Watch: Sabrina Ionescu playfully embraces Nets star Mikal Bridges after claiming franchise record in Game 1 against Mystics
Sabrina Ionescu made history on Friday night in the New York Liberty's 90-75 win over the Washington Mystics in Game 1 of the WNBA playoffs. Ionescu was congratulated after the game by Brooklyn Nets star forward Mikal Bridges, who was wearing her jersey on the sidelines.
In the video below, Ionescu approached Bridges after the Liberty's Game 1 win to take a 1-0 lead in the first round of the WNBA playoffs. It's not the first time Bridges has shown his support for Ionescu and the Liberty.
It should be noted that the Liberty and Nets share the same home court, the Barclays Center. Ionescu ended the game with 29 points, six rebounds and two assists while Jonquel Jones had 20 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.
Here's the video:
Mikal Bridges even called himself Sabrina Ionescu's number one fan. Ionescu made seven 3-point shots in the New York Liberty's Game 1 win over the Washington Mystics. It broke the franchise record for most 3-point shots made in a playoff game.
"I'm her #1 fan," Bridges wrote.
In the postgame interview with ESPN's Ros Gold-Onwude, Ionescu was asked about playing in high-pressure situations like the WNBA playoffs. She loves the pressure and used the Mystics' antics in their final regular season matchup to be motivated.
"I live for it," Ionescu said. "I live for this opportunity, pressure, come out we gotta protect home court. They waved us off our home court last game. We got to show them what that feels like.
"We got to keep our heads down and continue to grind the series is not over. They're a great basketball team, but, you know, they punked us, and we had to come out here and proved what we're made of, and we did that tonight."
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Sabrina Ionescu and Mikal Bridges are New York's top basketball stars
Sabrina Ionescu and Mikal Bridges are two of the top basketball stars in New York City. It's a great time to be a hoops fan in the Big Apple, with three very good teams: the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty.
Ionescu and Breanna Stewart are the two faces of women's basketball in New York City. Bridges is an up-and-coming star for the Nets and could have his breakout campaign next season. The Nets also have Cameron Johnson and Nic Claxton as their core players.
Meanwhile, the Knicks were revitalized by the arrival of Jalen Brunson. They made the Eastern Conference semifinals last season. Apart from Brunson, the Knicks have a formidable roster comprising stars like Julius Randle, Josh Hart and RJ Barrett.
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