The New York Liberty make the trip West to Phoenix looking to start a new winning streak with a Monday matchup against the Mercury. The game is scheduled to start at 9:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. PT) with TV coverage on NBA TV and streaming on-demand.
The Liberty take the WNBA’s best record into Monday’s matchup with Diana Taurasi, Napheesa Collier and company, but they do come off their first loss since July 6 with a 72-64 setback to the Connecticut Sun. New York had won eighth straight games prior to that loss, which was fueled by a poor shooting night where the Liberty made 36.9 percent of their shots from the floor and 21.9 percent from 3-point range.
The Mercury are looking to generate momentum for a hopeful playoff run, but they haven’t been more than two games over or under .500 the entire season. Phoenix got one back from the Atlanta Dream last time out, 82-80, after falling to Atlanta, 72-63, two nights earlier. Brittney Griner led the way with 22 points, and Taurasi added 18 on 6-of-8 shooting.
The Liberty and Mercury are set for a 9:30 p.m. ET start on NBA TV. Live streams are available from FuboTV (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial) and SlingTV (low intro rate).
It’s a 10 p.m. start for the Liberty, midway through a six games in 11 nights stretch.
Guys…. They are human. They are going to lose once in a while. I admit, I too fell into that classification of people who thought that the New York Liberty were invincible. But after watching them suffer an ugly defeat against a tough team like the Connecticut Sun, a soberness fell unto our crowd as they left Barclays in unison with about 10 seconds left in the game.
To be fair though, an inefficient game by the Liberty only resulted in an 8-point loss against the second best team in the WNBA. Sabrina Ionescu is not going to shoot 3-of-13 from the field often, especially when she gets her rhythm back. Indeed, she promised it won’t happen again.
“I can promise you we’re not gonna have a game like that again,” Ionescu said post-game.
The team as a whole will not give up 18 turnovers every game either. So with the team being at their worst while only suffering a single-digit loss, it still shed light on how impressive the Liberty can be when not playing poorly.
With that being said, the Liberty will be starting their three-game road trip against the Phoenix Mercury late Monday. The Merc’s offensive ability can serve as a threat if the Liberty do not patch up their mistakes from the last two contests.
Make sure to catch the game at 10:00 p.m. ET on NBA TV.
There is a chance Betnijah Laney-Hamilton will make her return against the Mercury. As of Monday, she afternoon, she’s listed as questionable. If she can play, this will be the first time since July 6 that Laney-Hamilton will step on the floor after injuring her right knee.
The two teams have split their first two games, the Liberty winning the first back on May 29 in Brooklyn, losing the second on Phoenix on June 18. Both were close games.
If I had the ability to foresee the future, I’d predict that this game will come down to Liberty playing good defense. According to the WNBA’s Advanced Stats, Phoenix averages roughly two more possessions per game at home (81.38) than it does on the road (79.22). With players like Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, and Kahleah Copper, those two possessions can be important in the flow of the game. The Mercury also ranks third in offensive efficiency at 102.9
Because of how lethal they are offensively, players like Kayla Thornton, Marquesha Davis, and Jonquel Jones will need to step up, as I assume they will be taking the challenge to defend Phoenix’s big three. Breanna Stewart’s rebounding will also play a vital role, as she was able to secure 15 against Connecticut. If the Liberty can put a stop to their offensive struggles and defend, they will certainly be back to their winning ways.
Phoenix outnumbers Brooklyn in gold medalists 3-2 with Diana Turasi, Kahleah Cooper, and Brittney Griner sharing the Olympic medal stand with Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu in Paris. All three are veterans. Turasi is now 40, Griner 33 and Cooper 29. They may not be what they once were but they can still produce and the Mercury are 16-14 this season.
Also, they can be counted on, as they were in the Olympics, to produce when it matters and it matters now. They are in sixth place and fighting for a playoff spot. Three nights ago, they showed what they can do under pressure, combining for 56 of Phoenix’s 82 points, led by Griner who finished with 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting with six rebounds, six assists and four blocks. They’ll need that kind of effort tonight if they intend to make it to the post-season.
