(Photo credit: John Jones-Imagn Images)

Suddenly, the reigning WNBA champion New York Liberty aren't even assured of hosting a first-round playoff game.

The Liberty, who are set to play the visiting Washington Mystics on Thursday night, have been in second place for most of this season. But injuries have caught up to them, and the Liberty (23-15) are now fifth in the league with just six games left.

Liberty 6-4 forward Breanna Stewart finally returned from a knee injury Monday, but she missed 13 games. During the month that Stewart was out, the Liberty's defensive rating decreased in effectiveness, from 97.2 points allowed per 100 possessions to 106.8, which was fourth worst in the league.

Also in New York's frontcourt, starting center Jonquel Jones has missed 12 games, although she is now healthy. Sabrina Ionescu also returned from an injured foot Monday. However, Isabelle Harrison and Nyara Sabally are still out. Harrison and Sabally have combined to miss 33 games.

In addition, 6-4 wing Leonie Fiebich is playing with an injured right hand, and point guard Natasha Cloud missed Monday's win over Connecticut after getting hit in the face and suffering a fractured nose.

'We just can't catch a break on the injury front,' Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. 'We're a really good team when we have our full group, but we haven't been able to show it, and it's frustrating.'

Cloud is expected to return Thursday. That could be bad news for Washington, which is 16-22 and 3 1/2 games behind Seattle and Golden State in the battle for the final playoff spot. Washington is 6-12 on the road, while New York is 15-5 at home.

Washington was at home for its two previous games this season against New York. The Liberty won both contests by a combined 30 points.

The Mystics will enter Thursday's game on a four-game losing streak overall. They are coming off an 84-82 last-second home loss to Seattle on Sunday.

On a positive note for Washington, Shakira Austin scored a career-high 30 points versus the Storm, and she did it in an efficient manner -- 10-for-15 from the floor and 10-for-10 from the foul line.

Austin, a 25-year-old native of Virginia, is a 6-5 center and the third overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft. She has played her entire career with the Mystics, but she said she is just now getting back to form after a left hip injury that required surgery in December 2023.

'It was my first major injury,' said Austin, who is averaging 13.1 points and 6.4 rebounds. 'The recovery time initially was four-to-six months, but I'm still dealing with trying to feel like myself a year and a half later.'

--Field Level Media