Let’s discuss Chicago Sky vs New York Liberty.
With the end of the regular season, 8 teams have made it into the playoffs starting today. The first game of the WNBA 2022 season will be between Eastern Conference table toppers, Chicago Sky, and the team that finished 4th in the Eastern Conference, New York Liberty.
Though Chicago Sky will be the favorites for this game, the teams will be starting the playoffs afresh, thus the regular season record will not make any difference to both the teams. For New York Liberty, it will be an opportunity to showcase their talent and prove their worth being in the playoffs and for the Chicago Sky, it will once again be the moment to continue with their dominance this season.
Playing at home, Chicago Sky will have a home advantage. At Wintrust Arena, they will be looking forward to reaping the benefit of being a host.
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Chicago Sky vs New York Liberty: Odds
| Platform | Sky | Liberty | Predicted Winner |
| FiveThirtyEight | 82% | 18% | Sky |
Chicago Sky vs New York Liberty: Recent Form
The Chicago Sky are looking to reign supreme as they are storming into the playoffs with a whole lot of confidence and momentum in the Eastern Conference. They have so far played 28 games and have gone across the line on 21 occasions with a jaw-dropping home run of 11-2 in 13 matches. Their away record isn’t too bad either with 10 triumphs in 15 outings. In the last 10 games, they have an 8-2 record with a defeat coming for them in the most recent encounter.
On the contrary, it’s high time for the New York Liberty to pull up their socks and play out of their skins if they want to stay in contention for the postseason. They are down in 5th place with a win percentage of 37 in addition to a worrying away record of 5-8. They have been highly inconsistent which is highly evident in the last few games after they lost 4 games out of 5 with the only win coming against the defending champions Chicago Sky in their last outing.
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Chicago Sky vs New York Liberty: Head to head
Matches: 31: Sky: 19 Liberty: 5 Draws: 7
Last Meeting: Liberty won 83-20 against Liberty on 24th July 2022.
Chicago Sky vs New York Liberty: Best Picks
Candace Parker
The 36 year old power forward is a gem in the lineup. The two-time WNBA champion (2016, 2021) is having a very consistent and productive season, averaging 13.6 points, 4.5 assists and 8.9 rebounds per game. With a 51.4% field goal percentage, she is one of the top picks of this matchup.
Sabrina Ionescu
Sabrina Ionescu is the Liberty’s lead scorer this season. She excels at three-point shooting and is very proficient in slashing through the defense to bank in a floater with a little finger-roll. Her speed and athleticism helps her get around the court fast enough to put a pause to defensive plays and turn them into offense.
This season, Ionescu has averaged 17.2 points, 6.2 assists and 7.2 rebounds this season. She seems to be on the way to become this season’s MVP with these stats.
Emma Meesseman
The 2019 WNBA Champion, Emma Meesseman is also an incredible pick for today’s matchup. This power forward is very skilled from beyond the arc. She’s averaged a solid 12.8 points per game, stringing along 6 rebounds and 3.5 assists this season.
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Chicago Sky vs New York Liberty: Possible Lineup
New York Liberty: Point Guard – Sabrina Ionescu, Shooting Guard – Sami Whitecomb, Small Forward – Betnijah Laney, Power Forward – Natasha Howard, Center – Stefanie Dolson
Chicago Sky: Point Guard – Julie Allemand, Shooting Guard – Allie Quigley, Small Forward – Emma Meesseman, Power Forward – Kahleah Copper, Center – Candace Parker
Chicago Sky vs New York Liberty: Prediction
Looking at this encounter, it is very clear that the Chicago have been at their very best after dominating the regular season while their rivals would be itching to score a huge win here.
The Sky is one of the top 3 favorites whereas Liberty has an outside chance of winning the championship. The FiveThirtyEight have given an overwhelming advantage to the reigning champions with their rivals having just a speck of chance in the contest.
According to Oddschecker, the Chicago Sky are the second favorites this season behind Las Vegas Aces with odds of 21/10 while the New York Liberty are clearly the underdogs whose sole aim would be to make it to the playoffs.
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