Phoenix Mercury vs. New York Liberty Preview, Prediction and Odds - 8/25/21
It’s an interconference matchup on the WNBA parquet floor in the Big Apple as a pair of teams looking to solidify playoff positioning take the court. The Phoenix Mercury are on the road as they make the trip to face the New York Liberty Wednesday night. Phoenix knocked off Atlanta 84-69 on the road in their most recent contest Saturday afternoon to keep positive momentum. New York was knocked off 86-83 at home by Los Angeles Sunday afternoon in their previous contest. The Mercury have claimed eight of the last 10 meetings between the teams though it was the Liberty picking up an 85-83 road win in the first matchup this season on June 13.
Phoenix Mercury Seeking Fifth Straight Win
Phoenix ran their win streak to four straight games as they took care of business against a fading Atlanta team Saturday afternoon. The Mercury improved to 13-10 on the season and held the fifth seed in the WNBA playoff picture entering Tuesday, four games behind the Aces and Sun for the top spot and 3.5 games clear of the ninth-place Wings to remain in the playoff picture. On Saturday, Phoenix led by three after the opening quarter and by six at the half before taking an 11-point edge midway through the third quarter. The Mercury saw the Dream rally to tie the game with 1:21 to play in the third quarter before going on a 9-2 run over the next three minutes to take a 64-57 lead. Phoenix didn’t let Atlanta closer than five the rest of the way. The Mercury shot a solid 52.6% from the field, including nine of 19 from three-point range, to help overcome 24 turnovers in the contest. Skylar Diggins-Smith led Phoenix with 25 points, six rebounds and seven assists in the win.
The Mercury are 8th in the league in scoring offense as they put up an average of 80.6 points per game. Phoenix is second in rebounding (37 rebounds) per contest and stand sixth in the league by handing out 19.2 assists a night. The Mercury are third in the league in scoring defense as they give up an average of 80.2 points per game. Skylar Diggins-Smith is second on the Mercury in scoring with 18.5 points plus five assists a night. Brittney Griner (20.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.1 blocks), Diana Taurasi (15.7 points, 4.5 assists) and Brianna Turner (7.7 points, 9.3 rebounds) are solid scoring options. Kia Nurse (8.7 points), Kia Vaughn, Megan Walker, Sophie Cunningham, Shey Peddy and Alanna Smith are other role players for coach Sandy Brondello. Phoenix is fifth in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 43.8% as a team from the floor. The Mercury is 9th in three-pointers per game (6.8 per game) and 10th in three-point shooting (32%) this season. Phoenix is 10th in the WNBA in free throw shooting as they cash in 79% of their chances on the year.
New York Liberty Battling Injuries, Struggling to Hang In Playoff Chase
New York suffered their second straight loss and their fifth in the last six games as they were edged by Los Angeles at home Sunday. The Liberty dropped to 11-14 on the season, leaving them seventh in the WNBA playoff picture entering Tuesday, half a game ahead of the ninth-place Wings. On Sunday, New York trailed by as many as nine in the first half: they were down seven after the opening quarter before outscoring Los Angeles 27-13 in the second quarter to take a seven-point halftime lead. New York led by 11 with 1:13 to play in the third quarter before giving up a 14-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters. The Liberty regrouped and took their final lead at 77-75 with 6:36 to play before giving up the next six points. They got no closer than two the rest of the way. New York shot 41.3% from the floor, including 16 of 35 from beyond the arc, but turned the ball over 22 times in the loss. Sami Whitcomb and Natasha Howard (11 boards) each had 17 points to lead the Liberty in defeat.
The Liberty comes into this contest 9th in the league in scoring offense with an average of 79.6 points per game. New York is 10th in rebounding (33.7 boards a night) and fifth with 19.4 assists per contest. The Liberty ranks 11th in the league in scoring defense by allowing 85.4 points per game. Betnijah Laney leads the Liberty with 17.8 points plus 5.1 assists a night this season. Sabrina Ionescu (10.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists) and Michaela Onyenwere (nine points) are also capable scoring options. Sami Whitcomb (12.8 points, 5.6 boards), Natasha Howard (16.2 points, seven boards), Kylee Shook, Rebecca Allen, Jazmine Jones, Reshanda Gray and DiDi Richards are key contributors for coach Walt Hopkins. New York is 6th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 43.1% from the floor as a team. The Liberty is first in the league in made threes per game (10.3) while ranking third in three-point shooting at 36.9%. New York is 8th in free throw percentage as they cash in 80.1% of their chances at the stripe. Jones (foot) has been downgraded to out for this contest while Whitcomb (ankle) is out indefinitely after sustaining an injury August 22 against the Sparks.
Pick: Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix has gotten hot of late as they’ve won all four of their games since the Olympic break and six of their previous seven going back before the break. The Mercury now are three games above .500 and within a game of the fourth seed in the WNBA playoff picture. Meanwhile, New York has dropped two straight and five of their last six entering this one. The Liberty also have to deal with a shortened rotation with Jones and Whitcomb missing for this contest. Whitcomb had really developed into a solid scorer and facilitator while Howard was missing so that’s a big blow for New York. Phoenix has their star trio healthy and ready to go. The Mercury take care of business here and make it five straight wins.
Total: Over
Phoenix has been better on the road than at home this season, going 7-3 and putting up more offense than they do at home. The Mercury average 83.7 points per game on the road this season compared to 78.2 points a night at home this year. Phoenix sees an average of 162.8 points per game in their road contests. The Mercury have seen the under go 12-10-1 in their games on the year. New York is 6-7 at home with an average total of 167.4 points pe game in those contests. The Liberty have seen the over post a 15-10 record this season in their games. The average home point total is right in line with the 168 points we saw in the first meeting between the team this season. This one is another up-tempo affair that winds up over the total.
