The Liberty are on their way across the country to take on the GS Valkyries. With the Liberty struggling late this season, they’re starting to turn things around just in time for the playoffs. The Valkyries, on the other hand, have come shockingly close to New York in the standings, sitting only a few games behind. This should be a close game.
Cecilla Zandalasini Out
Tiffany Hayes Out
Kayla Thornton Out
Nyara Sabally Questionable
Sabrina Ionescu Questionable
It’s been a tough stretch for the Liberty late in the season. The reigning champions struggled after a spectacular start to the season. With injuries holding them back, it’s understandable how they could lose some of their shine. However, with Ionescu questionable tonight and Stewart already back, this team is beginning to find some momentum just in time for the playoffs. We’ll see if this high-powered offense can bounce back against one of the league’s best defenses.
The Valkyries have continued to punch well above their weight this season. They’ve built a team designed to do just one thing: play defense. With scoring on the backburner, this group turns every game into a brawl, keeping things slow and creating grind-it-out matches. They’ve also scored on some of their young talent, like Rupert and Salaun. Toss in Burton as the third, and you can see why they’ve found so much success this year. With Rupert and Salaun using their elite size and athleticism to hassle some of the league’s best players efficiently, size is just an all-encompassing part of the Valkyries in general. Their roster clearly has a vision, and it looks like it’s working.
The matchup between these two is interesting despite the Liberty winning all three games against the Valkyries this year. However, two of those games ended extremely close, with the Valkyries only losing by three last time they played in San Francisco. The Valkyries should have a decent chance to take this last matchup. Especially with Stewart still getting back in rhythm and Ionescu questionable to even play. Even though the Valkyries are dealing with some injuries as well, they’re looking dangerous tonight. Currently on a three-game win streak, having taken down solid teams like DC and Indiana, they’ve got some momentum too. So that’s why I’m going with the Valkyries moneyline, the under on the 156.5 points total, and the Golden State spread at +6.5 points.
Money line: NYL (-205) / GSV (+215)
Total Points: 156.5
Spread: -6.5 NYL (-102) / +6.5 GSV (-118)
It’s been a slow start since Stewart returned after nearly a month-long absence. She is still working her way back into form before the playoffs. However, the Valkyries haven’t slowed Stewart down at all this year. In the three games she’s played against them, she hasn’t scored fewer than 20 points in any of them. Especially with Ionescu questionable for this game, Stewart should get plenty of attempts tonight and likely finish around the 16-point range.
Although Burton is one of the team's top scorers, she doesn’t usually put up big scoring numbers. Averaging only 12 points this season, she has also struggled against the Liberty. She hasn’t scored more than 14 points in any game against them and has difficulty finding effective shots. With Ionescu questionable and Stewart returning tonight, I don’t expect Burton to step up tonight.
Salaun remains one of the team's top rebounders. Averaging just 4.2 rebounds per season, she’s a bit streaky, but with +125 odds on her getting just 6 boards, it's great value. Against the Liberty this season, she grabbed 6 and 12 rebounds in her games. In her last 10 games, she hits the 6+ boards mark about 50% of the time. With injuries already affecting the Valkyries' lineup, Salaun should see 30+ minutes tonight, giving her plenty of time to work on the boards.