NEW YORK -- The reigning WNBA champion New York Liberty are a loss away from playoff elimination after getting what star Breanna Stewart said was "embarrassed" by the Phoenix Mercury 86-60 at Barclays Center on Wednesday night.
It was the worst home playoff defeat in Liberty history and ranks as the second-largest playoff loss by a defending champion in WNBA history. Many fans who arrived hoping to escort the Liberty into the semifinals instead filed out of the arena with 4:54 left in the fourth quarter.
A decisive Game 3 will be in Phoenix on Friday.
"They came in and they embarrassed us on our home court," Stewart said. "Now we have to go back there for Game 3. Winner take all. If we're not ready for that, then we shouldn't be here."
Stewart, who sprained her MCL in the final minutes of a 76-69 Game 1 overtime win, started but wore a brace on her left knee. She played 20 minutes but had just six points and two rebounds, ending her streak of 44 consecutive playoff games with at least 10 points. She entered the game averaging 18.3 points and 6.6 rebounds this season. Stewart scored two first-half points, tied for the fewest she has had in any half during her playoff career.
Stewart said she was happy with how the knee responded to being tested Wednesday night but was unhappy with her performance.
"I just wasn't where I wanted to be today," she said. "And I have 48 hours to figure it out."
Phoenix's defense suffocated New York, holding it 24 points below its season average of 84.4 points per game. The Mercury had 10 steals, and New York finished with 15 turnovers.
The Liberty shot 10-for-20 from the field in the first quarter, but just 9-for-43 across the final three.
"Defense has been our calling card all year," Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts said. "The hope is when you get to the playoffs, you level up. I think we've done that."
The score was tied at 25 after the first quarter, but the Liberty collapse was swift and decisive after that. The list of things that went wrong for New York, which won the franchise's first WNBA title a year ago, was long and varied:
• Sabrina Ionescu, who shot 93% from the free throw line during the regular season, missed her first four free throws. She finished 2-for-6 from the line and 3-of-13 from the field, including 1-for-8 on 3-point attempts.
• The Liberty were outscored 26-12 in the second quarter and 18-10 in the third. They made a total of five field goals across the two frames.
• The Liberty's first points of the second half didn't come until 5:09 in the third quarter, and they didn't score their first field goal of the second half until the 1:35 mark.
• The Liberty starting five shot a combined 10-for-38 (26.3%) from the field, with no starter scoring in double figures.
• The 22 combined points from Stewart (6), Ionescu (9) and Jonquel Jones (7) marked their fewest in 109 games as teammates, according to ESPN Research.
"All of us have to step our game up, our defense up, our offense up," Jones said. "We're such a powerful team offensively, and tonight they were able to really congest us and muck things up."
Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas paced Phoenix with 15 points each. Kahleah Copper and DeWanna Bonner each had 14. Sabally had four steals.
It was a significant bounce-back game for Sabally, who shot 2-for-17 in Game 1.
"There was a lot of talk about her last game, but if you haven't had a game like that, then you haven't been playing at the highest level," Thomas said. "We have the utmost confidence in her and we knew that she was going to come out and do her thing tonight."
The Mercury, who were outscored 11-4 in overtime of Game 1, seized the momentum heading into the winner-take-all Game 3.
"We can't go out and play the same way we did and expect a different result," Ionescu said. "I think we have to go out and make the adjustments and play like our season is on the line because it is. And so is theirs."