This game has some seriously weird vibes. The Chicago Sky are floundering in the post-Angel Reese era, with off-court drama taking over the team’s direction. Meanwhile, the New York Liberty are struggling under a new head coach and a slew of injuries, and the vibes have shifted dramatically. But only one of these teams will go into the All-Star break on a low note.
The Liberty enter as 8.5-point home favorites with -387 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Sky are +298 underdogs with the game total set at 179.5 points. Let’s dive into a preview, prediction, and pick for this Sky-Liberty matchup.
Sky at Liberty Prediction, Preview
Things got off to a brutal start for the Chicago Sky. Losers of 12 of their first 16 games, it was a clear sign that things weren’t going to get better. But now things are perking up a bit. Much to the chagrin of Skylar Diggins, who has made quite a lot of noise about the coaching staff off the court, things have been better since she went on the shelf. They’ve proven themselves solid by beating other lottery-bound teams, and are fresh off an awfully tight loss to the playoff-bound Atlanta Dream.
The play of rookie Sydney Taylor has been the big story in the Sky creeping towards average. Over the first 10 games of the season, Taylor averaged 7.4 points per game on 35% shooting; over the last 14, Taylor is up to 17.9 PPG on 49% shooting. That transformative scoring has given them a new outlook on the season. Not bad for an undrafted free agent. If Taylor can keep this up, it’s a significant boost for a team short on talent.
Talent isn’t a problem for the New York Liberty, but health certainly is. Injuries to Sabrina Ionescu, Satou Sabally, Leonie Fiebich, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton have all caused them to miss significant time this season. It’s been awfully tough for first-year head coach Chris DeMarco to field a consistent lineup. Other than Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart, things have been nebulous.
But the last game gave them significant hope. The Liberty, with their backs against the wall, went on the road to beat an awfully tough Dallas Wings team. Breanna Stewart’s excellence was enough to carry the offense, but importantly, Sabrina Ionescu played a full 35 minutes. As she works her way towards full health, games like this are important, even if the efficiency isn’t all there yet. This Liberty team cannot reach its full ceiling without a healthy Sabrina, and the stretch run of the season will be about getting her up to speed.
The question here: how does New York keep it together despite their injuries? Satou Sabally, Leonie Fiebich, and Marine Johannes have all been ruled out, while Betnijah Laney-Hamilton remains questionable. Will star power alone be enough to power them past an inferior Sky team? Or will Chicago’s young talent be able to grind out the upset?
Now that we know these teams a bit better, who is going to pull out the win, and how should we bet this game?
Sky at Liberty Pick, Best Bet
I can’t ignore the value of the Sky here. Even though the talent is there for New York, the vibes are atrocious, even in their wins. Something is going on behind the scenes that we don’t know about, and until that gets solved, any team playing competent basketball has a shot at beating the Liberty. I’ll take the shot on their upset chances.
