The New York Liberty and Portland Fire meet Thursday in WNBA action at the Moda Center. Here’s a Fire vs. Liberty Prediction. This article will include a Fire vs. Liberty Pick.
New York Liberty Betting Preview
The New York Liberty look for their second road win to get off to a fast 3-1 start. The Liberty lost two or more consecutive games six times last regular season.
The New York Liberty are averaging 100 points on 51 percent shooting and allowing 88.7 points on 43.3 percent shooting. Breanna Stewart is averaging 23.3 points and 3.3 assists, while Marine Johannes is averaging 20 points and 3.3 rebounds. Pauline Astier is the third double-digit scorer, and Jonquel Jones is dishing 2 assists. The New York Liberty are shooting 37.2 percent from beyond the arc and 85.7 percent from the free throw line. The New York Liberty are allowing 29.6 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 34 rebounds per game.
Portland Fire Betting Preview
The Portland Fire look for back-to-back upset wins to make an early statement to the rest of the league. The Fire have the upset of the season so far and have a chance to build on it.
The Portland Fire are averaging 90.5 points on 45.3 percent shooting and allowing 97 points on 50.4 percent shooting. Bridget Carleton is averaging 19.5 points and 2 assists, while Carla Leite is averaging 19.5 points and 3.5 rebounds. Kamiah Smalls Barker is the third double-digit scorer, and Luisa Geiselsoder is dishing out 2.5 assists. The Portland Fire are shooting 38.7 percent from beyond the arc and 88.6 percent from the free throw line. The Portland Fire are allowing 42.2 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 25 rebounds per game.
Why the Portland Fire will win
- The Liberty has lost three of their last four games as favorites against Western Conference opponents.
- The home team has won three of the Liberty’s last four games.
- The Liberty has failed to cover the spread in seven of their last eight road games following a road loss.
- The home team has covered the spread in each of the Liberty’s last four games.
Why the New York Liberty will win
- The Liberty has won each of their last eight Thursday road games.
Total Points Facts
- Seven of the Liberty’s last eight games against Western Conference opponents have gone UNDER the total points line.
Portland Fire Player Facts
- Luisa Geiselsoder ranks T1st amongst qualified players for FT% (100.0%) this season.
- Emily Engstler is the only player in the league to have recorded 3+ blocks in consecutive games this season.
New York Liberty Player Facts
- Marine Johannes ranks 1st amongst qualified players for three-pointers made per game (4.7) this season.
- Breanna Stewart is the only player in the league to have recorded 20+ points and 5+ rebounds in consecutive games this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Portland Fire rank 14th for opponent points per game this season (97.0).
- The Portland Fire rank 14th for opponent assists per game this season (22.5).
- The New York Liberty rank 1st for points per game this season (100.0).
- The New York Liberty rank 1st for point differential per game this season (+11.3).
Fire vs Liberty Injury Report
The Liberty will be without Satou Sabally, Sabrina Ionescu, and Marine Fauthoux. Rebecca Allen is questionable with a leg injury.
The Fire will be without Karlie Samuelson due to a foot injury. Carla Leite and Sun Sutton are questionable.
Fire vs Liberty Prediction
The Liberty will be eager to rebound from that bad loss to the Fire and they probably will, but this line is insane. Double-digit points with how banged up the Liberty is? I’m not buying it. The Liberty are now 1-10 ATS in their last 11 games as a double-digit favorite and they’ve outright lost 4 of those games. Overall, the Liberty have failed to cover 7 of their last 10 games.
No Ionescu and Sabally, and they could also be down Allen; this isn’t the super Liberty team we’ll see down the road. Also, the Fire not only beat the Liberty, but that meeting against the Fire was competitive for three quarters. The defense is a mess, but the Fire have held their own through two games. Give me the home dog on Thursday night.