Liberty at Sun: How & Who to Watch in a Crucial Commissioner's Cup Clash

Major Commissioner's Cup positioning is on the line on Tuesday night at Mohegan Sun, as the New York Liberty seek to dim the Connecticut Sun.

With unprecedented expectations attached to them, the New York Liberty have politely requested that the mere mention of a championship be held off until the proper time. 

A dozen games into one of the more hyped campaigns in WNBA history, that championship feeling is already arriving: the postseason is still a long way off but the Liberty have a chance to make a case for hardware in the form of Tuesday's game against the Connecticut Sun.

Tuesday's visit to Uncasville will go a long way in determining the Eastern Conference's rep in the WNBA's in-season Commissioner's Cup competition. The final's combatants are determined by conference games, taking the first two games against each of a team's five local opponents. The conference leaders based on the results of those 10 games will meet in a championship game later this summer.

Connecticut, partly armed with a blowout 96-72 win over Chicago on Sunday, is the current leader with a 6-2 record with two games to go. The Liberty are a game behind but can clinch a head-to-head sweep with a win, having previously taken an 81-65 win in Brooklyn on May 27. Courtney Vandersloot put up the first double-double of her New York career with 18 points and 10 rebounds while Breanna Stewart paced the team with 21 points. 

What: New York Liberty (9-3) @ Connecticut Sun (12-3)

Where: Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT

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

Who's Favored: NYL -5.5

Jonquel Jones cannot be stopped tonight!

(via @nyliberty)pic.twitter.com/DJpQrcrXwc

— New York Liberty Videos (@SNYLiberty) June 24, 2023

Keep An Eye On: Jonquel Jones

Though she technically got it out of the way during the preseason, Tuesday will mark Jones' return to Mohegan Sun after establishing her professional mark through six seasons in New England. She'll have a little something to prove after Sunday's effort as she makes her debut as an Uncasville opponent. 

Working off minor foot ailments from the start of the season (as well as a brief illness), it's been tough for Jones to work into a rhythm, though she found a tune with 14.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in the three games prior to Sunday's win over Washington. The euphoria and hometown support/reaction to a comeback victory somewhat masked the late departure of Jones, who pulled in 10 rebounds but was kept off the scoresheet. She was granted rest in the latter stages of the game, her minutes granted to fellow newcomer and defensive standout Kayla Thornton. 

The Liberty could use a classic performance from Jones on the Mohegan stage: the Sun rank third in the WNBA in offensive rebounds and are allowing the second-fewest on the defensive glass entering Tuesday action.

With a triple-double yesterday, Alyssa Thomas now has the most in WNBA history! 🏀#WNBA | #CTSunpic.twitter.com/gdrfhuxlb8

— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) June 26, 2023

Sun to Watch: Alyssa Thomas

One of the Liberty's oldest friends could become one of their deadliest enemies: Rebecca Allen, a seven-year New Yorker sent north, has been thrust into the Connecticut starting lineup after a season-ending injury to Brionna Jones. Well-known for tenacious defense and a wingspan worthy of the nickname "Spida," Allen will undoubtedly serve as a threat to the Liberty's Commissioner's Cup dreams.

But an equally, if not more, venomous former New York prescience lies in Thomas, who is playing some of her finest basketball as one of the New Englanders left behind in the wake of the Jones trade. Originally drafted by the Liberty as 2014's fourth overall pick (dealt away in the famed Tina Charles deal), Thomas has established herself as a Mohegan mainstay and is perhaps in the midst of her finest season yet. 

The Maryland alumna is averaging 14.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 7.9 assists on the traditional front and has been equally impressive in advanced categories, currently protecting her title atop of the defensive win shares list at 1.4 through 15 games. Hours before tip-off, Thomas was bestowed her second Eastern Conference Play of the Week award ... and yet, she was denied entry on the list of All-Star starters partly headlined by  Stewart on Sunday afternoon. Thomas proved it was personal with a dominant triple-double performance on Sunday afternoon.

They Said It

"We stayed together. Especially weathering the storm in the first quarter. a lot of the time in the past this team has just crumbled but I think we understand what we're playing for. We're playing for one another and we were able to dig ourselves out of that hole and that entire second half we really felt in control. I think it says a lot about the chemistry that we're building: when times get tough, when we hit adversity, we have to be able to stay together, continue to communicate, and kind of weather the storm and that's exactly what we did."-Sabrina Ionescu on Sunday's comeback win over Washington

Prediction

A big week lies ahead for the Liberty, as Tuesday tips off a three-game road trip that opens against the two teams ahead of them in the current WNBA standings (a visit to Las Vegas looms on Thursday). New York has downplayed the hype around this season but there's no doubt that a berth in the Commissioner's Cup final would undoubtedly be a step in the right direction for a franchise adjusting to its new identity. More challenges lie ahead, but expect the Liberty to scale a major landmark on Tuesday night, hitting a relative jackpot of sorts at Mohegan Sun. 

Liberty 88, Sun 84

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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