Breanna Stewart, a star for the Liberty, will start Game 2 against the Mercury even though she has an injured MCL

NEW YORK — Breanna Stewart claimed she damaged her MCL, but she will play in Game 2 against the Phoenix Mercury. New York is trying to become the first team to reach the semifinals in these playoffs.

Stewart did shooting drills on Wednesday, taking shots in the open part and taking part in the half-court shot contest.

Stewart stated, "I want to make sure I tried at shootaround, so unless something crazy happens between now and then, that's my plan [to play]."

After warm-ups, Stewart was given the go-ahead to stay in the starting lineup.

She wore the same leg sleeve while sitting out practice as she did on Tuesday. There seemed to be a brace or wrap underneath, but Stewart cleverly claimed, "I don't know" when asked about it.

It's a better-case scenario for the two-time WNBA champion after hurting her knee in the overtime of Game 1. She was clearly agitated on the bench and begged to be taken out of the game, even though she was able to walk on her own after staying on the court and being seen by a team trainer for a few minutes.

Stewart remarked, "What I felt at that moment scared me more than anything else." "And I'm really happy to have gotten my MRI results back. Now I know that I can play through it, depending on how much pain I want to be in."

Stewart added that when she first got up from the injured play, she didn't feel as horrible as she imagined she would. She missed the and-1 free throw that "really pissed me off," and then she begged to leave because "I felt like we were in a good spot." New York was ahead by five points, 70–65, and won, 76–69. It was a tense night for everyone around her who was waiting for an MRI, especially her wife, Marta, who was in New York.

"Everyone in my circle is kind of holding their breath right now because of how I felt and the symptoms I had, but I'm very, very happy Monday morning," Stewart said.

The MRI results came back within an hour, and head coach Sandy Brondello called them "relatively clean" on Tuesday. Stewart reported her pain level was a three on a scale of 1 to 10. She started running on Wednesday.

A sprain of the MCL affects the inside of the knee and can be anything from a moderate sprain or partial tear to a grade 3 rupture. Surgery is often used to treat severe sprains. Rest, ice, elevation, as well as wearing a knee brace for compression and stability, and physical therapy, are all examples of non-surgical treatment. She said that there is always a chance that an injury could get worse or worse again.

Stewart remarked, "I'm willing to do that because I want to be with my team." "And [trainers] told me that everything is fine structurally, so my plan is to help."

Susan King Borchardt, Stewart's personal trainer while she was in Seattle, was at shootaround on Wednesday. Stewart had hurt her knees before and missed 13 games this season because she bruised a bone in her right knee. In March, after the Unrivaled season, she also had a scope done on that knee.

Stewart stated, "Knowing that, when we have these bumps in the road and she's here, it gives me confidence in what I'm going up against and I have my people on my side."

She noted that having two days between games helped her rest, heal, and get treatment so she could go out and compete. The first games of all four playoff series took place on Sunday, but the second games were spread out over Tuesday and Wednesday. If needed, Game 3 will be on Friday.

Jonquel Jones agreed on Tuesday that finishing business in Game 2 would be good for Stewart because it would give him more time to rest and for New York to get ready to go on the road in the semifinals. They start on Sunday, and New York would play the winner of the game between No. 1 Minnesota and No. 8 Golden State. The Lynx are ahead, 1-0.

Natasha Cloud said, "That's a tough motherf*****." "I'm excited because that's one of our engines." She was a significant part of our team all season, but especially in Game 1.