Game 1 of the WNBA playoffs between the Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty went how many expected — a dominant victory by the Liberty. The No. 1-ranked New York Liberty dominated No. 8 seed Atlanta Dream during their first game of the WNBA post-season 83-69 on Sunday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The game also marked a career-high score for the Liberty's Leonie Fiebich who scored 21 points and had four 3-pointers during the game. The Dream will be sticking around New York in an attempt to even the series on Tuesday when they meet again for game 2. If the series is tied after Tuesday's game, both teams will head to Atlanta for a Game 3. Tuesday night's tipoff will be at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN. The Liberty vs. Dream game can also be streamed after it concludes on WNBA League Pass.

After dropping their final two games of the regular season, including one to Atlanta, the Liberty hit the reset button, beating the Dream by double digits, despite rolling out a new-look starting lineup. In Game 1, New York deployed Leonie Fiebich, a 6-foot-4 forward, in the starting lineup in place of veteran Courtney Vandersloot, who still logged 16 minutes. The change paid immediate dividends. Leonie Fiebich scored 15 points on 100% (5-5) shooting from the field in the first half. Fiebich set a new WNBA record for most points scored without a miss in the first half of a postseason game (min. 1 3PA). Fiebich did not disappoint, scoring a game-high 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor and 4-of-4 from behind the arc. It was an impressive showcase as she put together the best game of her rookie campaign.

Will the Dream avoid elimination and even up the series in Game 2 on Tuesday night or will the Liberty be simply too much to handle again? Here is our Dream vs. Liberty prediction for Game 2, including a best bet.

Analyzing the Game

Fiebich is already one of the league’s best shooters from deep (43.3%) but also boasts switchability on defense due to her athleticism, size, length and quickness.  Expect the Liberty to stay with the same lineup in Game 2. They should continue emphasizing floor-spreading and getting clean looks from deep offensively, as well as putting out a versatile defensive unit.

Atlanta won’t go gently into that good night Tuesday. Whether the Dream can steal a win and force a Game 3 is to be determined. However, a blowout seems unlikely. After the Liberty’s first-quarter surge in Game 1, which featured them hitting every shot for the first seven and a half minutes of the matchup, the Dream played New York nearly even in the final three quarters (54-53, Liberty).  Atlanta is not a poor defensive team, especially with Jordin Canada healthy and in the lineup. The Dream ranked sixth in defensive rating, fourth in opponent field goal percentage and third in defensive rebounding percentage during the regular season.

Ultimately, the Liberty’s talent is undeniable and they should cruise through this round, but laying 12.5 points in a do-or-die Game 2 against a pesky, physical Dream team is too rich for my blood. Pick: Dream +12.5 (-112, DraftKings)

The Series and Beyond

The Liberty vs. Dream game tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET today. The Liberty vs. Dream game will air on ESPN. You can watch ESPN live on platforms including Fubo, DirecTV, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV. The game will also be available to stream after it concludes on WNBA League Pass. AT $90/month, Fubo TV's Elite tier gives you access to ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, CBS, CBS Sports Network, NBA TV, Ion and 200-plus more live channels. The live TV streaming service is one of the priciest options on this list, but it still leaves you with major savings compared with a traditional cable package and will get you access to the most WNBA games you can watch with just one subscription. Fubo subscribers also get 1,000 hours of cloud DVR storage.

The platform offers a free trial period, and right now you can get $30 off your first month of any tier after the trial period ends. Yes, DirecTV will be carrying ABC and all ESPN channels again after a brief disruption in coverage on the platform. DirecTV subscribers will be able to watch every playoff game of the WNBA.

Round one of the WNBA playoffs began on Sunday, September 22. The playoffs are scheduled through October 18 if necessary. There are eight confirmed teams in the 2024 WBNA playoffs, they are:

• New York Liberty (32-8)
• Minnesota Lynx (30-10)
• Connecticut Sun (28-12)
• Las Vegas Aces (27-13)
• Seattle Storm (25-15)
• Indiana Fever (20-20)
• Phoenix Mercury (19-21)
• Atlanta Dream (15-25)

While this season's WNBA games aired across upwards of 10 channels and streaming platforms, including Prime Video, ION, and other national broadcast networks, the playoffs will be exclusive to ABC and ESPN. Note that they will not be carried on ESPN+.

The WNBA playoffs feature an eight-team bracket; participating teams are decided based on their regular season record. During the first-round, games are played on a best-of-three series. Semifinal and final games are played as a best-of-five series.

The Matchups

The first-round playoff schedule is as follows:

• Tuesday, September 24
  • Liberty-Dream, Game 2 - 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
  • Storm-Aces, Game 2 - 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• Wednesday, September 25
  • Fever-Sun, Game 2 7:30 p.m. ET
  • Mercury-Lynx, Game 2 - 9:30 p.m. ET
• Thursday, September 26
  • Dream-Liberty, Game 3 (if necessary) - TBD
  • Storm-Aces, Game 3 (if necessary) - TBD
• Friday, September 27
  • Lynx-Mercury, Game 3 (if necessary) - TBD
  • Sun-Fever, Game 3 (if necessary) - TBD
• Sunday, September 29
  • Matchup #1, Game 1
  • Matchup #2, Game 1
• Tuesday, October 1
  • Matchup #1, Game 2
  • Matchup #2, Game 2
• Friday, October 4
  • Matchup #1, Game 3
  • Matchup #2, Game 3
• Sunday, October 6
  • Matchup #1, Game 4 (if necessary)
  • Matchup #2, Game 4 (if necessary)
• Tuesday, October 8
  • Matchup #1, Game 5 (if necessary)
  • Matchup #2, Game 5 (if necessary)
• Thursday, October 10
  • Game 1
• Sunday, October 13
  • Game 2
• Wednesday, October 16
  • Game 3
• Friday, October 18
  • Game 4 (if necessary)
• Sunday, October 20
  • Game 5 (if necessary)

A New Era for The Sixth Woman

It was a banner day for The Sixth Woman as the WNBA playoffs tipped off Sunday. The presumptive favorites for Sixth Player of the Year — Leonie Fiebich and Tiffany Hayes, dazzled. Fiebich even earned the start after spending most of her rookie season coming off the bench. Marina Mabrey had the most points ever for a reserve in a playoff game, with 27 in her first postseason appearance with Connecticut. And Minnesota’s Bridget Carleton, who started the season as a bench player but landed in the starting lineup via injury and never relinquished her spot, hit perhaps the biggest shot of the day.

The stars had their moments of brilliance as well: Alyssa Thomas’ fourth playoff triple-double, Napheesa Collier’s career-high of 38, and A’ja Wilson’s 15-point third quarter buoying their teams to victory. But in the words of Wilson, the postseason requires everything from everyone, including lesser-known players subbing in to change the energy and the outcome of games.

The beauty of the playoffs is that a singular performance can affect an entire series. One hot night — especially in a three-game series — can be the difference between moving on and going home. With four Game 1s in the books and all four favorites looking for sweeps in Game 2, what other factors can tilt the balance?

A Winning Formula

The New York Liberty have a 1-0 series lead over the Atlanta Dream in Round 1 of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs when the teams clash for Game 2 on Tuesday, September 24 (9/24/2024) at Barclays Center.

How to watch: Stream the WNBA on DirecTV Stream (free trial).

Here’s what you need to know:

• What: WNBA Playoffs, Round 1
• Who: Dream @ Liberty
• When: Tuesday, September 24, 2024
• Time: 7:30 p.m. EDT
• Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
• TV: ESPN, ESPN Deportes
• Channel finder: DirecTV, Verizon Fios, Cox, Xfinity, Spectrum, Optimum
• Live stream: fuboTV (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial), Sling (half off first month), Hulu + Live TV (free trial)

Here’s a recent WNBA story via The Associated Press:

Atlanta Dream (15-25, 7-13 Eastern Conference) at New York Liberty (32-8, 16-4 Eastern Conference)

New York; Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK: LINE Liberty -13; over/under is 156.5

WNBA PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND:

BOTTOM LINE: The New York Liberty take on the Atlanta Dream.

The Liberty are 16-4 in Eastern Conference games. New York is second in the WNBA with 22.8 assists per game. Sabrina Ionescu leads the Liberty averaging 6.2.

The Dream’s record in Eastern Conference play is 7-13. Atlanta ranks third in the Eastern Conference giving up 79.8 points while holding opponents to 42.9% shooting.

New York averages 10.1 made 3-pointers per game, 2.1 more made shots than the 8.0 per game Atlanta allows. Atlanta averages 77.0 points per game, 0.5 more than the 76.5 New York allows to opponents.

TOP PERFORMERS: Breanna Stewart is shooting 45.8% and averaging 20.4 points for the Liberty.

Tina Charles is scoring 14.9 points per game and averaging 9.6 rebounds for the Dream.

LAST 10 GAMES: Liberty: 7-3, averaging 85.8 points, 36.9 rebounds, 23.1 assists, 7.4 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 44.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 78.4 points per game.

Dream: 5-5, averaging 79.5 points, 36.5 rebounds, 17.9 assists, 8.5 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 40.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 77.7 points.

INJURIES: Liberty: None listed.

Dream: Cheyenne Parker-Tyus: out for season (ankle), Aerial Powers: out for season (calf).

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