New York Liberty vs. Dallas Wings Predictions, Picks, and Odds 9/05/23

In one of the final heavyweight matchups of the WNBA regular season, the Dallas Wings will host the New York Liberty in Arlington.

These two teams have taken very different paths in the second half of the season. Immediately after the break, the Wings bested the Liberty in New York, spurred on by a complete performance with four starters scoring 14 points or more. They handily won the battle in the paint and forced New York into contested jumpers.

Since that game, the Wings are 8-8, ebbing and flowing, while struggling to piece their defense together again (They have the worst ranked defense in the league since the start of August).

On the other hand, the Liberty have taken that loss and stamped themselves as the best team over the second half of the season, including multiple wins over the reigning champion Aces, besting the Sun, and running out a 16-2 record since that game (17-2 including the Commissioner’s Cup).

The Liberty are 6.5 point favorites, per FanDuel, with -265 odds on the moneyline. The Wings have +210 moneyline odds to pull the upset. The scoring total is set at 171.5.

Prediction

New York’s offense has hit record-setting stages over the past two months, with no signs of slowing down. Their ball movement and shooting along with smart spacing principles across the floor have given teams problems constantly this summer. 

Facing a team that’s struggled, particularly off the ball, to contain potent offenses, I’d expect New York to more than have the edge in this game.

However, it’s worth noting that both previous matchups with Dallas have been tightly contested and extremely high scoring; the Wings won the most recent matchup 98-88 and New York the first 102-93.

Even with a tightened up defense from the Liberty of late, this Wings team plays fast and will utilize early offense and transition. After getting their first official practice in weeks, will the Wings have a shored up defensive approach? 

Score Prediction: Liberty 95 Wings 91

Players to Watch

Betnijah Laney has been a matchup killer for the Liberty. She brings a unique blend of size, skill, strength, and shooting touch that few can contend with.

Help off of her when she’s spotted up and she’ll duck in to post up a smaller defender. Overhelp or deny and she’ll cut to the rim. She can run secondary ball screens, attack closeouts with force, and makes incredibly snappy and accurate passes.

She brings all that to the table while also playing All-Defense level defense guarding multiple positions on the other end. Laney is stout at the point of attack, a menace off the ball, slides around screens, and is always making her presence felt.

Laney is so key for the Liberty, because she’s just playing basketball. She makes the right reads and makes them quickly. She does everything with 100% confidence, which is essential. It is rare to find someone who can shine as a star in a role that is more often than not a cog in a high powered offense. You don’t always see or understand Laney’s impact because she’s doing her job so well.

How to Watch

The Dallas Wings will host the New York Liberty at College Park Arena on Tuesday September, 5th at 8pm EST. You can watch the game on CBS Sports Network.