New York Liberty vs. Minnesota Lynx Preview, Prediction and Odds - 8/15/21
We see the second half of the WNBA slate get underway with an interconference clash between teams heading in opposite directions in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The New York Liberty are on the road as they travel to face the Minnesota Lynx Sunday night. New York was dropped 71-54 by Connecticut at home in their last game before the Olympic break July 11. Minnesota rolled to an 86-61 victory on the road over Los Angeles in their most recent game back on July 11. The Lynx have taken seven of the last 10 meetings between the teams but it was the Liberty earning an 86-75 home win in the first meeting this season on May 18.
New York Liberty Trying to Recapture Early Season Magic
New York started the year 5-1 but dropped 10 of their final 15 games heading into the Olympic break. The Liberty enters the second half 10-11 and sit sixth in the WNBA standings, one game ahead of the Wings to remain on the right side of the cut line. Against Connecticut, New York was completely stifled on the offensive end as they took the loss. The Liberty’s last lead in that game was 8-7: they gave up a 12-0 run to trail 19-8 and never got closer than seven the rest of the way. New York was limited to 30.4% shooting from the field, including nine of 29 from beyond the arc, and lost the rebounding battle 42-34. Kylee Shook led the Liberty with 16 points in the loss.
The Liberty comes into this contest 10th in the league in scoring offense with an average of 79.2 points per game. New York is 10th in rebounding (34.2 boards a night) and sixth with 19.5 assists per contest. The Liberty ranks 11th in the league in scoring defense by allowing 84.9 points per game. Betnijah Laney leads the Liberty with 19 points plus 5.1 assists a night this season. Sabrina Ionescu (9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, six assists) and Michaela Onyenwere (9.8 points) are also capable scoring options. Sami Whitcomb (12.1 points, 5.8 boards), Natasha Howard (14.5 points), 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 42.9% from the floor as a team. The Liberty is first in the league in made threes per game (10.1) while ranking fourth in three-point shooting at 35.9%. New York is 10th in free throw percentage as they cash in 79.3% of their chances at the stripe. Howard was expected to miss four to six weeks with a sprained MCL sustained May 24 against Dallas but remains out with a late-August timetable for return. Rebecca Allen is questionable here after missing time with a foot injury and then representing Australia in the Tokyo Olympics.
Minnesota Lynx Seek to Keep Rolling
Minnesota started the season slowly but have been on fire of late. The Lynx’s demolition of the Sparks on the road in their final game before the break gave them seven straight wins and vaulted them to fourth in the WNBA playoff picture, three games behind the league-leading Storm. Against Los Angeles, Minnesota bolted to a 29-13 lead after the opening quarter and didn’t let the Sparks closer than six after that. The Lynx shot a blistering 55.9% from the floor, including nine of 19 from three-point range, and controlled the glass by a 37-24 margin in the contest. Napheesa Collier poured in 27 points and seven rebounds to lead the Lynx in the win.
On the season, the Lynx are 4th in the league in scoring offense with an average of 83.3 points per game. Minnesota is 7th in rebounding as they collect 35.3 boards a night while the team is third in assists by dishing 21.1 dimes a night. The Lynx are fifth in the league in scoring defense as they give up an average of 80 points per contest this season. Sylvia Fowles is second on the team with 15.9 points plus 9.8 rebounds per contest. Kayla McBride (14.1 points), Crystal Dangerfield (8.5 points, 3.6 assists) and Aerial Powers (10 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists) are solid secondary scoring options. Damiris Dantas, Napheesa Collier (17.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists), Jessica Shepard, Layshia Clarendon (10.6 points, 5.5 assists), Bridget Carleton, Rachael Banham, Natalie Achonwa and Linnae Harper are looked at to be contributors for coach Cheryl Reeve. Minnesota stands second in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 46.1% from the field as a team this year. The Lynx are 6th in the league in three-pointers per game (7.2) and 6th in three-point shooting as they hit 34.7% of their attempts from beyond the arc. Minnesota is 6th in the league in free throw shooting as they hit 81.7% of their attempts at the charity stripe. Powers is out eight to 10 weeks after undergoing thumb surgery June 18 for a torn UCL. Achonwa (knee) is questionable here while Rennia Davis (foot) is out indefinitely at this point in time.
Pick: Minnesota Lynx
This one is all about the momentum that each team had going into the break. New York had dropped two straight and 10 of 15 after starting the season like gangbusters. The Liberty are dealing with injuries that have hampered key contributors in their rotation from seeing much in the way of meaningful action, putting a ton of pressure on the remaining personnel. Meanwhile, we’ve seen Minnesota rip off seven straight wins, including a pair of wins over Western Conference-leading Las Vegas, and they’re firing on all cylinders offensively. The Lynx are at home and they take advantage of the Liberty to run their win streak to eight games.
Total: Over
Minnesota has been blasting away offensively, scoring at least 82 points in six of the seven games in this win streak and not fewer than 77 points in any of those contests. The Lynx have seen the over hit in 10 of their 19 games on the year though the under has hit in four of their last five games. New York has seen the over hit in 11 of their 21 games though the under has hit in four of their previous five as well. When these teams meet however, points follow: they scored 161 points in the first meeting back in May. Seven of the last eight meetings, including the last five, have wound up over the mark. With the Lynx piling up points and the Liberty giving them up, this one goes over the mark.