WNBA Odds: New York Liberty vs Atlanta Dream Game 2 Lines and Best Bets on September 24

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The New York Liberty eyes for the series sweep while the Atlanta Dream hopes to live to fight another day as they collide in Game 2 of the opening round of the WNBA playoffs this Tuesday at Barclays Center.

Including the regular season, this will be the sixth meeting between the Liberty and the Dream this season. To everyone’s surprise, Atlanta has actually won against the powerhouse New York team this year.

• New York imposed its suffocating interior defense in Game 1 by forcing Atlanta to shoot highly-contested shots outside and just making 18.8% of their three-point shots.
• The Liberty came in as 13-point favorites in Game 1 and bookmakers expect no less this time having the home team as 12.5-point favorites for Game 2.
• Atlanta, though, has an impressive Against-The-Spread (ATS) away slate, covering in 14 of their 21 road games this season.

While early New York Liberty vs Atlanta Dream betting lines have the home team as the overwhelming favorites, it does not mean that the road team lacks the tools necessary to pull off an upset.

The answer to whether the Dream can shock the world remains to be seen but for the meantime, here’s how both teams look heading into this exciting affair.

New York Liberty vs Atlanta Dream DraftKings WNBA Odds for September 24

Moneyline

• New York Liberty: -1000
• Atlanta Dream: +650

Spread

• New York Liberty: -12.5 (-112)
• Atlanta Dream: +12.5 (-108)

Over/Under (Total)

• OVER 156.5 (-110)
• UNDER 156.5 (-110)

New York Liberty vs Atlanta Dream Injury Report

New York Liberty Injury Report 

• No Injuries

Atlanta Dream Injury Report

1. Aerial Powers – Calf – Out for the Season
2. Cheyenne Parker-Tyus – Ankle – Out for the Season

Best WNBA odds for New York Liberty vs Atlanta Dream

• The New York Liberty have covered the spread in three of the past five meetings with the Atlanta Dream this season. The best New York Liberty odds for the home squad to cover the -12.5 spread are available on Pinnacle at -108
• The Atlanta Dream are the second-best team in the league as far as ATS records are concerned. Bwin has the Dream at -105 to cover the +12.5 spread in Game 2.
• The under hit in three of the past five encounters between the New York Liberty and the Atlanta Dream. DraftKings offers the best New York Liberty vs Atlanta Dream odds for the under at -110.

Why will the New York Liberty cover the spread?

The New York Liberty displayed its championship mettle in Game 1, blowing past the Atlanta Dream 83-69 thanks to a career game from rookie forward Leonie Fiebich.

Fiebich unloaded 21 points on a perfect 4-for-4 from downtown while All Stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu added 20 and 17 points respectively for the Liberty.

• New York’s aggressiveness inside paid dividends in Game 1 as they were able to capitalize on the absence of Dream forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, making 17 of its 18 free throws.
• Albeit the single loss at the end of the season, the Liberty have pretty much dominated the Dream this season, winning by an average margin of 14.5 points.

One thing that the Liberty has to avoid here is to learn how to play defense without fouling. New York gave up 19 free throws in Game 1.

Fortunately, the Dream was unable to capitalize on their opportunities from the charity stripe, making just 63.2% of their shots.

• Plus, New York were able to put on the defensive clamps on Atlanta, only allowing two players to reach the double-digit mark in points.

Should the Liberty continue to get the contributions from its usual suspects, the -12.5 line is extremely generous and should offer value for punters looking for a betting spot on the favorite.

It is also worth noting that New York has been almost impossible to beat at home this season, only losing four times in front of its adoring home fans.

Why will the Atlanta Dream cover the spread?

Had it not for the poor first quarter of the Dream in Game 1, then we would be looking at a much closer New York Liberty vs Atlanta Dream betting lines or maybe even a different outcome.

Atlanta found themselves on a 13-point hole early and it is something you cannot do against a powerhouse Liberty squad, especially on the road.

• For all the flak the Dream has been getting though, they are actually more impressive on the road than playing in Atlanta as far as covering the spread is concerned.
• The Dream is 14-7 ATS on the road and just 8-11-1 ATS at home, meaning they actually step up when the pressure is at its highest.
• What’s even more impressive is they have actually beat the Liberty this season in New York and it was by double digits too.
• Balanced offense and pressure defense were key in that game all Dream players hit the score sheet while holding Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu to just three points.

For Atlanta to have a chance in this game and play in front of its home fans this postseason, they must relearn what worked for them in its lone victory against New York this year.

• This means forcing New York stars’ Ionescu and Breanna Stewart into tough shots and letting other players beat you.

Should the Dream be able to start strong and weather any offensive explosion from one of Liberty’s stars, backing them to cover the +12.5 spread at these current odds should offer significant value.

While New York has dominated Atlanta this season, the latter has actually covered the spread in two of their past five meetings.

Final New York Liberty vs Atlanta Dream WNBA Prediction: New York Liberty -12.5 (-112)

As long as the Atlanta Dream have Tina Charles, they can always dream of pulling off the win and maybe even the unthinkable – advancing to the second round. Unfortunately, that won’t be the case here.

Playing in front of its home fans, expect the New York Liberty to come into this game guns blazing and pull off a dominant victory to knock off the Dream and advance into the next round of the playoffs.