The league’s most explosive offense heads to Golden State on Thursday night to take on the slowest-paced team in the WNBA. Something has to give here, especially with the Liberty potentially getting some major reinforcements back in the lineup. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. ET, with New York listed as 7.5-point favorites and the total sitting at 170.5 on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Let’s get into it!

Liberty vs. Valkyries Preview

New York has looked like one of the best teams in the league lately, and honestly, they’re doing it without even being fully healthy. The Liberty are sitting third in the standings at 3-1 and just dropped 32 assists in their last game against Portland, which tells you everything you need to know about how this offense is functioning right now. The ball movement has been ridiculous, the spacing is clean, and they’re generating quality looks almost every trip down the floor.

Breanna Stewart continues to be the centerpiece of all of it, averaging 23 points and nine rebounds per game while impacting both ends defensively. Marine Johannes has also looked sharp from deep, and Pauline Astier has quietly become one of the better early-season surprises in the league. The undrafted rookie out of France is averaging 16.8 points and 4.0 assists while stepping into major point guard responsibilities with Sabrina Ionescu sidelined. That’s what makes tonight’s injury report so important.

Both Sabrina Ionescu (ankle) and Satou Sabally (cyst) enter as game-time decisions, and if one or both are active, this matchup changes pretty significantly. Ionescu completely changes the pace and offensive ceiling of this team as a shot creator and facilitator, while Sabally would immediately add another layer of spacing, versatility, and scoring to an offense that already leads the league in offensive rating.

Golden State is still going to make things uncomfortable, though. The Valkyries are playing at the slowest pace in the WNBA at 90.8 possessions per game, and that’s very intentional. This team wants games slowed down, physical, and ugly defensively. Gabby Williams has been a massive addition on that end, averaging 2.0 steals per game while fitting perfectly into Golden State’s defensive identity. Kiah Stokes is also leading the league in blocks, giving the Valkyries legitimate rim protection behind all that perimeter pressure.

The issue is that Golden State still doesn’t have a true offensive centerpiece. Veronica Burton and Janelle Salaün are both averaging over 15 points per game, but this is still a team that relies heavily on collective offense rather than one player consistently taking over. If New York controls tempo early, especially if Ionescu or Sabally return, it becomes difficult for the Valkyries to keep up offensively over four quarters.

Liberty vs. Valkyries Pick, Best Bet

Golden State’s defense is real, but the Liberty have too many ways to score and too much size to be held down at home, even in a limited rotation.

Best Bet: New York Liberty -7.5

This article was created with the assistance of generative AI and edited by a DraftKings Network writer.