New York Liberty vs. Chicago Sky Preview, Prediction and Odds - 5/23/21
A pair of Eastern Conference teams take the floor looking to pick up a victory in the Windy City. The New York Liberty are on the road as they travel to face the Chicago Sky Sunday afternoon. New York was walloped 101-72 on the road by Washington in their previous contest Friday night. Chicago knocked off Atlanta 85-77 on the road in their previous contest Wednesday night. The teams split two meetings last season with the Liberty earning a 101-99 victory as the road team on August 25, 2020, in the most recent matchup. That win snapped the Sky’s four-game win streak in the series.
Liberty Seeking to Bounce Back From First Loss of Season
New York was flying high with three straight wins to open the season but they were flattened on the road by a previously winless Washington team Friday night. The Liberty entered Saturday tied for second in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the Sun for the top spot in the division. New York led by one midway through the first quarter before giving up a 16-0 run and they never got back in the mix again. The Liberty closed within two with 3:50 to play in the first half and was within six at the half. In the second half, New York was outscored 49-26, including 23-8 in the fourth quarter, to turn the game into a rout. New York shot 43.1% from the field, including 11 of 27 from three-point range, and were dominated 42-28 on the glass. Betnijah Laney led the Liberty with 20 points, five rebounds and five assists in the loss.
The Liberty comes into this contest 5th in the league in scoring offense with an average of 80.3 points per game. New York is 10th in rebounding (33.5 boards a night) and fourth with 19.8 assists per contest. The Liberty ranks seventh in the league in scoring defense by allowing 82 points per game. Laney leads the Liberty with 22.5 points plus four assists a night this season. Sabrina Ionescu (18.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, eight assists) and Michaela Onyenwere (10.3 points, 3.3 boards) are also averaging in double figures. Sami Whitcomb, Kylee Shook, Rebecca Allen, Jazmine Jones, Reshanda Gray and DiDi Richards are key contributors for coach Walt Hopkins. New York is 5th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 43.9% from the floor as a team. The Liberty is leading the league in made threes per game (11.3) while ranking 3rd in three-point shooting at 42.9%. New York is 3rd in free throw percentage as they cash in 82.1% of their chances at the stripe.
Chicago Sky Looking to Remain Unbeaten
Chicago has had three days off to regroup for this contest as they held off Atlanta at home in their previous contest. The Sky entered Saturday 2-0 on the year, leaving them tied for second in the Eastern Conference, one game behind Connecticut for the top spot. Against Atlanta, Chicago never trailed, jumping to a 7-0 lead in the opening 91 seconds and didn’t look back. The Sky led by 11 after the opening quarter, by 20 at the half and by as many as 23 in the game only to see the Dream close within one with 3:51 to play. Chicago regrouped with an 8-2 run to go up 78-71 with 1:28 remaining en route to the victory. The Sky shot 40% from the floor, including one of 13 from three-point range, but cashed in 28 of 36 free throw attempts while Atlanta was 12 of 24. Kahleah Copper led Chicago with 23 points in the victory.
The Sky is seventh in the league in scoring offense as they muster 77.5 points per contest this season. Chicago is second in rebounding (41.5 boards a night) and fifth in assists by dishing out 19.5 dimes a game. The Sky is good on defense as they are first in the league by allowing an average of 66.5 points a contest. Kahleah Copper leads the team with 21 points plus six rebounds a night this season. Candace Parker (16 points, eight boards), Astou Ndour (11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds) and Ruthy Hebard (10.5 points, 6.5 rebounds) are solid secondary options. The Sky can also look to Diamond DeShields, Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley, Stefanie Dolson, Brittany Boyd-Jones, Natasha Mack and Stephanie Watts to contribute for coach James Wade. Chicago is ninth in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 38.5% as a team. The Sky is in the middle of the pack in threes per game as they are ninth with 4.5 per contest: they are eighth in three-point shooting at 30%. Chicago comes in fifth at the free throw line this season as they are shooting 80.7% at the stripe. Parker and Azura Stevens both missed the last game but are probable here. Meanwhile, Quigley has been ruled out for the second straight contest with a hamstring injury.
Pick: Chicago Sky -6.5
This one should be an entertaining affair between a pair of teams with plenty of talent to work within their rotations. New York started the year with three straight wins but they were brought back to earth with a whipping at the hands of the Mystics on the road Friday night. The Liberty may have overachieved in their first three wins, two of which came over Indiana. While the blowout loss may have been a wake-up call for New York, the fact remains that Chicago has been stellar defensively in the first two games of the season. Getting Parker back in the mix adds another versatile weapon when it comes to making things happen offensively. Look for the Sky to take advantage with their veterans and earn the home victory here to remain unbeaten.
Total: Under 164
New York has been prolific on the offensive end of the floor in the first week-plus of the season but we saw they had issues on the defensive end of the floor against the Mystics. The Liberty has gone over the total in three of their four games and have been the underdog in each of those contests. Meanwhile, Chicago has seen the under hit in both of their games this season, falling a hefty 39.5 points under the mark in the opening game of the season against Washington and then falling a half-point shy against Atlanta. This one is played at a slower pace with Chicago playing their tough defense, which keeps this one under the mark.
