New York Liberty vs. Chicago Sky
August 23, 2022 9:00 pm EDT
The Line: Chicago Sky -6.5 / Total: 167
(Get latest betting odds)
The Chicago Sky and New York Liberty face off on Tuesday in a WNBA playoff showdown at the Barclays Center. This is a winner take all game, with the losing starting their offseason early.
In the first game of this series, it was the Liberty that pulled the big upset, scoring 98 points on the way to the victory. In Game 2 it was the Sky that got some revenge, putting up 100 points, but even more impressive was the defense that gave up only 62 on the way to the blowout victory. The Sky were led by Kahleah Cooper, who finished with 20 points and three rebounds. The Sky had five different players that put up 12 points. The Liberty didn’t have anyone finish with more than ten points. One big issue for the Liberty was that Sabrina Ionescu only had ten points.
Chicago is averaging 86.3 points, while their defense is giving up 81.3 points per game. The Sky’s offense is ranked second in the league, while their defense is ranked 4th in the league. Kahleah Copper has been the top player for the Sky, averaging 15.7 points while shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from behind the three-point line. In this game, if the Sky’s defense is good, they will be in good shape to secure the victory.
On the other side of this matchup is the Liberty, who are averaging 79.6 points while their defense is giving up 82 points per game. The offense is ranked 9th in the league, while their defense is ranked 6th in the league. Sabrina Ionescu has been the top player for New York, averaging 17.4 points while shooting 41.1 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from behind the three-point line. The Liberty needs her to have a much bigger game, or this will be a loss.
The Liberty’s offense really struggled in the last game against the Sky, and I expect that is going to let them down again in this game. Look for Ionescu to really struggle to score again, as she did in the last game. Even on the road, Chicago will run up the score as they did in the last game, and Chicago will cover the spread.
