Liberty’s Breanna Stewart recovering from bone bruise in knee, targets return by end of month

Breanna Stewart, the two-time WNBA MVP, is recovering from a bone bruise in her right knee sustained during the New York Liberty's loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on July 26. She expressed feeling better and hopes to return to play by the end of August, potentially before her birthday on August 27. Stewart emphasized her desire to rejoin her team soon.

Liberty coach Sandy Brondello also anticipates Stewart could be back by the end of August to aid the team in defending its WNBA title. Since Stewart's injury, the Liberty (20-11) have gone 3-4, including losses to the league-leading Minnesota Lynx (27-5) in WNBA Finals rematches, and currently hold second place in the standings.

Meanwhile, the Sparks (15-16), who the short-handed Liberty face next, are on a strong run, winning eight of their last ten games. They are currently one game behind the Golden State Valkyries (16-15) and half a game behind the Seattle Storm (16-16) for the seventh and eighth playoff spots in the 13-team league. The Sparks are as healthy as they've been all season and are coming off a comeback victory over Seattle.