Dream vs Liberty Odds: Atlanta’s Defense a Concern
Despite defensive woes, Dream are 8-2 over last 10 games
The New York Liberty will look to extend their three-game winning streak when they host the Atlanta Dream Thursday. The Liberty own the WNBA’s second-best record and have established themselves as the most significant title contender outside of the defending champion Las Vegas Aces.
New York is a nine-point favorite (-110) and -450 to win outright, with Atlanta priced +350. The total is 173.5 (-110). Let’s look at the Dream vs Liberty odds in our matchup preview.
Atlanta Dream at New York Liberty
Date, time:
Location:Barclays Center; New York
Stewart Pacing Liberty
The New York Liberty are coming off an 86-82 victory over the Seattle Storm on Tuesday, in which they rallied from an 18-point second-half deficit. Forward Breanna Stewart scored 22 points, and guard Sabrina Ionescu had 12 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists for her fourth career triple-double.
Winners of seven of eight, the Liberty are now 17-5. It’s close to where most expected them to be. They’re atop the Eastern Conference and remain the biggest threat to the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. Hence, the Liberty’s +300 championship odds.
How have they gotten here? It’s no secret. Stewart. After six seasons with Seattle, the five-time All-Star has enjoyed a relatively seamless transition. She’s second in the WNBA in scoring (22.6) and tied for fourth in rebounding (9.3) while averaging the fourth-most minutes per game (34.3). She’s also tied for seventh in blocks (1.4). As such, Stewart is now a -200 favorite to win her second MVP, per WNBA odds.
The Liberty — fueled by not only Stewart but also Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, Courtney Vandersloot and Betnijah Laney — are averaging the second-most points (88.7) and have the second-best points differential (plus-6.3). Despite that, they are 8-13 against the spread, including just 4-7 at home. Keep that in mind as you assess the Dream vs Liberty odds.
Atlanta Trending Up
The Atlanta Dream are on the upswing, with an 8-2 mark over their last 10 games. They’ve risen to fourth in the WNBA standings, tied with the Dallas Wings at 13-10 overall. While the Dream may still be another year away from serious title contention, they’re at least in the mix.
Reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Rhyne Howard has continued her dominant play, showing no signs of a sophomore slump. The former Kentucky standout is averaging a team-high 18.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals. She’s also had plenty of help from Allisha Gray and Cheyenne Parker. The trio has combined to account for 58.7% of Atlanta’s scoring.
Atlanta still has its issues. For one, it is allowing an average of 84.7 points. That’s the fourth-highest total in the WNBA, not to mention the most among current playoff teams. The three teams below them in that category entered Wednesday a combined 20-49. To make serious noise in the postseason, the Dream will obviously need to clean that up.
Notably, Atlanta is 13-10 ATS, including 7-4 on the road.
Handicapping the Game
Las Vegas is the best WNBA team. This we know. But New York isn’t far behind. Stewart continues to dominate, and the offense is only getting better. Remember, this is an entirely new group. The Liberty needed time to gel. They’re clearly doing that now, much to the chagrin of opponents. They’re averaging an impressive 89.6 points over their last 10 games.
New York has already beaten Atlanta twice in three tries this season. It topped 100 points in both victories, exposing the Dream’s lackluster defense. That remains a concern for the Dream. Expect the Dream vs Liberty odds to comfortably favor New York, especially at home.
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