New York Liberty vs. Atlanta Dream Preview, Prediction and Odds - 6/26/21
A pair of struggling Eastern Conference teams are on the hardwood in a WNBA clash down in Hotlanta. The New York Liberty are on the road as they travel to face the Atlanta Dream Saturday night. New York was swept in a two-game home set by the sizzling Chicago Sky, losing the second game of the set 91-68 Thursday night. Atlanta let one slip away as they were defeated 87-85 at home by Minnesota Wednesday night in their most recent contest. In the first meeting this season, the Dream earned a 90-87 overtime victory on the road May 29. That extended Atlanta’s run of success to six wins in the last eight meetings.
New York Liberty Trying to Recapture Early Season Magic
New York was pasted for the second straight game by Chicago at home as they suffered their seventh loss in their last nine games Thursday night. The Liberty fell to 7-8 on the season and entered Friday holding the sixth seed in the WNBA playoff picture though they are just percentage points ahead of 10th-place Los Angeles. Against Chicago, New York never led and ended up being buried in the second quarter. The Liberty was within four after the opening quarter before getting outscored 37-13 in the second quarter to trail by 28 at the half. New York trailed by as many as 30 in the game and never got closer than 19 in the second half. The Liberty shot 37.3% from the field, including four of 25 from three-point range, turned the ball over 21 times and allowed the Sky to shoot 50% in the game. Michaela Onyenwere led New York with 16 points and six rebounds in the win.
The Liberty comes into this contest 8th in the league in scoring offense with an average of 79.3 points per game. New York is 11th in rebounding (33.7 boards a night) and fourth with 19.8 assists per contest. The Liberty ranks 10th in the league in scoring defense by allowing 87 points per game. Betnijah Laney leads the Liberty with 19.4 points plus 5.1 assists a night this season. Sabrina Ionescu (10.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists) and Michaela Onyenwere (9.5 points) are also capable scoring options. Sami Whitcomb (11.1 points, 5.3 boards), Natasha Howard (14.5 points), Kylee Shook, Rebecca Allen, Jazmine Jones, Reshanda Gray and DiDi Richards are key contributors for coach Walt Hopkins. New York is 8th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 42.3% from the floor as a team. The Liberty is tied for first in the league in made threes per game (10.1) while ranking fifth in three-point shooting at 35.3%. New York is 7th in free throw percentage as they cash in 79.8% of their chances at the stripe. Howard is expected to miss four to six weeks with a sprained MCL sustained May 24 against Dallas.
Atlanta Dream Hoping to Regain Winning Ways
Atlanta had a big first-half lead against Minnesota at home but let the game slip through their fingers for their second straight defeat and their sixth in the last seven games. The Dream fell to 5-8 on the season and entered Friday 11th in the WNBA playoff picture, one game behind the Mercury for the final playoff spot. Atlanta trailed by five on multiple occasions in the first quarter before closing the quarter on a 20-3 run to take a 12-point lead after one. The Dream led by 18 in the second quarter, by six at the half, by eight after three quarters and by nine with 8:47 to play before things fell apart. Atlanta was outscored 17-6 the rest of the way to end up with the defeat, giving up the winning bucket with 1:10 to play. The Dream shot 47.8% from the field, including five of 13 from three-point range, but allowed Minnesota to shoot 52.3% in the contest. Courtney Williams led Atlanta with 24 points and five rebounds in the loss.
The Dream is 4th in the league in scoring offense coming into this contest as they average 84.4 points a game this season. Atlanta is 10th in the league in rebounding (34.5 boards a night) and stands 8th in assists with an average of 18.1 per game. The Dream are 11th in the league in scoring defense as they allow an average of 87.3 points a contest this season. Tiffany Hayes is one of three players for the Dream scoring in double figures as she puts up 17.6 points a night. Chennedy Carter contributes 15.7 points plus 3.6 assists per contest. Odyssey Sims, Crystal Bradford, Tianna Hawkins, Elizabeth Williams, Monique Billings, Courtney Williams (17.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists), Aari McDonald, Cheyenne Parker and Shekinna Strickland are other key rotation pieces for coach Nicki Collen. The Dream are 6th in field goal percentage as they shoot 42.7% from the floor as a team. Atlanta stands eighth in threes per game (7.2) and 9th in three-point percentage as they hit 34.2% of their long-range attempts. The Dream is 12th in the league in free throw percentage as they shoot 73.5% from the stripe as a team this year. Hayes is out four to six weeks with a Grade 2 tear in her MCL that she sustained June 17 against Washington. Billings (illness) is questionable for this contest.
Pick: New York Liberty
Both teams have really hit the skids of late. New York has dropped seven of nine after starting the year 5-1 while Atlanta has lost six of seven after a four-game win streak. The difference in this one may simply come down to health. New York is missing Howard but she’s played just two games this season. Other than that, they are healthy, which is favorable for them. Atlanta is missing Hayes, who is the team’s leading scorer, and really takes some of the bite out of the Dream’s attack. While Carter returned against Minnesota Wednesday, the fact remains that the Dream still found a way to blow an 18-point lead. Give the slight edge to the Liberty in this contest.
Total: Over
We’re looking at a matchup of two of the three worst scoring defenses in the league and they are only saved from being the worst by the miserable Fever. The teams combined for 177 points in the first meeting this season last month in the Big Apple. New York has seen the over hit in nine of their 15 contests this season. Meanwhile, the Dream have had the over hit in eight of their 13 contests on the year. With the way we’ve seen both teams fire offensively this season and struggled on the defensive end of the floor, this one is going to be filled with offensive fireworks. As such, look for this contest to wind up over the mark.
