Betnijah Laney-Hamilton shouldn’t need much longer.
But she missed her second straight game for the Liberty in their 98-88 win over the Sparks at Barclays Center on Saturday afternoon.
Laney-Hamilton, who had started every game this year before missing Thursday and Saturday wins over the Sparks, is dealing with a right knee injury.
Head coach Sandy Brondello said Laney-Hamilton is day-to-day and that she was a game-time decision.
Veteran Kayla Thornton again stepped into the starting lineup for Laney-Hamilton, and scored 20 points Saturday.
“She’s doing better,” Brondello said of Laney-Hamilton. “Making progress.”
Laney-Hamilton, one of the Liberty’s best defenders, is averaging 12.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals this season.
She often is tasked with guarding opposing teams’ best scorers.
Nyara Sabally also missed Saturday’s game with a back injury.
Courtney Vandersloot missed her seventh straight game, but she is back with the team.
She had been away from the team after her mother died of cancer last week.
Vandersloot was listed as questionable for Saturday’s game, but was held out as she gets back to game conditioning.
“It’s been a tough time for her and her family,” Brondello said. “She’s back in town. We’re just ramping her up a little bit, but we’re not gonna force anything. … We’re gonna be wrapping her in our arms as much as we can because it’s a terrible situation to get through. We are her family, as well. We feel for her.
“This decision of when she comes back is when she’s ready.”
Without Vandersloot, Sabrina Ionescu has expanded her game as a creator.
She averaged 7.8 assists per game in the first six games without Vandersloot, and added a game-high nine Saturday.
six games entering Saturday. Michelle Farsi for the NY Post
“I think people know about her, but they probably don’t know how good she actually is,” Brondello said. “She’s more than just a shooter. She’s a playmaker, she has great vision. She’s a bit like Diana Taurasi a little bit, in her ability to shoot, in her ability to create for others and how she continues to improve her game every year.”
Though the Liberty have made up for Vandersloot and Laney-Hamilton’s absences in the starting lineup, their bench has struggled.
With Thornton and Leonie Feibich starting, the Liberty have gotten hardly any production from their bench.
Kennedy Burke, Ivana Dojkic and Marquesha Davis combined to play 38 minutes off the bench on Saturday, but none scored.
As a result, the Sparks owned a whopping 39-0 advantage in bench points.
