Sun vs Liberty: Can Connecticut Dethrone Breanna Stewart and Co. in the Eastern Conference Standings? Injury Report, Starting 5 and Prediction

A top-of-the-table clash awaits the Mohegan Sun Arena on Wednesday. Two of the Eastern Conference heavyweights will lock horns to determine who holds the overall supremacy in the league. While Breanna Stewart and the Liberty will look to overcome their previous game defeat against Caitlin Clark and Co., the fixture also provides a chance for the Sun to extend their winning streak to 4 games. But, before that, it is worth noticing who all are in the best shape to take the court.

For the 2023 WNBA Finalists, the services of the 24-year-old forward Nyara Sabally will continue to elude them for some more time. Seemingly, some serious back issues are preventing head coach Sandy Brondello from utilizing her potential. In spite of that, New York has managed an impressive 17-4 record in the Eastern Conference play. On top of that, two of its star players Stewart (19.4 p.p.g. and 45.5% FG%) and Sabrina Ionescu (18.9 p.p.g and 6.3 a.p.g) are firing on all cylinders.

On the other hand, the hosts also seem to have found their winning combination. Sadly, their No.4 Moriah Jefferson isn’t a part of that. After featuring in just 9 games this season, the 30-year-old has been forced to sit on the sidelines. The reason was an unfortunate right ankle injury. Nonetheless, she has successfully undergone an arthroscopic surgery. A reevaluation is in order in more or less 2 weeks. Till then, the franchise will hope that DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas will keep performing the way they do. The former is currently the team’s leader in terms of scoring (16.9 p.p.g. and 43.2 FG%). While the latter is holding the rebound and assists responsibilities (9.4 r.p.g and 7.9 a.p.g.)

With such clinical squads ready to take on against one another, it will be enticing to see which among the two holds the upper hand.

Who can accompany Breanna Stewart in providing the Liberty a decent start?

The Liberty holds a slight edge over the hosts with a win probability of 55.5%, as per ESPN’s matchup predictor. A primary reason behind that is that their starting line is expected to be Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Courtney Vandersloot, and Sabrina Ionescu.

Meanwhile, the home team’s chances to put their underdog status of 44.5% to the test will be on the shoulders of DeWanna Bonner, Alyssa Thomas, Brionna Jones, Tyasha Harris, and DiJonai Carrington. Apart from opening the proceedings, they will also have the opportunity to make sure their 9-2 home record doesn’t take a major hit.

The contest surely has all the credentials of being an absolute blockbuster. As neither of the two teams looking to back down, it will all depend as to who has the better ability to hold on to its nerves. Moreover, it will also set the tone for their upcoming clashes now that the playoffs scenario is approaching.

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.