New York Liberty vs. Dallas Wings WNBA preview and prediction

Brian Burden
Last Updated: 1 days ago

The Dallas Wings are looking for the season sweep when they host the reeling New York Liberty Thursday at 9 p.m. ET.

Dallas is flying high with a season-high five-game win streak, their longest such streak in almost exactly three years. The Wings are now 16-8 after going a combined 19-65 the past two seasons.

New York is going in the opposite direction, losing three straight for the second time this season after suffering only one such skid of that length in the past three seasons combined. The Liberty have dropped seven of nine overall and have really struggled on the road, dropping four straight and five of six.

Dallas won the first two meetings between these teams this season, both at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Paige Bueckers averaged 19.5 points in those two contests for Dallas, while teammate Jessica Shepard had a double-double in the first win and a triple-double in the latest meeting.

New York Liberty vs. Dallas Wings WNBA Odds and Betting Trends

Dallas is a slight 1.5-point favourite at home on the WNBA odds with a -120 moneyline, while the Liberty’s moneyline is at +120. The over/under for this contest is 175.5. The Liberty have played to the over in six of their last eight.

New York is 0-3 straight up and against the spread and has played to the over in four of its past five games. Dallas is 3-2 against the spread during its five-game win streak and has played to the under in three of five.

New York Liberty

The return of Sabrina Ionescu was supposed to be a spark, but the Liberty’s fortunes have gone in reverse. The team has gone just 4-8 with the four-time All-Star in the lineup, 4-7 since she returned full-time from injuries.

That includes a 93-91 setback against the Toronto Tempo on Sunday. Ionescu had a season-high 28 points on 9-for-18 shooting to go with eight assists, while Breanna Stewart added 22 points and eight rebounds as the Liberty fell to 0-2 on their current four-game road trip.

The team shot just 19 per cent (5-for-26) from long range, had more turnovers than assists, and reserve Betnijah Laney-Hamilton was ejected for throwing her shoe at Toronto’s Marina Mabrey. Not exactly the signs of a squad in control right now.

Satou Sabally, who is averaging 10.4 points and scored a team and season-high 20 in the first loss to Dallas, is questionable with a lower leg injury that has hindered her recently.

Dallas Wings

Bueckers had 22 points, 11 assists, and six rebounds, and Shepard added 19 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists when the Wings won for the seventh time in eight home games with a 96-91 triumph over Chicago on Sunday.

Arike Ogunbowale chipped in with 17 points, while rookie Azzi Fudd went for 16 points. Li Yueru was brought in specifically to slow Chicago’s Kamilla Cardoso inside, and she ended up with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench.

The Wings continue to get valuable minutes from their bench. That includes Awak Kuier, a fourth-year forward averaging 5.6 points and 3.2 rebounds. She has only scored double digits five times this season, but two of those have come against New York. She has tallied 10 points in both previous contests and had a season-high 12 rebounds and seven assists in the last win over the Liberty nine days ago.