The Golden State Valkyries will face off against defending champions the New York Liberty tonight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Valkyries are coming off back-to-back wins — a franchise first earned early this season — but defeating the Liberty is a tall order that will require each member of Golden State's team to play their best basketball.
The Liberty recently knocked back the Indiana Fever 90-88 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in a game that ended up much closer than it trended (at one point the Liberty had a 15 point lead over Indiana), and the Valkyries can look to elements of the match to find holes in the Liberty's defense and offense they can exploit... if the Liberty hasn't already buttoned up those holes extra tightly.
Here are a few things to watch for as the Valkyries battle the Liberty Tuesday night:
The Liberty are defending their home court
The odds are already tough; the Liberty are not only defending their league championship this season, the Valkyries are meeting New York at home for the teams' first game against one another. Liberty fans will show up and show out, and will easily match the energy the Valkyries have enjoyed in their favor so far at the Chase Center. In a lot of ways, this is Golden State's first time experiencing so many fans cheering against them, and they'll have to stay focused on the game to avoid getting lost in the hype and hysteria.
The Valkyries have to get hot fast and stay that way
The Valkyries have continued to struggle with one problem that likely will just be resolved with time: the team needs to figure out how to get hot immediately and stay that way, instead of heating up, cooling down, hitting a few 3s, and cooling down again before exploding in the fourth. The Liberty can and will exploit any sign of weakness from Golden State, and are the type of team that can easily take over by 20 or more points, something that could demoralize the Valkyries if they can't maintain temperature.
The Valkyries have to hit their shots tonight
If there is one thing the Valkyries absolutely have to do tonight, it's taking big shots and making them. The Liberty is stacked with shooters — Sabrina Ionescu, Natasha Cloud, Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, and Kennedy Burke have all put up big numbers for the team so far this season — and odds are they won't be missing. The Valkyries have collectively struggled to hit 3s, something they will certainly be called upon to make tonight.