Sabrina Ionescu sprains ankle, will miss at least four games to start Liberty's title defense

Sabrina Ionescu rolled her ankle in New York's preseason finale against Connecticut on Sunday. The MRI came back clean — no structural damage — but she's still set to miss at least two weeks. That's the Liberty's first four regular-season games, minimum.

The timing is brutal. New York opens its title defense Friday night at home against the Sun in the WNBA's marquee opening-night matchup. Then they hit the road for games against Atlanta and Indiana inside the first week. Without Ionescu, the load shifts to Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and rookie pickup additions. Last year Sabrina averaged 18.2 points and 6.2 assists.

The injury bug is hitting other contenders too — Ezi Magbegor will miss the start for the Storm with a foot injury suffered playing for Australia, and Kate Martin is dealing with a Grade 2 quad strain in Golden State. Lexie Hull is fighting to be ready for Indiana's Saturday opener. The W's 30th season is starting with a banged-up roster across the league.