Ionescu rolls ankle, out at least 2 weeks — Liberty open without their All-Star

Sabrina Ionescu went up, came down on someone's foot, and the Liberty held their breath. The MRI cleared anything structural — no fracture, no ligament tear — but the four-time All-Star is still out at least two weeks with a sprained left ankle she rolled in Sunday's preseason win.

That math means she misses the Liberty's first four regular-season games at minimum. The defending East champs were already retooling around Breanna Stewart's role and Jonquel Jones's playoff exit. Now they open the 30th WNBA season without the engine of their offense.

Two weeks is the floor, not the ceiling. Ankles are tricky. The Liberty will play Ionescu cautiously because there's no reason not to — the postseason is in October. But every game she misses in May is a game New York's offense looks nothing like the version that won 32 games last year.