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At the beginning of the WNBA season, there were two teams that people assumed would win the WNBA Championship. One of them was the New York Liberty. The other was the Las Vegas Aces. After all, the teams have won the past four championships. The Minnesota Lynx were expected to be fine, but take a step back due to missing their MVP. We go into tonight’s game with the Liberty looking anything but a championship contender, and their challenger, the Wings, looking like they could be.
The Liberty are one of those teams that has plenty of star power, but things just aren’t going great this season. Let us start with the good – Breanna Stewart remains one of the best players in the league, and she is dominating with 20.4 points per game. They won when it mattered most (so far), by taking the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup. It looks like Sabrina Ionescu is finally getting back in her stride. However, outside of the Cup, they are just 2-7 over their last nine games.
Maybe this is just a matter of the Liberty knowing they need to get into the playoffs, then do their damage. They’ve shown signs of being streaky all season. They had an eight-game winning streak, but as mentioned, they’ve struggled as well. Like most teams, they’ve had to deal with injuries, and that can be a problem for getting a consistent lineup to gel. I think the Liberty ultimately will be fine, but they probably need to make a run fairly soon.
I won’t break my arm patting myself on the back, but of all the WNBA teams, I picked the Wings to have the biggest step forward this season. They had two players who were added to the roster, who I thought would make a big impact. The first is Azzi Fudd, the number one overall pick in this past year’s draft. I know, great insight, saying the first pick would be helpful. After looking a bit timid early in the year, she is now shooting much better and playing better as well. She is third on her team in shot attempts, and I think that helps give her teammate Paige Bueckers some options for another threat on the court with her.
The other person whom I expected to make an impact was Alanna Smith. She will not be available in tonight’s game and has played in 20 of their 24 games. She has also started only seven games for the Wings. She is not making the impact I expected. She is a 3-and-D player and was a co-Defensive Player of the Year last year. The Wings struggled on defense significantly last year, and I thought she would help transform that part of the game.
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For the year, the Wings are still allowing 85 points per game, which is better than last season, but not great. The Liberty aren’t much better at 84 points per game. Dallas is also playing some of their best basketball, having won five straight games. They’ve run their record to 16-8 for the season and look like they will make the postseason.
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I’m going to take a shot on the Liberty tonight. This game is a bit of a toss-up, but the Liberty have lost the first two games to the Wings this season, and now are on the verge of being swept for the season. I also like that the Liberty lost to the Wings just a few days ago. I know that Dallas is playing better basketball, but I think the pride comes out a bit here and New York wins. Give me them at +105.
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