Sabrina Ionescu leads short-handed Liberty over Las Vegas

Jonquel Jones was the center of attention moments after the WNBA Finals ended last October, claiming the MVP trophy. The towering 6-6 center had done wondrous work to help the Liberty overcome Minnesota in a five-game struggle.

Take away her inside presence and outside ability and that’s a big thing for the Liberty to overcome. Jones sat out her seventh straight game and ninth out of the last 11 Tuesday night because of a sprained right ankle.

“I mean, we miss her everywhere,” Breanna Stewart said after Sunday’s home loss to Seattle, the Liberty’s sixth setback in nine games.

But they weren’t just missing Jones in this latest game, a matchup against Las Vegas at Barclays Center. The Liberty lost starting point guard Natasha Cloud to a hip injury and reserve forward Isabelle Harrison to a knee injury against the Storm.

This shorthanded team managed to overcome the absences, though, and the Aces couldn’t overcome their big absence — three-time MVP A’ja Wilson missing the second half with a right wrist injury. The Liberty ended up winning 87-78.

“I thought we played a really good poised game,” coach Sandy Brondello said. “We didn’t force things.”

Sabrina Ionescu paced five double-figure scorers for the Liberty (13-6) with 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. It was her sixth career game with at least 25, eight and eight, a WNBA record.

Leonie Fiebich added a season-high 15 points. Stewart had 15, too. Jackie Young scored 19 for Las Vegas (9-10).

“I was most proud of how tough we came out and played,” Brondello said.

Jones, who averages 12.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 43.8% shooting on threes, had aggravated a right ankle sprain early in the second quarter against Phoenix on June 19 in her second game back after sitting out two with the injury. The prognosis was 4-6 weeks.

The Liberty are 3-4 without her since the reinjury — 3-5 if you consider they lost that game to the Mercury. There have two more games before the All-Star break.

“JJ’s progressing well,” Brondello said. “So that’s encouraging. I’m not sure what that means right now. But she’s working hard and she’s building up. So hopefully post All-Star [break]. Sooner than later would be great for us.”

Brondello said Cloud’s swelling hadn’t gone down and labeled Harrison as “day-to-day.”

Before the game, Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon said what stands out to her about the Liberty “is how unhealthy they are.”

On this night, they still proved dangerous.

It was 72-72 when Rebekah Gardner grabbed an offensive rebound for the Liberty. Stewart ended up going off the glass from in close for the lead.

Then Kennedy Burke, who had 10 points and six steals, delivered a three-point play for a 77-72 advantage with 3:26 remaining. Ionescu followed with a three-point play a minute later to make it an 8-0 run.

Fiebich added another three-point play for an 83-74 lead with 1:25 left.

“I’m really proud of the way we kind of stuck together,” Ionescu said.

Wilson got hurt when she went down after being fouled by Fiebich on a shot attempt with 4:13 left in the second quarter. Wilson finished with two points.

The Aces still led by two at halftime and by seven twice early in the third. But the Liberty responded with a 12-3 burst to take a 56-54 edge and carried a 62-60 edge into the fourth.

“They went on runs, we went on runs,” Ionescu said, “but in the end, we just continued to string together stops and it paid off for us.”

Notes & quotes: The All-Star captains drafted their teams for the game on July 19 in Indianapolis. Stewart was selected to play for Napheesa Collier’s team. Caitlin Clark picked Ionescu. There was also a trade of coaches. Brondello will now coach Team Clark. Minnesota’s Cheryl Reeve will guide Team Collier. “I’ve created history,” Brondello said of the trade. “This is awesome.”