Home Team: New York Liberty
Away Team: Chicago Sky
Location: White Plains, New York
When is Game Time? Friday, June 29 at 6:30 p.m. CT
Where can I stream or watch on TV? League Pass, MSG+ and The U Too

Chicago snapped its losing streak with a strong win against Phoenix on Sunday, and they carried that winning basketball play into their matinee game against Atlanta on Wednesday. Thus, the Sky are on a two-game winning streak as they prepare to face the Liberty. The teams will play a home-and-home series this weekend.Starting in New York on Friday they’ll play the game in Chicago this coming Sunday.

Chicago enters Friday having scored 90-plus points in two straight games, 93 coming in Wednesday’s win over Atlanta. Of those 93 points, a whopping 63 came in the second half, as the Sky outscored the Dream by 21 points [that same half].

Facing the Liberty
In past seasons, the Sky and Liberty have traded wins back-and-forth so much that the overall series history is tied at 23-23. In 2017, the Liberty took the series 2-1.

The Sky already took on the New York Liberty once this season, coming on May 20 in Chicago’s home-opener at Wintrust Arena. Chicago came out victorious, winning with a final score of 80-76. New York center Tina Charles was her team’s leading scorer as she finished with a team-high 19 points and added four rebounds.

Charles played a good game, but the Sky also put on a show. Guard Allie Quigley led the team in scoring with 22 points and guard Jamierra Faulkner was solid off the bench with 14 points, five assists and five rebounds. The New York bench also had a good game, as rookie guard Kia Nurse and forward Amanda Zahui B. scored 17 points and 15 points off the bench, respectively.

Chicago currently sits at 5-9, which ranks No. 9 in the WNBA, while New York has a record of 4-10 in 11th place. Both teams are looking to grasp a coveted playoff spot, so this series can be a turning point for the Liberty and the Sky.

Sky general manager and head coach Amber Stocks said she understands the importance of games that have playoff implications.

“When you look at the playoffs and the playoff structure, it’s really about the tiebreakers,” Stocks said. “They become very important. We’ve already beat New York once and so to play them two more times, we have to make sure we secure tiebreakers – against every team. Getting one more [win] if not two, a sweep against New York is vital. Not just to continue the momentum we have now, but when it comes to the playoff structure it’s important to have those tiebreakers. Every inch, every way you can climb the ladder with seeding is extremely important.”

Players to watch

Courtney Vandersloot
Vandersloot dished out double-digit assists in her last two games and currently leads the league in that category at 7.3 helpers per game. She is also five assists away from being 14th overall in WNBA history, moving ahead of Vickie Johnson, who had 1205 assists in her career. Johnson played 12 years in the WNBA, and, throughout her career, she averaged 2.9 assists per game.

Diamond DeShields
DeShields finished Wednesday’s game with a team-high 23 points and 11 rebounds, as she notched her first double-double of the season. It was her eighth game reaching double-digit points this season. She’s averaging 19 points per game in the Sky’s last two games, which were both wins.

Stefanie Dolson
Dolson made her first start this past Wednesday after returning to the team from a strained tendon. She finished the game with 13 points for the second time since coming back from her injury, and she added five rebounds and five assists. Look for her to continue producing as she eases her way back from injury.