The Phoenix Mercury and New York Liberty meet Sunday in WNBA action at the Barclays Center. The Phoenix Mercury look for a win after splitting their last 8 games. The New York Liberty need a win after losing 6 of their last 7 games.
The Phoenix Mercury are averaging 83 points on 43.3 percent shooting and allowing 85.7 points on 44.8 percent shooting. Skylar Diggins-Smith is averaging 19.6 points and 4.1 rebounds, while Tina Charles is averaging 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds. Diana Taurasi is the third double-digit scorer and Diamond DeShields is dishing 2 assists. The Phoenix Mercury are shooting 32.5 percent from beyond the arc and 81.1 percent from the free throw line. The Phoenix Mercury are allowing 37.7 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 31.3 rebounds per game.
The New York Liberty are averaging 79 points on 42.7 percent shooting and allowing 84.1 points on 42.4 percent shooting. Sabrina Ionescu is averaging 17.2 points and 6.2 assists, while Natasha Howard is averaging 15.1 points and 7.1 rebounds. Betnijah Laney is the third double-digit scorer and Marine Johannes is grabbing 1.7 rebounds. The New York Liberty are shooting 34.7 percent from beyond the arc and 81.3 percent from the free throw line. The New York Liberty are allowing 35.1 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 33.9 rebounds per game.
The Mercury are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 2 days rest and 1-4-1 ATS in their last 6 road games. The Liberty are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 Sunday games and 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The under is 5-1-1 in Mercury last 7 Sunday games. The over is 4-0 in Liberty last 4 vs. Western Conference. The Mercury are 6-0 ATS in the last 6 meetings in New York.
This line is rather surprising when you consider the New York Liberty look like they've thrown in the towel on the season and the Phoenix Mercury have flipped a switch over the last week. The Mercury are an experienced bunch that knows how to get the job done when it counts, and they've been making a playoff push over their last few games. The Mercury are a team to watch very closely down the stretch. Given their current form, I have no confidence in the Liberty here. I'll gladly lay the bucket with the road team.
AUTHOR: Randy Chambers
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