New York Liberty vs. Connecticut Sun Expert Expert Pick And Predictions – June 8, 2024

NEW YORK LIBERTY VS. CONNECTICUT SUN EXPERT PICK AND PREDICTIONS — JUNE 8, 2024 — Greetings, basketball fans. Welcome back to our WNBA coverage here at Godzilla Wins. One of the games on tap from today’s slate features the New York Liberty (9-2 SU, 4-7 ATS) taking on the Connecticut Sun (9-0 SU, 4-5 ATS).

Here is a look at which squad has the edge going into this matchup and why.

Tipoff

When: Saturday, June 8, 2024 @ 1:00 PM ET

Where: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT

TV: ABC

New York Liberty vs. Connecticut Sun Odds

Odds courtesy of DraftKings

New York Liberty vs. Connecticut Sun – In-Season Stats & Betting Trends

Can The Liberty Hand The Sun Their First Loss?

The Liberty started the season 4-0 before suffering back-to-back losses against the Chicago Sky and Minnesota Lynx. Since those setbacks, though, New York has reeled off five straight victories to improve their record to 9-2 on the season. This is the second-best record in the league.

In their recent outing, New York defeated the Atlanta Dream 78-61. Four of the team’s starting five scored in double figures. Breanna Stewart led the charge with 25 points, 10 points, and five rebounds.

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton added 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu finished with 10 points each. New York led by a slim four-point margin (55-51) in the fourth quarter but pulled away down the stretch. Laney-Hamilton and Leonie Fiebich knocked down consecutive 3-point shots to push the lead to 10 points, enabling the Liberty to coast to a 17-point victory.

Will The Sun Extend Their Winning  Streak To 10 Games?

The Liberty’s 9-2 mark is impressive, but the Sun are a bit better as they have posted wins in each of their first nine games of the season. This includes a 76-59 victory over the winless Washington Mystics on Tuesday night. In that contest, DeWanna Bonner scored a team-high 20 points, along with eight boards and three assists.

Brionna Jones finished with 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the floor. Tyasha Harris contributed 14 points and six assists on 50 percent shooting overall (4-for-8) and 50 percent shooting from 3-point range (2-for-4).

Washington led 33-32 at the break, but the Sun took control of the game in the third quarter, outscoring the Mystics by a 26-10 margin, which essentially put the game out of reach. Connecticut’s top-ranked defense limited Washington to 31.3 percent shooting and just 20.7 percent from distance.

The question is whether the league’s top defensive squad can hold its own against a Liberty team that is ranked third in scoring and first in efficiency. Now that we have set the table for this matchup between the two top teams in the association, let’s examine the betting trends for both sides.

The Spread

Despite their unblemished record through nine games, the Sun are a 1.5-point underdog in this matchup (per Bleacher Nation). Here is a look at how both ball clubs have fared against the spread this season.

• The Liberty are 7-17 ATS in their last 24 contests.
• New York is 2-4 ATS in its last six matchups against Connecticut.
• In their last nine road games against Connecticut, the Liberty are 3-6 against the spread.
• The Sun are 4-2 ATS in their last six contests against New York.
• In its last nine matchups against the Liberty, Connecticut is 6-3 against the spread.

Prediction: Connecticut Sun (+1.5)

Over/Under

The projected over/under total for this matchup is 156.5 points (per 365scores.com). Here is why going with the “over” is the smart choice.

• The total has gone OVER five times in the Sun’s last seven contests against New York.
• The OVER total is 4-1 in Connecticut’s last five home games against the Liberty.
• New York and Connecticut have averaged a combined 165.7 points per contest, which is 9.2 points higher than the over/under for this matchup.
• These teams have exceeded 156.5 points total three times in their last five head-to-head encounters.

Prediction: OVER 156.5 points

Player Prop Bet

In addition to her 25-10-5 effort against the Dream, Breanna Stewart leads the Liberty in scoring, rebounding, and steals, thus making her the key player to watch in this matchup. She currently has -120 odds of scoring more than 21.5 points and -110 odds of finishing with less than 21.5 points.

Here is a look at how her numbers stack up against the projected points total for this matchup.

• On the season, Stewart is averaging 19.9 points per contest.
• In five road games this season, the Liberty forward is averaging 23.4 points per contest.
• Stewart has played against Eastern Conference teams eight times this season. In those contests, she is averaging 21.3 points per outing.
• Over her last five outings, Stewart is averaging 20.4 points and 10.6 rebounds per outing, exceeding the points total for this matchup twice during that stretch.

Prediction: Breanna Stewart OVER 21.5 points