New York Liberty vs. Minnesota Lynx Preview, Prediction and Odds - 8/31/21
It’s an interconference tilt on the parquet floor as a pair of WNBA teams lock up in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The New York Liberty are on the road as they travel to face the Minnesota Lynx Tuesday night. New York suffered an 80-64 home defeat to Phoenix Friday night in the second game of a two-game set. Minnesota dropped Seattle 76-70 at home in their most recent contest last Tuesday night. The Lynx have won eight of the last 10 meetings between the teams though they have split two matchups this season. In the most recent meeting, it was Minnesota running to an 88-78 home win on August 15.
New York Liberty Hoping to Reverse Recent Struggles
New York lost their fourth straight and their seventh in the last eight games as they were swept in a two-game set at home by Phoenix. The Liberty enter this game 11-16 on the year and held the final playoff spot by percentage points over the Mystics. On Friday night, New York was even near the midway point of the first quarter before things fell apart. The Liberty gave up a 21-4 run over the next eight-plus minutes to trail 33-16 with 6:40 to play in the first half. New York battled back to tie the game at 50 with 1:35 to play in the third quarter only to give up a 15-2 run that left them down 65-52 with 8:14 to play. They were unable to make a sustained push the rest of the way as they took the loss. The Liberty shot 37.3% from the field, including 10 of 33 from three-point range, and turned the ball over 17 times. Natasha Howard led the team with 18 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
The Liberty comes into this contest 9th in the league in scoring offense with an average of 79 points per game. New York is 10th in rebounding (33.7 boards a night) and fifth with 19.4 assists per contest. The Liberty ranks 11th in the league in scoring defense by allowing 86 points per game. Betnijah Laney leads the Liberty with 17.8 points plus 5.2 assists a night this season. Sabrina Ionescu (10.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, six assists) and Michaela Onyenwere (8.7 points) are also capable scoring options. Sami Whitcomb (12.8 points, 5.6 boards), Natasha Howard (15.3 points, 6.5 boards), Kylee Shook, Rebecca Allen, Jazmine Jones, Reshanda Gray and DiDi Richards are key contributors for coach Walt Hopkins. New York is 8th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 42.6% from the floor as a team. The Liberty is first in the league in made threes per game (10.4) while ranking fourth in three-point shooting at 36.5%. New York is 8th in free throw percentage as they cash in 80.3% of their chances at the stripe. Whitcomb (ankle) is out indefinitely after sustaining an injury August 22 against the Sparks.
Minnesota Lynx Looking to Stay Hot
Minnesota won their second straight and 10th in the last 12 games as they took care of Seattle at home in their previous contest. The Lynx improved to 15-9 on the year and enter this one with nearly a week of rest. They were fourth in the WNBA playoff picture, four games behind the Sun for the top spot. Against Seattle, Minnesota bolted to an 11-point lead after the opening quarter and led the rest of the way. The Lynx saw the Storm climb within one on multiple occasions, the last with 3:31 to play, but put the game away with an 8-2 run to go up 73-66 with 1:21 to go. Minnesota shot 42.4% from the floor, including five of 14 from three-point range, and held Seattle to 37.8% shooting in the game. Sylvia Fowles led the Lynx with 29 points and 20 boards in the win.
On the season, the Lynx are 5th in the league in scoring offense with an average of 82.5 points per game. Minnesota is 8th in rebounding as they collect 34.2 boards a night while the team is fourth in assists by dishing 20.8 dimes a night. The Lynx are fifth in the league in scoring defense as they give up an average of 79.9 points per contest this season. Sylvia Fowles is currently leading the team with 16.6 points plus 10 rebounds per contest. Kayla McBride (13.6 points), Crystal Dangerfield (eight points, 3.1 assists) and Aerial Powers (8.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists) are solid secondary scoring options. Damiris Dantas, Napheesa Collier (16.3 points, six rebounds, 3.1 assists), Jessica Shepard, Layshia Clarendon (10.5 points, 5.7 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% from the field as a team this year. The Lynx are tied for 8th in the league in three-pointers per game (6.8) and 7th in three-point shooting as they hit 35% of their attempts from beyond the arc. Minnesota is 4th in the league in free throw shooting as they hit 82.9% of their attempts at the charity stripe. Rennia Davis (foot) is out indefinitely at this point in time.
Pick: Minnesota Lynx
This is a story of two teams heading in opposite directions at this point of the season. New York started the year strong but things have fallen apart since that point. The Liberty have dropped four straight and seven of their last eight games entering this one, leaving them hanging on to the final playoff spot by percentage points going into Tuesday’s action. Meanwhile, Minnesota has won two straight and 10 of 12 with their lone losses coming to Connecticut, who leads the league. The Liberty are brutal on the defensive end of the floor and it’s hard to contain a Minnesota team that is on a roll. Give the advantage to the Lynx here as they continue their climb of the standings.
Total: Over
Both teams have had the over hit more often than not this season. New York has seen the over hit in 16 of their 27 games on the year coming into this one. Five of the Liberty’s last six games have gone over the mark, with the game against Phoenix Friday night the one that fell short of the mark. On the flip side, Minnesota has seen the over hit in 13 of their 24 games on the year. The Lynx have seen the over hit in three of their five games since the Olympic break though the game with Seattle fell short their last time out. When these two teams meet, large point totals follow: the over has hit in six straight meetings and in eight of the last nine. That includes point totals of 161 and 166 points in the two matchups this season. Look for this one to end up over the mark as well.