Liberty vs. Storm: Preview, Odds, How & Who to Watch (7/25)

New holders of the WNBA's all-time record for most points in a single period after Sunday, the New York Liberty have hardly any time to bask in such glory.

A four-game homestand, part of a stretch of six contests in 10 days, continues on Tuesday night when the Liberty welcome in the Seattle Storm to Barclays Center. New York is looking for its first season sweep of Breanna Stewart's original WNBA employers since 2014.

Barclays Center played host to history on Sunday, as the Liberty posted 44 points in the opening frame of what became a 101-83 victory over the Indiana Fever. The Liberty have recovered from a Wednesday loss to Dallas that opened the post-All-Star slate with consecutive victories, previously winning in Washington to open the weekend on Friday.

Though Seattle continues to boast the services of WNBA-leading scorer Jewell Loyd, they've fallen to the bottom of the leaderboard thanks to a nine-game losing streak that places them several games out of a playoff spot. The most recent defeat was a 90-75 loss at the hands of the Chicago Sky on Saturday, one where Loyd was limited to 12 points in defeat.

What: Seattle Storm (4-18) @ New York Liberty (16-5)

Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY

When/Watch: Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET, YES/ESPN3

Who's Favored: NYL -15.5

Keep An Eye On: Betnijah Laney

With all the assets sent off in the name of building a title-contending group (one, Sami Whitcomb, returns to Barclays Center tonight), it was perhaps a tad surprising that Laney, an All-Star, Most Improved Player winner, and shooter, survived the exodus, especially with her role potentially diminishing with all the historic newcomers. A resume like that certainly could've netted another, salary cap constraints notwithstanding.

Instead, Laney has been a powerful complement to the current set-up: her current defensive rating is her best since 2019 and she has rediscovered her scoring touch. In her last 14, Laney has reached double figures 11 times and is shooting over 51 percent from the field. Sunday saw her reach the 20-point landmark for the first time since the Liberty's 2021 playoff cameo in Phoenix.

Storm to Watch: Jordan Horston

Loyd, the WNBA All-Star Game MVP, will be the undeniable reason to tune into the Storm's remaining games. But, as the Liberty know all too well, these games can also be used to foster young talents ... or perhaps showcase them for something bigger down the line.

Horston, the ninth overall pick of last spring's draft, is carrying the torch for Seattle's youth early on. She put up a young career-best 23 points in her final effort before the All-Star break and is shooting over 57 percent from the field in her last three games, including 67 percent from three-point range.

The Liberty did a solid job of shutting Loyd down in their last get-together, forcing her into a 3-of-17 evening from the field. It was Horston and fellow freshman Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu that helped Seattle keep pace in a four-point loss on July 8: with Whitcomb handling scoring, the two rookies united for 25 rebounds.

Prediction

From an on-court perspective, the Storm are, remarkably, in a similar position to the Liberty circa 2018: Loyd is more or less Tina Charles as the team works with the loss of some franchise stable (in the Liberty's case it was Madison Square Garden while the Storm are reeling from missing Stewart and Sue Bird). Sure, she has two championships to her name and she's more than capable of bearing the statistical load, but that's hardly any consolation to a fanbase well-used to winning.

This is a game that the Liberty should be able to run away with, but they're well-aware of the concept of any WNBA game in this day and age being up for grabs and then some. Seattle will fight, but expect the Liberty, eager to generate as much momentum as they can before fatigue kicks in, to prevail.

Liberty 96, Storm 81

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Knicks? Click Here.

Follow AllKnicks.com on Twitter.