Connecticut Sun vs. New York Liberty
May 17, 2022 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Liberty +7
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The New York Liberty and Connecticut Sun face off on Tuesday in a WNBA showdown at Barclays Center.
When these two teams faced off on May 7th it was the Liberty that secured the 81-79 victory. It was 11 points in the second quarter that was the difference that led the Connecticut Sun to lose.
The New York Liberty come into this game with a 1-3 record overall, and that only win came against the Sun in the opening game of the season. Since that point, the Liberty have lost three straight games, and the defense has been a big issue for this team. In each of the last three games the Liberty has given up 81 points, and two games ago against the Indiana Fever, they gave up 92 points. New York is averaging 72 points, while their defense is giving up 83.8 points per game. New York’s offensive rating is 90.3 while their defensive rating is 105.1. Sabrina Ionescu has been the top player for New York, averaging 18.8 points while shooting 45.8 percent from the field.
On the other side of this matchup is the Connecticut Sun, who has only played two games this season, and they sit with a 1-1 record. In the first game of the season against the Liberty, they did lose that game because of their defense. In the last game against the Los Angeles Sparks, the offense only managed 60 points, and that led to the 17-point victory. The Sun are averaging 78 points, while their defense is giving up 70.5 points per game. The defense is actually first in the league in terms of points given up, while the offense is 7th. They also play the slowest pace in the WNBA. Alyssa Thomas has been the top offensive player, averaging 24 points while shooting 60.6 percent from the field.
The first game between these two teams had 160 points scored, and I expect this game is going to be a shootout also. Even with the Sun playing at a slower pace, this is a Liberty team that is giving up 83.8 points per game. Look for both of these teams to run up the score, and this game is going to go over the total.
