Wednesday’s game against the Golden State Valkyries is a homecoming of sorts for Sabrina Ionescu. The New York Liberty star and Bay Area native grew up less than an hour from Ballhalla, the home of the Valks. However, it won’t be smiles and fun for Sabrina since the Liberty are here on business.
After dominating out of the gate this WNBA season, the Liberty are scrambling in Jonquel Jones’ absence. In games Jones has played start-to-finish, New York is 8-0. They’re 2-3 without her healthy. This puts a heavy burden on Sabrina and Breanna Stewart to carry the offense while the defense is left with a major hole.
That could be a problem tonight against this Valkyries defense. They’ve caused problems all year, especially for perimeter players. Playing at home in front of a raucous crowd, the pressure will be on Ionescu and company to produce.
The Liberty are 9.5-point favorites on the road and are -470 on the Moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The total is set at 162.5 points. Let’s look at the best bets and predictions for this contest.
Best Sabrina Ionescu Prop Bets
Under 19.5 Points Scored (-110)
Sabrina has been hot recently, scoring 24 PPG over her past five games. Still, this Golden State defense is here to bring her back to Earth.
Thanks to their athleticism and length, the Valkyries are third in total defensive rating. Ionescu will see a lot of Veronica Burton on the perimeter, who has been strong at the point of attack all season. Golden State and head coach Natalie Nakase employ a lot of zone-defense concepts, which poses a problem for a ball-screen operator like Ionescu.
Their defensive style will also encourage the Liberty to run the offense through Breanna Stewart. She’ll get many mid-post touches that take the ball out of Ionescu’s hands. The strength of the Golden State defense combined with their style is enough for me to fade the Liberty’s star guard and take under 19.5 points for Ionescu here.
