The Washington Mystics and New York Liberty meet Friday in game 1 of the WNBA first round playoffs at the Barclays Center. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
Washington Mystics Betting Preview
The Washington Mystics enter the playoffs splitting their last 12 games. The Mystics are in the playoffs for the ninth time in the last 11 years. The Washington Mystics are averaging 80.5 points on 42.8 percent shooting and allowing 80.9 points on 43.6 percent shooting. Elena Delle Donne is averaging 16.7 points and 5.4 rebounds, while Brittney Sykes is averaging 15.9 points and 3.8 assists. Natasha Cloud is the third double-digit scorer, and Ariel Atkins is dishing 2.3 assists. The Washington Mystics are shooting 33.6 percent from beyond the arc and 82.3 percent from the free throw line. The Washington Mystics allowing 34.5 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 32.3 rebounds per game.
New York Liberty Betting Preview
The New York Liberty enter the playoffs with just 2 losses since July 30. The Liberty are in the playoffs for the sixth time in the last 9 years. The New York Liberty are averaging 89.2 points on 46 percent shooting and allowing 80.6 points on 42.4 percent shooting. Breanna Stewart is averaging 23 points and 3.8 assists, while Sabrina Ionescu is averaging 17 points and 5.6 rebounds. Betnijah Laney is the third double-digit scorer, and Jonquel Jones is dishing 1.8 assists. The New York Liberty are shooting 37.4 percent from beyond the arc and 82.9 percent from the free throw line. The New York Liberty are allowing 34.1 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 37.9 rebounds per game.
Trends
The Mystics are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 road games and 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall. The Liberty are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Friday games and 6-2 ATS in their last 8 vs. Eastern Conference. The under is 6-2 in Mystics last 8 overall. The over is 6-2 in Liberty last 8 overall. The Mystics are 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
Randy’s Pick
The New York Liberty should be obvious big favorites, and a blowout like the first two playoff games wouldn’t be shocking. However, the Mystics are as healthy as they’ve been in a while and probably wouldn’t be a seventh seed if they had their key players for chunks of the season. The Mystics beat the Liberty opening night, and they beat them a few days ago. This has a chance to be an intriguing series and closer than many think. I’ll take a shot with the free points.