The New York Liberty and the Phoenix Mercury will play a single-elimination playoff game on Thursday. Phoenix is the No.5 seed, and New York is the No.8 seed. The game will take place in Phoenix at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN 2.
New York had to wait until Sunday to see if they were going to make the playoffs. However, with losses to the Los Angeles Sparks and the Washington Mystics, New York could clinch a playoff spot. The Liberty’s record since the Olympic break is 2-9, but they had made progress from a 2-20 season last year.
Phoenix Mercury
The Mercury took the season series 2-1 and will be the favorites in the game. The question is whether Diana Taurasi will play; if not, Mercury still has Skylar Diggins-Smith and Brittney Griner to carry the team. Phoenix comes into the game, losing three straight games to Connecticut, Seattle, and Las Vegas.
Phoenix will look to get the ball inside to Griner because New York lacks size inside. Also, expect a lot pick and roll action with Diggins-Smith. If Taurasi is out and New York’s double teams Griner, players like Shey Peddy, Sophie Cunningham, and Kia Vaughn must step up. Despite losing three straight to end the season, the Mercury has been one of the hottest teams since the Olympic break.
New York Liberty
For New York to win this game, they will need Sabrina Ionescu to play well. When Ionescu has at least eight assists in a game, New York is 6-2 and 4-0 when she hits double digits. Over the final six games, Ionescu had averaged seven assists per game.
Howard must hold her own inside again Griner; she must try to get Griner in early foul trouble to get Griner out of her rhythm. Also, New York led the season in three-pointers made; they will need the three-ball to fall to pull off the upset Sami Whitcomb shot 42% from three this season and could play a huge role on Thursday. Betnijah Laney must score about 20-25 points in order to win. On Defense, the Mercury must do everything they can to get the ball out of Diggins-Smith’s hands and double team Griner.
Who Wins
The Mercury will win the game, the Liberty do not have enough bodies for Griner inside, and Diggins-Smith is playing at a high level and will be hard to contain. The Mercury has been known to slip up at times, but I don’t think that will happen on Thursday night.
Follow us on Twitter @BeyondWSports and check out Beyond Women’s Sports for more articles on amazing women and their sport.
Make sure to shop all things WNBA and Soccer here.
