For the second time this month, 2 Eastern Conference heavyweights will go head-to-head against one another. The last time the New York Liberty and the Connecticut Sun were in the same building, the 2023 WNBA finalists ended up on the winning side despite being on enemy territory. Now, having the home advantage this time around, will Sabrina Ionescu turn out to be the catalyst yet again in this clash of the Titans?

Who can the Barclays Center expect to take the court tomorrow?

Injury status for the top of the table clash

Things are slightly different than what it was for the hosts the last time they faced the Sun. Some minor dark clouds in the form of injury concerns are looming over their camps. 2x MVP Breanna Stewart missed out on their win against Chicago. The 6× WNBA All-Star suffered pulled her hamstring which compelled her to miss out on the Chicago game on Friday. However, her participation will be a game-time decision.

Providing a clearer picture of her was head coach Sandy Brondello in the pre-game media address against the Sky. She said, “Just taking time where we can. It’s a big game for us but we still have to think big picture, be smart about our players’ health as much as we can.”

In addition to this, there are two more players that fall under the same category. The 24-year-old forward Nyara Sabally due to her persistent back troubles and No.5 Kayla Thornton because of some neck issue might be questionable for Tuesday evening. The player whose absence is confirmed is star defender Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. A right knee injury is forcing her to sit on the sidelines for the third game now. As of now, there is nothing official about her possible return.

On the other hand, Connecticut’s impactful No.4 Moriah Jefferson will have to wait for her 10th game this season. Her right ankle injury is keeping her out of action for the time being. Even after an arthroscopic surgery, her participation depends on a reevaluation which takes place in 2 weeks.

Nonetheless, there is still some firepower on both rosters to provide any team the upper hand in the initial stages of the game.

Who joins Sabrina Ionescu to defend the Liberty fort against Connecticut?

With a 70.7% win probability, Sabrina Ionescu leads the charge for New York to extend their 14-2 record against Eastern Conference opponents. She is expected to take the court alongside Jonquel Jones, Kennedy Burke, Leonie Fiebich, and Courtney Vandersloot.

Meanwhile, despite their 29.3% winning chance, the visitors still exhibit an 8-2 record in road games. They are expected to stick with their winning combination of DeWanna Bonner, Alyssa Thomas, Brionna Jones, and DiJonai Carrington. The choice of their 5th starter will be between Tyasha Harris and Veronica Burton.

Surely, the contest is expected to be another mouth-watering one. With both teams packing some heavy punches, it is difficult to predict a clear winner beforehand. Will we see another game go down to the wire between these two quality sides? Only time will tell.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video: