NY Liberty vs. Atlanta Dream preview: Liberty come home for two
Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images
The Liberty are back at Barclays Center and look to resume their regular season winning streak. The Atlanta Dream are looking to slow the Liberty down. Back home after being at “home.” The New York Liberty got to defending their Commissioner Cup at UBS Arena thanks to the NBA Draft being at Barclays Center and the WNBA league office not having a proper contingency plan. The fans at UBS Arena brought the energy, but unfortunately for the home team, the Minnesota Lynx proved to be a bit too much. Fortunately for the Liberty, the loss didn’t count in the standings so they remain atop the standings at 15-3.
The opponent tonight is trying to find its way. It’s been a rocky 2024 for the Atlanta Dream, but they’re still within range of a playoff berth. They helped the cause by beating the Connecticut Sun in Uncasville on Friday night.
Where to follow the game
ESPN is the place to be. Tip after 1 PM.
Injuries
No Nyara Sabally.
Rhyne Howard is out with an ankle injury.
The game
The Liberty won games one and two.
Sabrina Ionescu has been on a tear as of late and she’ll look to take it to the Dream once again. Sab tuned them up to the tune of 26 points, 11 assists, and three rebounds a few weeks ago. Atlanta allows close to 24 three point attempts a night, third most in the league this season. This works doubly well for Ionescu and the Liberty since Sab’s driving ability opens up plenty of scoring opportunities across the court.
Now that the team is almost back at full strength, we’ll see what the rotations and lineup looks like. Courtney Vandersloot returned to the court following the passing of her mother, Jan. She played 12 minutes and found some driving lanes against the Lynx. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton returned after some knee soreness kept her out of action for a week. Laney-Hamilton returned to the starting lineup while Sloot came off the bench. Kayla Thornton has stepped into the starting five and done amazingly well. We’ll see how Sandy Brondello manages things now that she has two starters back.
Today at the arena, the Liberty will be partnering with Soles4Souls to host their third annual sneaker drive!
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If you can, definitely try to give something back and help out folks in need!
Jordin Canada being back should help the lagging Dream backcourt. Hunter Cruse at The Next wrote:
Canada, one of the fastest players in the WNBA and the league’s highest-volume PnR operator in 2023, could significantly improve Atlanta’s offensive strategy. If the Dream maintains or hovers around its PnR volume from Sunday’s game when she plays over 30 minutes per game, it would be a noteworthy development for a team currently running the fewest PnRs in the league (13 per game).
The Dream haven’t gotten much out of their guards, and having Canada back will be an immense boost.
Without Howard, the Dream will run through Tina Charles. Charles is good for around 14 points a game and is still solid in the low post. She scored 19 points in the last meeting against the Liberty, but NY played her and the other Dream starters off the court. Tanisha Wright mentioned the lack of energy from the starters in that game, so look for Charles and friends to bring more fight at the beginning of the game.
Player to watch: Cheyenne Parker-Tyus
So what happens when you’re a former All Star, but your role has been reduced due to the presence of another former All Star? If you’re Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, that means you’re coming off the bench. She’s averaging only 20.1 minutes per game, her lowest since the 2021 season. To make matters worse, she hasn’t played over 20 minutes in a game since June 13 vs. the Indiana Fever. It’s a bit of a mystery as to why she’s seemingly fallen out of favor with the Dream coaching staff, and you wonder if she’ll ever get back in their good graces.
The Liberty will work to find Jonquel Jones better shots within the flow of the offense. JJ was only able to get three field goal attempts up in the Cup Final as Minnesota threw a bunch of defensive looks that had the Liberty off-kilter. JJ had two excellent games against the Dream and with the Liberty being the best rebounding team in the league this season, there will be plenty of opportunities for Jones to
From the Vault
Jhene Aiko is in Barclays Center tomorrow night, so let’s take a trip back in time to Chilombo!
More reading: Peachtree Hoops, ATEEJL Dream, Swish Appeal, The Strickland, The Local W, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Athletic. Fansided, Just Women’s Sports, SI All Knicks, Winsidr, Her Hoop Stats, CBS Sports, and The Next
New York Liberty Game Notes - New York Liberty
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