Mercury vs Liberty WNBA Pick: Healthy New York Begins Title Defense Against Phoenix (Sep 14)

• The Mercury finished with a 27-14 record, good enough for the No. 4 spot in the standings.
• New York also finished the season at 27-14, but lost the tiebreaker via head-to-head matchups between the teams.
• These squads previously squared off on Jul. 11, with the Mercury coming out on top 80-63.

One of the games on Sunday’s WNBA postseason slate features the Phoenix Mercury hosting the New York Liberty in Game 1 of this first-round matchup. Who has the edge in our Mercury vs Liberty pick?

Mercury Aim To Snap Losing Streak

Phoenix enters this matchup amid a three-game slide, including a 97-76 defeat at the hands of the Dallas Wings on Thursday night.

The Mercury led 28-25 after the opening stanza. However, Dallas put the game out of reach, outscoring Phoenix by a decisive 57-32 margin over the middle two quarters.

Satou Sabally was one of just two players who reached double figures. She finished with 14 points, five rebounds, and five assists.

New York Trending In The Right Direction

Meanwhile, the Liberty have won each of their previous three contests, including a 91-86 victory against the Chicago Sky on Thursday.

New York dominated through the first three quarters, building a 78-58 lead. And although Chicago did win the scoring battle 28-13 in the final frame, the game’s outcome was never in doubt.

Breanna Stewart powered the offense with 24 points, along with six rebounds and three assists. She shot 9-for-14 from the floor and a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe.

Mercury vs Liberty WNBA Pick

Phoenix was seventh in scoring and ranked fourth in points allowed (80.1). On the other side, New York ranked sixth in defensive efficiency and had the fourth-highest offensive rating in the association.

The Mercury took three of the four matchups between the teams this season, with two coming by double-digit margins. But now that the Liberty have a healthy roster, one has to like their chances of coming out on top.