CHICAGO SKY VS. NEW YORK LIBERTY EXPERT PICK – JUNE 4TH

CHICAGO SKY VS. NEW YORK LIBERTY EXPERT PICK – JUNE 4th, 2023 – Greetings basketball fans. We have a trio of WNBA games from Sunday’s slate. Our featured matchup this week includes the Chicago Sky (3-3) taking on the New York Liberty (4-1). 

Let’s see which team has the edge heading into this contest and why. 

Be sure to check out more of our basketball coverage here, as well.

Tipoff

When: June 4, 2023 at 2:00 PM ET

Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY

TV: CBS Sports Network, YES, CW-26, and MARQ

Odds Courtesy of DraftKings as of June 4, 2023

Two Teams Heading in Opposite Directions

Following an offseason that resulted in a significant change to its roster, the Chicago Sky posted three wins in their first four outings. However, they recently suffered a pair of setbacks – an 83-65 loss to the Atlanta Dream on May 30 and a 77-76 loss to the New York Liberty on Friday night. 

Meanwhile, the New York Liberty began the season with an 80-64 loss against the Washington Mystics. After that disappointing loss, though, the New York has reeled off four consecutive victories, including the one-point win against a Sky team they will be playing against for the second time in three days. 

Sky and Liberty Getting It Done Defensively 

Chicago is ranked 11th in scoring and has the fourth-worst defensive rating in the 12-team league. Conversely, the narrative is noticeably different for this squad at the other end of the court. Chicago is ranked 4th in scoring defense (75.7 points per outing) and they have the third-best defensive rating in the league. 

New York has the sixth-best scoring average and the fourth-best offensive rating. And from a defensive standpoint, the Liberty have the best scoring defense in the league, giving up 74.4 points per contest, and the fourth-best defensive rating (96.1 points per 100 possessions). 

With both teams excelling at the defensive end of the court, points may be hard to come by in this one. Here are my betting trends for this matchup. 

Over/Under

The projected over/under total for this contest is 160.5 points. Here are a few reasons why you should go with the UNDER.

In the matchup between these two teams that occurred just two days ago, they combined for a grand total of 153 points. 

These two squads are averaging 156 points per game on the season and giving up just 150.1 points per game between them. 

The UNDER total has hit in each of Chicago’s last four games against Eastern Conference opponents, and seven times in the team’s last eight road games. 

The UNDER has prevailed 13 times in the Sky’s last 16 games and is 6-1 in the last seven instances in which they are coming off a loss. 

The UNDER is 4-1 in Chicago’s last five games against teams with a winning record. New York is 4-1 on the season. 

The UNDER total has a 5-1 mark in New York’s last six matchups against the Eastern Conference.

In New York’s last 16 outings, the UNDER has a 12-4 mark following an against-the-spread loss. 

The UNDER is 5-2 in the Liberty’s last seven games. 

Prediction: UNDER 160.5 points

The Spread

The Liberty are favored to win this game by – wait for it – 13.5 points. Wow!

Here is why you should go with the Sky and the points here.

First, I am going to point out the obvious that the Liberty barely escaped with a one-point win on Friday night. But somehow that translates to being a 13.5-point favorite in a rematch? Seriously?

The Sky are 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall and 5-1 ATS in the last six matchups in which they were coming off a loss. 

Chicago holds a 4-1-mark ATS in the last five matchups that took place on a Sunday.

The Sky are 5-2 ATS in their last seven road contests. And they have won 20 of their previous 29 games ATS when the opposition has a winning record. New York is 4-1 on the season.

Given the above trends, coupled with the fact that New York is 2-5 ATS in their last seven games and 3-9 ATS in the last 12 games they have played on a Sunday, I am going with the Sky to cover here.

Prediction: Chicago Sky (+13.5)

Player Prop Bet

There was no player prop bet for this matchup available. However, my key player to watch in this contest is Liberty forward Breanna Stewart. She was recently named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for May. 

Despite a season-low of 12 points in the season opener against the Mystics, Stewart is averaging a career-best in points (24.4) and rebounds (10.4) on 51.9 percent shooting from the field and 41.9 percent from beyond the arc. 

With that being said, go with the OVER if the projected points total for Stewart is 22 points or less. 

Prediction: Breanna Stewart OVER 22 points

James’s Picks: UNDER 160.5 points

Chicago Sky (+13.5)

PPB: Breanna Stewart OVER 22 points