WNBA Odds & Picks: New York Liberty vs Atlanta Dream

Two teams firmly entrenched in a playoff spot and looking to improve their standing clash on Saturday, August 23 when the Atlanta Dream hosts the New York Liberty. New York ended a two-game slide and beat WNBA best Minnesota, 85-75, on Tuesday to tie Atlanta for the second-best record. Both clubs are 22-13 with a game to play before meeting for the final time this regular season. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. ET with the game televised on CBS.

Liberty at Dream WNBA Game Preview

With first in the overall standings out of the question the teams will battle for the No. 2 seed while also trying to stay among the top four. This is significant since the best four records host in the first round of the playoffs, which are just around the corner. The Liberty will get a boost for their playoff hopes with the return of former WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart, who hasn’t played since an early departure in a loss to Los Angeles on July 26.

It’s hard to win consistently when you take Stewart’s production off the floor. She averages a team-high 18.3 points with 6.5 boards and 3.9 assists in over 31 minutes of game time. In Stewart’s absence and including the game she got hurt the Liberty went just 5-7 and were a money pit at the betting window with a record of 2-9-1 against the WNBA betting line.

You have to go back to 2018 for the last time the Dream had a winning season. And here they are one win away from matching that victory total and two away from setting a franchise record. So it’s safe to say Atlanta has been a surprise this year. They did drop two of three games following Tuesday’s 74-72 setback in Vegas, but the bigger picture is more pleasing. Before the recent spell the Dream won six straight and eight of nine to challenge for a top 4 seed and homecourt in the first round.

After averaging fewer than 12 wins in the previous six seasons the Dream hired Karl Smesko as coach and overhauled the roster with free agents Brionna Jones and Brittney Griner. A new offensive philosophy has the Dream averaging more than 86 points, but they’ve been stronger on the defensive end allowing the third fewest points per game. Jones averages 12.7 points and a team best 7.3 rebounds and Allisha Gray averages 18.5 points.

Liberty at Dream WNBA Predictions

Returning home will boost the Dream, but they are in the middle of a difficult stretch of games against the best WNBA squads. They fell to red-hot Vegas on Tuesday and host WNBA best Minnesota on Thursday before entertaining New York. They are a combined 2-5 against those three opponents this season. Atlanta’s success has allowed them to be one of the most profitable teams in the WNBA with eight payouts and a push in their last 12 games. The Dream welcomed back Rhyne Howard last week with the guard averaging 20 points in her last four games.

Liberty at Dream WNBA Betting Tips

• New York is 13-20-2 ATS and 2-9-1 ATS in its last 11 games.
• Atlanta is 20-14-1 ATS and 8-3-1 ATS in its last 12 games.
• The UNDER is 6-0 in Atlanta’s last six games.
• New York is 8-9 in road games, the fewest wins of any team currently in a playoff spot.

Liberty at Dream Head-to-Head and Key Stats

Even having a good season hasn’t prevented Atlanta from losing games to the Liberty. New York won the most recent meeting last month, 79-72, covering the 5.5-point spread. The Liberty have won two of the first three encounters this year and eight of the last 10 meetings overall. Atlanta’s last win came at home on June 29 with Jones (21) and Gray (20) leading five players in double figure scoring. Atlanta shot 53 percent from the floor playing as a favorite against New York for the first time in at least nine games.