Liberty have no answers for ex-teammate Natasha Cloud’s monster night in loss to Sky

Nypost · Aug 18, 2026 · 630 words · By Madeline Kenney

Athletic Performance Personal Redemption

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What to know about Athletic Performance

CHICAGO — Sky guard Natasha Cloud sent a message Tuesday night.

Claims checked 13

Techniques found 1

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

CHICAGO — Sky guard Natasha Cloud sent a message Tuesday night.

Why it matters

Not just to her former team, the Liberty, whom she torched for a career-high 35 points en route to leading the Sky to a 93-86 win.

Common ground

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Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Athletic Performance story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Cloud, who also had nine rebounds and six assists?
How does this story connect Athletic Performance with Personal Redemption over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/18/sports/liberty-have-no-answers-for-natasha-clouds-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 5

schedule Pending 3

info Single Source 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

check_circle Corroborated 1

verified

Claim 1: “Cloud, who also had nine rebounds and six assists.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

No evidence was provided that specifies the rebounds and assists for Natasha Cloud in a specific game against the New York Liberty.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Liberty

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 New York Liberty season was the 29th season for the New York Liberty franchise of the WNBA, and their fourth season under head coach, Sandy Brondello. The season tipped off on Saturday, May 1…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_New_York_Liberty_season

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Natasha Cloud (born February 22, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for the Phantom of Unrivaled.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natasha_Cloud

+ 3 more evidence sources

check_circle

Claim 2: “The Liberty, playing without Jonquel Jones, who exited the first quarter with an ankle injury”

CORROBORATED

Web search results explicitly state that Jonquel Jones was out with a sprained ankle and Nyara Sabally played in her place in a game against the Chicago Sky.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — With Jonquel Jones out with a sprained ankle, Sabally earned her first career WNBA start and showed no signs of rust in the Liberty’s 85-66 win against the Chicago Sky at Barclays Center. Sabally fini…
https://sports.yahoo.com/article/nyara-sabally-plays-well-pl…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The organization brought Sabally here as a key piece to its championship puzzle, one who would join Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu and Leonie Fiebich in the drive for Title II. She wound up p…
https://brooklyneagle.com/413636/new-york-libertys-satou-sab…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — (Jonquel Jones) hit the biggest shot of the game, probably, when we were down one or two.” Candace Parker had 19 points and 18 rebounds for the Sky, and Kahleah Copper scored 13 points on 5-for-10 sho…
https://egyptian-gazette.com/sports/sun-defeats-sky-in-game-…

info

Claim 3: “When Marine Johannès hit a go-ahead 3 with just over two minutes left in the game”

SINGLE SOURCE

A TikTok source mentions Marine Johannès hitting a decisive three-pointer for the Liberty, but it does not specify the timing (two minutes left) or that it was a 'go-ahead' shot in the context of this specific game.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Watch Marine Johannès' incredible three-pointer as the Liberty make an exciting comeback in the 4th quarter!Marine Johannes taps the pass, sprints into position and drills a decisive three for the New…
https://www.tiktok.com/discover/marine-johannes-liberty-3-po…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Marine Johannès stunned fans with a no-look three-pointer as France beat China 90-61 to reach the FIBA Women’s World Cup semifinals.Johannes and Janelle Salaun finished with 15 points each, with Johan…
https://clutchpoints.com/womens-sports/fiba-womens-world-cup…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Johannès uses the zestiest of flavors to season her passes and shots. Her game overflows with punch and pizzazz. Consider her second WNBA assist of 2022, less than three minutes into entering that Jun…
https://netsrepublic.com/in-appreciation-of-marine-johannes-…

verified

Claim 4: “In the second quarter, Cloud made back-to-back 3s followed by another ex-Liberty player Courtney Vandersloot draining one of her own to give the Sky a nine-point lead with less than four minutes left in the first half.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence provided for this claim consists of TurboTax advertisements and general team Wikipedia pages; there is no game-specific play-by-play data to corroborate this sequence of events.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Chicago Sky season is franchise's 21st season in the Women's National Basketball Association and second under head coach Tyler Marsh.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Chicago_Sky_season

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The franchi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Sky

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — In basketball, an assist is a pass to a teammate that directly leads to a score by field goal. The Women's National Basketball Association's (WNBA) assist title is awarded to the player with the highe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WNBA_annual_assists_le…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 5: “In each of the Sky’s previous games against the Liberty, they lost by one point.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While one source mentions a loss against the Liberty (85-66), there is no evidence confirming that 'each' previous game was lost by exactly one point.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Official WNBA Schedule & Scores. Check your team’s schedule, game times, broadcasters and opponents for this season and historical seasons.
https://www.wnba.com/schedule

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Holly Rowe interviews Caitlin Clark and DeWanna Bonner after the Indiana Fever’s big win over the Chicago Sky to open up their 2025 WNBA season. Clark recorded her third career triple-double while Bon…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WejNUj98uTA

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — DiJonai Carrington and the Chicago Sky are back at practice amid the WNBA break.Carrington has used the break to recover from a foot injury. The issue forced her to miss the Sky’s last game on Aug. 29…
https://athlonsports.com/wnba/chicago-sky/dijonai-carrington…

verified

Claim 6: “She didn’t sign her next WNBA contract until after training camps opened.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Search results mention contract updates and training camps in general terms (TikTok tags), but no factual confirmation that she signed her contract specifically after training camps opened.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)'s draft for the 2025 season was held following the 2024–25 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. It marked the first draft for the newest expans…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_WNBA_draft

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 WNBA season is the 30th and current season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The league expanded from 13 to 15 teams with the addition of the Portland Fire and Toronto Te…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_WNBA_season

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 7: “The Liberty... let her walk after one season.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While evidence confirms Natasha Cloud played for both the Liberty and the Sky, there is no specific evidence provided stating the Liberty 'let her walk' after exactly one season.

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 8: “the Sky, who have the fifth-worst offensive rating in the league.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 9: “Sky guard Natasha Cloud... torched for a career-high 35 points en route to leading the Sky to a 93-86 win.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence includes general information about Natasha Cloud and the Chicago Sky, but no specific game report or box score confirming a 35-point career-high performance in a 93-86 win over the Liberty.

menu_book

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 10: “Chicago also won the rebounding battle, 44-35.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 11: “Cloud had seven points, three rebounds and an assist down the stretch.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found for this claim.

schedule

Claim 12: “The Sky scored 20 second-chance points to the Liberty’s six.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 13: “The Sky went on a 10-2 run to close out the game and seal the win.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found for this claim.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.