For the New York Liberty, this West Coast swing represents a test of sorts. They're coming off a rare home loss against the Connecticut Sun in a rare game where the Liberty looked discombobulated, turning over the ball a surprising 18 times against the Sun. They've already gotten back on track to some extent, beating Phoenix 84-70 and restoring what they consider order at the top of the Eastern Conference.
Now they get what looks like a cupcake game against the Los Angeles Sparks, who are not having a good year, to put it politely. Even though they're at home, the Sparks will be massive underdogs against the team with the league's best record, and they'll be looking to stop a seven-game losing streak as they battle to escape from the Western Conference basement.
Game Details
Fixture: New York Liberty vs. Los Angeles Sparks
Date and Time: August 28, 2024 @ 10:00 PM EST
Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles California
New York Liberty Team Review
The Liberty played a solid game against the Mercury in the first game of their road trip, with Breanna Stewart posting 21 points as Courtney Vandersloot chipped in with 21. The Liberty did what they usually do, playing grinding defense to take a lead, then using a ten-point run in the third quarter to pull ahead by 17. Sabrina Ionescu also sparked New York with a five-point contribution during that run on the way to a comfortable 84-70 victory.
Given their comfortable margin of victory, the biggest issue for the Liberty is the possibility that they overlook the Sparks and this ends up being a trap game. It's not likely, but at this point in the season it's probably the best chance that LA has.
The games they'd be looking ahead to are a pair of matchups with the Seattle Storm, who are fighting a battle of their own to best the Las Vegas Aces in what's starting to look like it could be a 4-5 playoff matchup. The road game especially will be a strong test for the Liberty, and they'll see Seattle again in New York on September 5th when the Liberty return home.
Los Angeles Sparks Team Review
At this point in the season, it's all about looking for bright spots for the Sparks. They're not easy to find, especially after Los Angeles wasted a chance to beat fellow cellar-dweller Dallas, squandering a 19-point lead to lose the game.
It's been that kind of year for the Sparks, who have won just six games all year. They've also posted an eight-game losing streak to go with a disappointing seven-gamer to open the season, and when they met the Liberty in New York they got drubbed by a 103-68 count.
Back to those hypothetical bright spots. Dearica Hamby is definitely one, as she comes in averaging 17.8 points and 9.9 rebounds, although her lawsuit against former Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon, the Las Vegas Aces and the WNBA has cast a bit of a pall over even her performance.
Who to Watch
New York Liberty
Plenty of choices here, especially in a game like this, but we'll go with Breanna Stewart, who was solid against Phoenix, adding 6 boards and 8 assists to her 21 points. Sabrina Ionescu will be looking to rebound from a subpar effort against the Mercury in which she struggled with 5 for 17 shooting while going 3 for 10 from beyond the arc.
Los Angeles Sparks
Given the lack of options, we'll go with Hamby as the player to watch. She almost tied up the Dallas game with a three-pointer in the final seconds of LA's disappointing loss, but she came up short, which wasn't exactly surprising given the way the Sparks season has gone to date.