and Lynx were going toe-to-toe in the match.

Liberty was leading Lynx with just 4 points and a play remaining for the opposition side. This is exactly when Ionescu changed the game. With just 5 seconds left on the shot clock, Ionescu hit a dagger 3-pointer to call off the game, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

She did not stop there. After the game, during her interview, when she was asked about the cold moment, Ionescu replied with Stephen Curry‘s famous celebration, stating “Night Night”, and walked away with a smile on her face. Watch the video below:

Curry’s famous nightmatch celebration came into existence during Game 3 of the 2022 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. Ever since then, it has become a trademark celebration of the Golden State Warriors’ star man. Not only that, many NBA and WNBA players were inspired by Curry and have picked that up during their games, with the Liberty Star being the most recent player to perform Curry’s celebration.

As for Ionescu and her Liberty side, she has been single-handedly carrying her side throughout the last few games in the WNBA. The Liberty have been injury-plagued throughout this WNBA season, but are still going strong with Ionescu leading the helm for New York.

It’s also important to note that their opposition, the Minnesota Lynx, were on a 6-game winning run that ended at the hands of Ionescu and the Liberty. Given that, other teams are catching up to the Liberty in the East, something they will need to sort out quickly before slipping down the rankings.

Sabrina Ionescu is leading her side to wins despite injuries to their star players

The New York Liberty are currently in 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference this WNBA season. One would expect Liberty to be at the top each season, but for those who don’t know, they are suffering immense injuries to their core players. Nyara Sabally (Knee injury), Isabelle Harrison (Concussion), and Breanna Stewart (knee injury) are sidelined at the moment.

Sabrina Ionescu
Sabrina Ionescu (Credits: MARCA)

Per reports, Stewart returned to a full practice session on Monday, but the return timeline of Sabally and Harrison is yet unknown, raising doubts over the Liberty’s playoff chances. Despite their core players being injured, all pressure has come down to their main star, that is, none other than Sabrina Ionescu.

Without making any fuss, Ionescu has taken all the burden upon herself and performed admirably. Her performances has left the basketball community stumped. This was on full display in her recent matchup against the Lynx. As mentioned above, Ionescu hit a dagger 3 and kept her team in contention for the WNBA playoffs, sitting at 2nd seed in the East.

Opposition sides are catching up to the Liberty for a playoff berth, leading to immense competition

The 2024 WNBA champions, the New York Liberty, find themselves in a tough spot at the moment. Despite sitting second in the WNBA regular season, they face an uphill battle for a playoff berth going forward into the season. It is mostly because teams like the Atlanta Dream, the Phoenix Mercury, the Las Vegas Aces, as well as the Indiana Fever are clawing themselves back to qualify for the WNBA playoffs.

This puts more pressure on the Liberty, who have been marred by injuries this season. To make matters worse, the Liberty are on a 5-5 record at the moment, showcasing their poor performances over the last 10 games. Despite winning their most recent game against the four-seeded Minnesota Lynx, the road to qualify for the playoffs won’t be easy for them.

For now, only the Lynx have qualified for the WNBA playoffs, leaving others continuously battling it out against each other for the important playoff berth. There is no doubt that the upcoming weeks in the WNBA season will be the most crucial point for the Liberty and other sides in contention to qualify for the postseason.

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