Back on the scene. The New York Liberty completed their first road trip of the season with a strong victory over the Portland Fire on May 14. They’ve been off for the past week and are beginning a seven game homestand.
The opponent tonight is gearing up for a special sophomore season. They’ve been off since May 13 after suffering their first loss of the season at the hands of the Chicago Sky.
Where to follow the game
My9 on TV. Liberty live on streaming for the locals. Amazon Prime for everyone else. Tip after 8 PM.
Injuries
Leonie
Fiebich and Raquel Carrera have completed their play with Valencia and are traveling back to the United States. Sabrina Ionescu, Satou Sabally, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton are all questionable which is good news.
Juste Jocyte and Cecilia Zandalasini are out.
The game
The Valks will look to keep the Liberty out of the paint. New York is tops in the WNBA in field goal percentage inside the restricted area at 78.3%. The Libs have been able to cash in with the increased spacing and it’ll be a tough challenge for Golden State tonight.
On the other side, the Liberty will try to slow Veronica Burton down. VB has scaled her game up since joining the Valkyries and has been one of the best guards in the game. She’s taken another step forward and is at early career highs in points and assists. Of course it’s early and we’ll need to see if this trend continues, but so far, so good.
Both teams have been off for a while, but the Valkyries have to hit the road as soon as this game ends as they play the Indiana Fever on the back leg of a back-to-back.
Luckily for the Liberty, they get to rest up and get used to being home for a while. Tonight is the first game of a seven game homestand that wraps up with a primetime affair against the Fever on June 6. It’s a great time to get some reinforcements, build more good habits, and let your bodies heal as the schedule starts to pick up.
It’ll be great to see an old friend tonight. Kayla Thornton is back after suffering a knee injury last season and has gotten back to her usual level of play. KT provides great presence on both sides of the ball, can knock down threes, and is a ball of energy every time she’s on the court. She’s beloved here in Brooklyn and will get a great ovation once she’s introduced tonight.
Player to watch: Gabby Williams
We got a chance to chat with Gabby at Valkyries practice, so check it out below!
Something interesting Williams told us is coach Natalie Nakase saw her potential in the WNBA and focused on what she did here as compared to her play overseas. This season, we’ve seen Williams take on a bigger role on offense than we’re used to seeing in the WNBA context, and it’s been paying off so far. Her three point attempts have spiked and she’s shooting a career best 40 percent from downtown. We know Williams is a great ballhandler and finisher at the rim, and if she can be consistent from deep, she’ll take the Valkyries to a new level.
The Liberty hope to have Satou Sabally back tonight. Sabally hasn’t played yet and has been working her way back to the court. If she does play, we’ll see how many minutes Chris DeMarco has her out there for. Sabally has been active in practice throughout the week and has looked good in the bits we as media have been able to watch. Her presence gives the Liberty more size in the frontcourt and a versatile, do everything player who can fill a variety of roles. Once she’s fully in the swing of things, the sky is the limit.
From the Vault
Jason Kidd has seen better days
More reading: Valkyries Beat, Valkyrie Nation, Swish Appeal, Breakaway, SB Nation, Women’s Basketball Roundup, The Local W, New York Daily News, No Cap Space, New York Post, Newsday, The Athletic, NY Liberty Fan TV, Fansided, Just Women’s Sports, Winsidr, Her Hoop Stats, Yahoo Sports, ESPN, CBS Sports, and The IX Basketball
- New York Liberty Game Notes – New York Liberty
- Golden State Valkyries Game Notes – Golden State Valkyries
