Dream vs. Liberty Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for WNBA Playoffs Game 2

Does New York close out its first-round series on Tuesday?

Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard (10) drives past New York Liberty forward Leonie Fiebich. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The New York Liberty got off to a strong start in the playoffs on Sunday, taking down the Atlanta Dream in Game 1 of their first-round series by 14 points.

Despite covering the spread just five times at home in the regular season, the Liberty were able to do so in Game 1, riding 20 points from Breanna Stewart and 21 points from Leonie Fiebich (who shot 7-for-8 from the field) to the win.

Atlanta is now facing an uphill battle ahead of Game 2, as it’ll need to win back-to-back games against the Liberty to advance to the next round.

New York only lost eight games during the regular season, so it won’t be an easy take for the No. 8-seeded Dream to complete.

Oddsmakers agree, favoring the Liberty 12.5 points for the second straight game in this series. 

Here’s a breakdown of the latest odds, players to watch, and my prediction for Game 2 of the Dream-Liberty series. 

Dream vs. Liberty Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Dream +12.5 (-110)
• Liberty -12.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Dream: +650
• Liberty: -1000

Total

• 156.5 (Over -108/Under -112)

Dream vs. Liberty How to Watch

• Date: Tuesday, Sept. 24
• Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
• Venue: Barclays Center
• How to Watch (TV): ESPN
• Series: New York leads 1-0

Dream vs. Liberty Injury Reports

Dream Injury Report

• Aerial Powers – out
• Cheyenne Parker-Tyus – out

Liberty Injury Report

• None to report

Dream vs. Liberty Key Players to Watch

Atlanta Dream

Allisha Gray: One of Atlanta’s best players and shooters, Gray struggled in Game 1, scoring just nine points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field (0-for-3 from beyond the arc). With only Rhyne Howard and Tina Charles finishing in double figures scoring in Game 1, Gray is going to need to give the Dream more if they want to pull off an upset. During the regular season, Gray averaged 15.6 points per game while shooting 40.3 percent from the field. 

New York Liberty

Leonie Fiebich: A rookie this season, the 24-year-old Fiebich started 15 games during the regular season before earning her first playoff start on Sunday. She delivered by shooting 7-for-8 from the field (4-for-4 from 3) on her way to a 21-point game. During the regular season, Fiebich averaged just 6.7 points per game, so her scoring was a massive boost on Sunday. 

Dream vs. Liberty Prediction and Pick

The Liberty were able to cover the spread for just the sixth time this season at home in Game 1, but I’m not sold on betting that to happen in Game 2.

While I expect the No. 1 seed to finish off this three-game series on Tuesday, the UNDER is the more intriguing play to me.

This season (including playoffs and the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup), New York has hit the UNDER in 23 of its 42 games, and the Dream have been an even better under team, hitting it in 24 of their 41 contests.

Game 1 of this series finished with 152 combined points, and there are a few takeaways from the entire playoff slate on Sunday that we can apply a little to the Game 2s this week. 

Three road teams failed to crack 70 points, and only one game had more than 162 combined points (Minnesota vs. Phoenix). 

When it comes to the Liberty and Dream, these teams both play at a pretty slow pace (Atlanta is 11th, New York is seventh) this season and the Dream have not been a good shooting team, ranking dead last in the league in effective field goal percentage. 

Rather than bank on a blowout win by New York, I’ll take the UNDER between two teams that rank in the top half of the league in defensive rating. 

Pick: UNDER 156.5 (-112)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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