The race for the WNBA playoffs has been intense. The New York Liberty went into a free fall over the past couple of months, going from a legitimate contender to the eighth and final seed in the playoff picture. But they’ve gotten some important wins as of late, including Monday night’s win over the Seattle Storm. Can they repeat that feat on Wednesday, or will the Storm get their revenge?
The Liberty enter as 8.5-point home favorites with -440 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Storm are +340 underdogs, with the game total set at 182.5 points.
Let’s dive into a preview, prediction, and pick for this Storm-Liberty matchup.
Storm vs. Liberty Prediction, Preview
So far, these teams have split the season series one game apiece. Seattle took the first game at home, 99-88, with key performances from some young players. Flau’jae Johnson led the offensive charge with 28 points, while also pitching in nine rebounds, three steals, and a block. The Storm also got a 20-10 performance from rising star Dominique Malonga, while Awa Fam pitched in 15 points and her usual brand of active defense. With no Breanna Stewart and no Satou Sabally, the Liberty struggled to keep pace on both ends of the floor; strong performances by Jonquel Jones and Leonie Fiebich weren’t enough to save the Liberty.
Their last matchup on Monday was New York’s get-back. This time around, they had Stewie in the fold, and she made all the difference. The former MVP pitched in 24 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, along with her usual brand of elite defense. That defense was huge in particular, negating rookie Awa Fam entirely and keeping Malonga from dominating them inside the paint. Flau’jae still got hers with 25 points, but Seattle’s young offense couldn’t keep up with the Stewie-Jonquel-Sabrina trio.
New York won’t have the cleanest bill of health, but have they had one this season? Satou Sabally and Leonie Fiebich, two key contributors, will remain out after missing Monday’s game. So we can expect the same squads we saw two days ago going head-to-head.
Dominique Malonga is the key on both ends of the floor. Her paint defense can take away a lot of what the Liberty want to do. If the drive-and-kick game is neutered by Malonga’s paint deterrence, it puts heavy emphasis on contested three-point shooting and Stewie’s midrange to keep the offense afloat. Her size is a lot for anyone to deal with, and though Jonquel Jones isn’t afraid to get physical in the paint, it’s a bit unfair when Malonga’s shots cannot be contested. She’s the one player who can single-handedly turn this game on its head for the Storm.
But if New York’s stars are cooking, there’s not much Seattle can do. Stewie and Jonquel have been metronomes all year, but Sabrina Ionescu’s turnaround has changed their season outlook. She missed considerable time with a back injury and took a long time getting back up to speed. Over her last nine games, Ionescu is scoring 22.4 PPG on 50/42/91 shooting splits, along with 4.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. That’ll work.
Flau’jae bears watching here as well. For whatever reason, she plays her best offensive hoops against the Liberty. If she can lock in on the defensive end while providing that elite scoring, that can be a huge swing factor for Seattle.
Now that we know these teams a bit better, who is going to pull out the win, and how should we bet this game?
Storm vs. Liberty Pick, Best Bet
With the Liberty’s star trio cooking, it’s awfully difficult to pick against them. Seattle’s young defense will be up a creek trying to contain this trio once again, and the Liberty will find a way to take the season series with a convincing home win.
