ATLANTA — Jonquel Jones lost the battle.
And the Liberty lost the game.
Round 1 of this semifinal series went to Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream on Sunday.
Reese had it her way in the Dream’s 92-82 win. She was physical, talked her trash and backed it up with relentless effort. She looked every bit like the newly crowned Defensive Player of the Year.
Reese finished with 17 points on 60 percent shooting. She grabbed seven rebounds, recorded four steals and blocked three shots.
Jones’ matchup with Reese was always going to be one of the most important battles of this series. Reese has the league’s best motor, and she helped the Dream dictate the game on their terms
Atlanta made things difficult for the Liberty from the start, and they never consistently established Jones as an offensive force.
As a result, Jones finished with 12 points on 4-for-9 shooting. She notched a game-high 11 boards to go with her three assists and five blocks.
Jones knows she can be better.
She also knows the Liberty need her to be if they want any chance at getting back to the WNBA Finals.
“I have to get back into that Game 2 mindset that I had against Minnesota,” Jones said. “Maybe just crashing and trying to make things happen, be a little bit more physical in that sense. Yeah, just try to affect the game a little bit more defensively.”
Jones put on a modern-big master class to help New York clinch the 2-0 sweep of the Lynx in the first round. She owned the boards and bullied the Lynx inside en route to finishing with 21 points, 13 rebounds and two assists.
It was Jones at her best. She attacked and established herself inside. She didn’t wait for the game to come to her.
Afterward, Sabrina Ionescu lauded Jones for setting the tone for the team.
“When JJ is doing that, it makes our jobs easier,” Ionescu said. “For me as a point guard, it’s my job to try and get her easy ones, especially when she’s rolling and sealing, and glad we were able to find her tonight.”
Ionescu plays a role in helping unlock that version of Jones.
Ionescu had 27 points on 50 percent shooting Sunday, but she recorded only one assist with five turnovers.
“I need to find a way to get everyone else in better positions,” she said. “I had one assist, so I think I got to find ways to get JJ going a little bit more [among others]… and that’s my job, and I’m going to do that next game.”
Helping Jones get involved early and often Wednesday should help. But Jones also needs to take initiative. She needs to regain the mentality that produced that monster Game 2 last week. Because when Jones is aggressive and locked in, it changes the game’s entire formula.
This series against the Dream will be won in the margins.
Atlanta is the league’s peskiest defense. In the playoffs, opponents are averaging 21 turnovers against the Dream.
New York committed a lot of self-inflicted errors in Game 1. The Liberty coughed up 21 turnovers, which Atlanta turned into 32 points.
Obviously, New York needs to take better care of the ball to minimize the Dream’s damage in transition.
But another important battle that could dictate the series outcome is happening in the frontcourt.
Reese and the Dream aren’t going anywhere.
And if Jones doesn’t find that mindset that made her so successful in Game 2 of the first round, then neither is New York.
