NY Liberty vs Chicago Sky Preview: Liberty, Sky begin home-and-home series

Don’t like hand-to-hand combat? That’s what happened yesterday morning in Uncasville, Connecticut. During a camp morning, the New York Liberty and the Connecticut Sun engaged in a 40-minute fight. Luckily for New York, they managed to survive and escape Connecticut with a victory. With an 18-4 record, the Liberty are back on top of the WNBA standings.

Tonight’s opponent has exceeded all expectations this year. I think most people thought the Chicago Sky would be at the bottom of the standings. However, they surprised everyone outside of the organization with their excellent play and have a chance to make the playoffs. They helped the cause by picking up a camp day win over the Atlanta Dream yesterday afternoon.

Where to watch the match

Fox 5 on TV. Fox Local, Liberty Live and YES App streaming. A more reasonable start time of 7pm today.

Injuries

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton has been ruled out with a right knee injury. She will not play tonight. Nyara Sabally is available to play after being sidelined with a back injury.

Elizabeth Williams is out for the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

The game

Chicago won the first game while New York won the second. It’s the start of a home-and-home series that will conclude the season series.

Both teams are in the second half of back-to-backs, so we’ll see how the minutes are split tonight.

It’s all new for the Sky, and they have the right person to lead the way. Teresa Weatherspoon has kept the team’s spirits high on her first trip as head coach, and she’s charting a new course for her young club:

“Success is how we try to build. It’s how we grow every day, the work we do every day with enthusiasm and pleasure, with love for each other.”

Chennedy Carter is one person who has benefited from Spoon’s approach and care. Not long ago, there were legitimate questions about whether Carter would ever find his way back to the league. find her bases in Chicago and can be fully herself

When you have someone who believes in you, it can allow you to do special things.

Carter still isn’t great at shooting three-pointers, but who cares when you have a lightning-quick first step, finish incredibly well at the rim, and are pretty solid in the mid-range game? It feels like Carter has it all together and can be considered a key part of the Sky’s future.

Carter will have to battle against Sabrina Ionescu tonight. Sabrina had another great game with her 21/5/5 and her game-saving blocks (?!?!?!?!) that propelled Liberty’s offense. Ionescu’s strength was on full display as she managed to find the basket time and time again, even when excellent defenders like Dijonai Carrington were playing her close to the vest. The fact that Ionescu has gotten stronger and is getting downhill more often has made her a much better player and someone that defenses will have an even harder time dealing with.

Jonquel Jones hasn’t been very efficient scoring-wise in recent games, but JJ has continued to work hard and be a presence on the court. Yesterday, JJ had an 8/11/3/1/1 line and helped Alyssa Thomas score just one field goal on the day. Kamilla Cardoso has adjusted well to the professional game after being sidelined for a while with a shoulder injury, and it will be exciting to see how she performs against one of the best players in the league.

Assuming Laney-Hamilton is out again, we’ll see who Sandy Brondello starts at forward. She selected Leonie Fiebich yesterday, and Leo paid off with a season-high five assists. Fiebich, Kayla Thornton and Kennedy Burke have handled the forward duties in Bee’s absence, and their combination of activity and physicality has kept Liberty in great shape. The team has preached a play-it-or-die mentality, and every player who wears the uniform is ready and able to contribute to the win.

Player to watch: Angel Reese

You never know you’re in a historic moment until you look up and see history unfold before your eyes. It’s been over a month since Angel Reese last had a double-double. Since June 1, Reese leads the WNBA in rebounding with 13.4 rebounds per game. That’s not the most important thing, as she had her record-breaking 14th double-double in a row yesterday afternoon. We’re starting to see Angel improve her game a bit as she’s been hitting the occasional three-pointer in the corner and is shooting 79.7 percent from the free throw line during that stretch. One of the issues she had early on was rushing her shots when she was in the corner. That’s still a bit of an issue, but she’s trying to slow things down a bit and not rush those attempts. She gets better the more she gets reps, and for a Sky franchise trying to level up, having Reese leading the charge will go a long way toward achieving that goal.

Even if Breanna Stewart’s shot isn’t there, you know the defense will be.

Stewart put on a show as usual, and her 18/14/2/1/3 made life difficult for the Sun. For Stewart, trading some three-pointers for shots closer to the basket, and when she does, she also gets to the free throw line a lot. This balance creates more space for the Liberty and ensures they get the best shots possible on every possession. She and the Liberty will have to do a lot of work on the glass against the Sky, but they will be ready to do it. When the Liberty controls the glass, they control the flow of the game and can get out in transition more frequently. Stewart was the key to the Liberty’s better start yesterday, and we’ll see if the group can get off to a strong start once again.

From the safe

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