Stewart (knee) plays but Liberty pushed to Game 3

NEW YORK -- Liberty star Breanna Stewart, wearing a brace on her injured left knee, started in Game 2 of New York's first-round WNBA playoff series against the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night.

Stewart was in her customary starting spot but finished with just six points in 20 minutes. The Mercury won in a rout, 86-60, to send the series back to Phoenix for a deciding Game 3 on Friday night.

Stewart injured her knee in Game 1 on Sunday and said Wednesday that an MRI revealed an MCL sprain. She told ESPN's Holly Rowe she planned to play as much as she could depending on pain tolerance.

"They told me that structurally, everything looks OK," Stewart said during Wednesday morning shootaround at Barclays Center. "So, my plan is to go."

Stewart went through a full-speed pregame warmup and was evaluated by medical staff, Rowe reported.

During overtime of Game 1, Stewart crumpled to the floor and grabbed her left knee. She left the game with 2:07 remaining and did not return.

"What I felt in the moment scared me more than anything," the two-time WNBA MVP said. "I'm very happy to have gotten my MRI results back and know that it's something I can play through."

Stewart leads the Liberty in points per game (18.3), blocks per game (1.4) and steals per game (1.4). She is second in rebounding with 6.6 per game.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.