NY Liberty vs Atlanta Dream Match Preview: Liberty Comes Home for Two Points

Back home after being “home.” The New York Liberty were able to defend their Commissioners Cup at UBS Arena thanks to the NBA Draft being held 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 and they remain in first place at 15-3.

Tonight’s opponent is trying to find their way. It’s been a tough 2024 for the Atlanta Dream, but they’re still within reach of a playoff spot. They helped the cause by beating the Connecticut Sun in Uncasville on Friday night.

Where to watch the match

ESPN is the place to be. Tip after 1 p.m.

Injuries

No, Nyara Sabally.

Rhyne Howard has an ankle injury.

The game

The Liberty won games one and two.

Sabrina Ionescu has been crying lately and she will look to bring it to the Dream again. Sab settled them to the tune of 26 points, 11 assists and three rebounds a few weeks ago. Atlanta is allowing nearly 24 three-point attempts per night, the 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 down the field.

Now that the team is mostly back at full strength, we’ll see what the rotations and lineup look like. Courtney Vandersloot returned to the court after the passing of her mother, Jan. She played 12 minutes and found some lanes against the Lynx. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton returned after knee soreness kept her out for a week. Laney-Hamilton returned to the starting lineup while Sloot came off the bench. Kayla Thornton stepped into the starting five and did incredibly well. We’ll see how Sandy Brondello handles 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!

If you can, definitely try to give something back and help those in need!

The return of Jordin Canada should help the Dream’s lagging backcourt. Hunter Cruse at The following wrote:

Canada, one of the fastest players in the WNBA and the league’s top PnR operator in 2023, could significantly improve Atlanta’s offensive strategy. If the Dream maintain or hover around their PnR volume from Sunday’s game when they play 30-plus minutes per game, it would be a remarkable development for a team that currently manages the fewest PnRs in the league (13 per game).

The Dream hasn’t gotten much out of his guards, and Canada’s return will be a huge boost.

Without Howard, the Dream will have to rely on Tina Charles. Charles is good for around 14 points per game and is still solid in the low post. She scored 19 points in the last game against the Liberty, but NY played her and the other Dream starters off the court. Tanisha Wright mentioned the starters’ lack of energy in this match, so expect Charles and her friends to bring more fighting spirit to the start of the match.

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 just 20.1 minutes per game, her lowest level since the 2021 season. To top it all off, she hasn’t played more than 20 minutes in a game since June 13 against the Indiana Fever. It’s a bit of a mystery why she seems to have fallen out of favor with the Dream coaching staff, and it makes you wonder if she’ll ever get back into their good graces.

The Liberty will work to find better shots for Jonquel Jones in the flow of the offense. JJ was only able to get three field goal attempts in the Cup Finals, as Minnesota went on a defensive spree that kept the Liberty off-kilter. JJ had two great games against the Dream, and with the Liberty being the league’s top rebounding team this season, Jones will have plenty of opportunities to rebound.

From the safe

Jhene Aiko is at the Barclays Center tomorrow night, so let’s take a trip back in time to Chilombo!

More reading: Peach wood hoop earrings, Dream of ATEEJL, Swish Call, The Strickland, The local W, New York Daily News, The New York Post, Athleticism. Fanside, Just women’s sport, IF All Knicks, Winsidr, His basketball stats, CBS SportsAnd The following