Indiana Fever at New York Liberty 5/21/23 - WNBA Picks & Predictions
Last Updated: 05/20/2023 at 9:01 PM ET
The Indiana Fever travel to the Big Apple to take on the Liberty of New York on Sunday. Both the Fever and the Liberty dropped their respective opening games putting them both at 0-1. The Liberty took 2 out of 3 from the Fever last season, and have added a couple of key pieces to their arsenal. New York added Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones to form a "super team," although they dropped their home opener.
The New York Liberty dropped their first game as a "super team," but fans should expect some growing pains with these new pieces. Just like super teams in the NBA, it sometimes takes weeks/months for the new additions to gel cohesively. In all actuality, this team has only been practicing together for one week in training camp. Expect head coach Sandy Brondello to hone in on players' abilities and get the whole team rowing in the same direction.
The Indiana Fever dropped their home opener to the Connecticut Sun, 70-61. They only shot 33.3% from the field and 57.9% from the charity stripe in that home loss. The Fever did well to come back a little as they were down 19 points at one point. However, shooting 33.3% won't get it done against this tough New York Liberty squad.
Both of these teams play stellar defense with the Fever ranking #1 in FG% and the Liberty ranking #2 in rebounds per game. Their offenses, however, have been middle of the road early-on in the season. The Liberty are averaging 64 ppg, while the Fever are averaging 61 ppg.
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The Indiana defense was about the only aspect of the team that showed up in their first game. They held the Sun to 21 of 66 shooting overall, and 4 of 17 from beyond the arc. It will be a tall task to hold this New York Liberty super team to 33% like they did the Sun. The Fever will have their hands full with the stars of the New York Liberty on Sunday afternoon. Final Score Prediction, the New York Liberty win and cover against the spread, 74-57.