NBA

Connecticut Sun vs New York Liberty game 4 prediction and odds: 2023 WNBA semifinals

The WNBA semifinal between Connecticut Sun and New York Liberty is about to reach its crescendo. The Liberty are a game away from reaching their first Finals since 2002 after winning a thrilling game 3 on Friday. Can the experienced Sun extend their fifth consecutive semifinal appearance to a decisive game 5? Here are our game 4 Sun vs Liberty predictions.

CS vs NYL scaled
Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport

Connecticut Sun vs New York Liberty – game predictions

Liberty regained control over this series Friday night with a 92-81 win. The Sun played well for 3 quarters in this match but losing the opening period by 21 points proved costly. Can the Sun force a decider, or are Liberty riding the wave of success and will finish the job on Sunday?

Prediction 1: New York Liberty first quarter -1.5 spread @ -125 (1.80)

Our first Sun vs Liberty prediction backs the visitors to win the opening quarter by at least 2 points. Liberty blew away the Sun on Friday in the first quarter 37-16 and this was the main reason why they won the match.

Liberty have won the opening quarters of all their 3 away matches vs the Sun this season. All those were won by more than 2 points. Making fast starts on the road is somewhat of a trademark for the Liberty and that is why we back them to do it again now in game 4.

Prediction 2: New York Liberty over 82.5 points @ -125 (1.80)  

Liberty scored 92, 89 and 95 in their 3 wins in Connecticut so far this season. They average 89.2 points per game on the road for the season. Also, Liberty are by far the best road team in the entire league with their away record currently standing at 19-3.

All this, plus the fact that Liberty easily went over 80 points vs the Sun, and did that in six of the last seven meetings between the teams, makes us confident that this spread will be covered by the away side.

These odds were correct at the time of writing.

Sun vs Liberty preview – is the new WNBA MVP Stewart going to the Finals in 4?

The number two seed New York Liberty came from 0-1 down in this series to now lead 2-1 and be a game away from reaching their first WNBA Finals in over 20 years. The Sun are still full of belief though and they will lean on their vast playoff experience to try and force a game 5.

Connecticut Sun news, injuries, and starting lineups

Connecticut Sun made a dreadful start to game 3 and lost the opening quarter 16-37. After that, the Sun played well and they actually won the next 2 quarters and tied the final one 20-20. However, the damage that was done early saw them lose 81-92.

The main positive from this match was that after struggling in her last 4 outings vs Liberty star point guard Alyssa Thomas finally found a way to score the basket in this fixture. She had 23 points on 11 of 17 shooting. She never took a shot from a distance in this match and her attitude was to go downhill every time. More of the same can be expected now in game 4.

Sun Injury Report:

N/A

Sun Starting Lineup:

Rebecca Allen, Tiffany Hayes, Tyasha Harris, Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner

New York Liberty news, injuries, and starting lineups

New York Liberty flew out of the blocks in game 3 and after building a 24-point lead in the first quarter they simply managed the proceedings after to triumph 92-81 in the end. Once again key to the victory were the bigs Jones and Stewart. Fresh from being crowned regular  season’s MVP Stewart scored 25 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and produced 2 blocks. Jones also had another double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Liberty have now won 6 of their 7 matches vs the Sun this season. They have the best away record in the entire league at 19-3 and triumphed in all 3 games played in Connecticut. All that should give the team huge confidence as they try to finish the job and reach their first WNBA Finals since 2002.

Liberty Injury Report:

Han Xu (C) – out

Liberty Starting Lineup:

Courtney Vandersloot, Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, Betnijah Laney, Jonquel Jones

Sun vs Liberty head-to-head record in 2023

  • 28.09.23 WNBA  Connecticut Sun vs New York Liberty  81-92 [WNBA semifinal Game 3]
  • 26.09.23 WNBA New York Liberty vs Connecticut Sun 84-77 [WNBA semifinal Game 2]
  • 24.09.23 WNBA New York Liberty vs Connecticut Sun 63-78 [WNBA semifinal Game 1]
  • 02.09.23 WNBA New York Liberty vs Connecticut Sun 89-58
  • 24.08.23 WNBA Connecticut Sun vs New York Liberty 90-95 OT (82-82)

Connecticut Sun vs New York Liberty game details

  • Date & Time: Sunday, October 01, 2023, 00:00 a.m. GMT / 07:00 p.m. ET
  • Venue: Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut
  • Where to watch the match: Sky Sports Arena (UK/Ireland), ABC (USA), Hulu TV, fuboTV, or the WNBA App/League Pass


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About the author

Iskra

Iskra had a promising, at least she believed so, tennis and volleyball careers as a junior but a series of injuries ended her hopes to become a professional athlete very early.

Instead, she focused all her energy on her other passion, writing. For over a decade, Iskra had been a freelance sports writer. Football, basketball and tennis are the main fields of her expertise.