NY Liberty vs. Minnesota Lynx preview: A Saturday matinee

Every day is a learning opportunity. And for the New York Liberty, Thursday night will provide one they’ll keep in mind for the future. Teresa Weatherspoon brought her Chicago Sky back into her old stomping grounds, and Chicago outworked the Liberty on the way to handing NY their first loss of the year.

The opponent today has been one of the pleasant surprises of the season so far. The Minnesota Lynx have been pretty excellent to start the year as they try to go on a big run this year. They were able to get Thursday’s game into overtime, but the Connecticut Sun proved to be a bit too much to handle as they beat the Lynx by one point.

Where to follow the game

CBS is the place to be. Brunch and basketball so we getting the party started at 1 PM.

Injuries

All clear for the seafoam.

Diamond Miller left Thursday’s game with a knee injury. She had knee surgery during the off-season, and the team has been working her back into things slowly. Last night, the team announced that she will be out indefinitely after undergoing and MRI. Dorka Juhasz had overseas obligations, but she was activated last night. She’ll be available today.

The game

The Lynx have played a lot of basketball in the past week and change. They went to OT vs. the Sun and the game before that, it took them two overtimes to beat the Seattle Storm. Prior to Thursday’s game, they had a few days off, but the minutes do start to add up after a while. Luckily for them, they’ll be staying home for a while before they return to action on Wednesday vs. the Las Vegas Aces.

Foul trouble made things hard for Jonquel Jones on Thursday as she couldn’t get things going. Without Jones, the Liberty didn’t have their usual rhythm and crispness that they typically do. The rim protection wasn’t where it usually is and everything was off just a hair. When you have a game like Jones did, you always want to get back out there and get back on the good foot. With Juhasz likely on a minutes restriction and rookie big Alissa Pili getting comfortable in the pros, look for the team to place some extra emphasis on getting Jones the ball early and often.

Sabrina Ionescu has been getting downhill more often, and it’s helped keep the Liberty offense going. That increased success at the rim helps against a Lynx team that has kept teams off the three point line. Through the first week and change of the season, the Lynx are first in opponent’s three point attempts and third in percentage. Ionescu’s three point shot hasn’t joined the party yet, so look for her to keep attacking downhill to find those quality shots for herself and her teammates.

On the other side, Kayla McBride will try to match Sab shot for shot. McBride has been in the top 25 in three point attempts in each of the past three seasons and is currently ninth this season. Cheryl Reeve and the coaching staff trust her to find her shot late in close games and to guard players like Ionescu. With Miller out for the foreseeable future, they’ll have to count on her even more to handle shooting guard duties.

Player to watch: Napheesa Collier

It’s always great to watch a player break into the top tier of the league. After finishing fourth in the MVP vote last year, Napheesa Collier is back and picking up where she left off. Phee was named Western Conference Player of the Week, and she’s done everything well for her team. How good has Phee been?

That’ll do. After the game on Thursday, she was asked about a tough foul call and said

Well alright!

Phee will be matched up with her pal from UConn, Breanna Stewart! It’s hard to see an 18/10/5/4/1 and say it was a C+ game, but that’s what Thursday was for Stew York City. The team missed its fair share of shots at the rim, and when you miss layups, it allows the opponent to go on back-breaking runs. Look for New York to get Stewart those shots at the rim within the flow of the offense so she can keep Minnesota on its heels.

From the Vault

Over in the NBA, the Minnesota Timberwolves are trying to make it to the Finals for the first time in franchise history as they face the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. It’s been a minute since a Minnesota sports team made it this far in the playoffs. Let’s take a trip back into time and relive some Minnesota glory

More reading: Canis Hoopus, Swish Appeal, The Strickland, The Local W, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Athletic. Fansided, Just Women’s Sports, SI All Knicks, Winsidr, Her Hoop Stats, CBS Sports, and The Next