Liberty at Sun Preview: Massive Mohegan Matinee

The New York Liberty and the Connecticut Sun will battle for first on Wednesday morning in Uncasville.

Brandon Todd, NY Liberty

First thing in the morning takes on a whole new meaning when the New York Liberty and Connecticut Sun do battle on Wednesday.

With camp days back in flux on the WNBA circuit, the Liberty and Sun will do it for the kids in midweek battle at Mohegan Sun Arena. The winner will emerge with the top seed on the WNBA playoff bracket with the All-Star/Olympic breaks looming, at least for the time being: the loser won't have to wait long for a rematch, as Connecticut comes to Barclays Center next Tuesday.

The Liberty are looking to recover from a sour weekend outing in Indianapolis, as a five-game winning streak ended in 83-78 fashion against the Indiana Fever. Amidst Caitlin Clark history, New York saw Sabrina Ionescu score 22 points while Betnijah Laney-Hamilton added 20 in defeat.

Connecticut kept pace with the Liberty and has leaped into a first-place tie with wins in each of its last three, the latest being an 80-67 triumph over the Atlanta Dream. DeWanna Bonner led the team with 23 points while Tiffany Mitchell had 13 off the bench.

New York currently owns the first-place tiebreaker entering Wednesday's events thanks to an 82-75 win in Uncasville on June 8. Six different Sun reps scored at least 10 but dueling double decalogues from Ionescu (24) and Jonquel Jones (22), as well as a 25-15 advantage in the final period, allowed the Liberty to pull away.

What: New York Liberty (17-4) @ Connecticut Sun (17-4)

Where: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT

When/Watch: Wednesday, 11 a.m. ET, WWOR

Who's Favored: NYL -2

Brandon Todd, NY Liberty

Keep An Eye On: Betnijah Laney-Hamilton

An ill-timed injury likely denied Laney-Hamilton All-Star honors, as the metropolitan cornerstone continues to establish herself as one of the W's top two-way standouts. Such a nature was particularly prevalent the last time the Liberty made the trip to Uncasville: Laney-Hamilton was charged with her third foul before the midway mark of the second quarter but refused a substitute until the final minute. She picked up no further penalties, played sterling defense to seal the deal, and dished out a team-best six assists en route to victory.

Sun to Watch: DeWanna Bonner

Not only did Bonner lead the team in scoring in Sunday's win, she earned all but two points of her vital tally with a career-best seven three-pointers. Half of New York's four losses to date have come when they fail to guard the top of the key, as they're 0-2 when they let the opponent hit at least 14. Bonner has taken over the Connecticut scoing load and enters Wednesday's game as one of the hottest offensive contenders: she previous had 24 in a vital win over Minnesota and will look to close out the pre-Olympic slate on a high note.

They Said It

"JJ knows how important she is to us. We didn't get her established as much ... They were very active, even when she was on the front. She was probably a little hesitant. She missed a few shots there. We want her to be very decisive (when) she's open on the three, shooting or the next action. She'll respond in the right way ... wasn't at her best today but we know that she'll bounce back."-head coach Sandy Brondello on getting Jonquel Jones involved in the offense

Prediction

Beyond a "personal" victory over Minnesota last week, the Liberty have been mostly mum about goals beyond a championship. It's safe to say, however, that the team treasures having homecourt advantage come this fall, especially considering they had to go to Las Vegas for the first two games of the WNBA Finals last time around. Having held the top seed for most of the early portions of the summer, New York has enjoyed its perfect and certainly won't be willing to let go. Coming off a loss will only make the Liberty angrier and expect it to manifest in the opener of a statement quartet that also features a home-and-home with the pesky Chicago Sky.

Liberty 77, Sun 74

Make sure you bookmark All Knicks for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

• Liberty Preseason Heroine Back on 7-Day Deal
• Hartenstein Ready for "Dirty Work" After "Hard" Knicks Departure
• Knicks Associate Coach Moves On
• Siegrist Shows Love For "Nova Knicks"
• Liberty's Special Relationship