Connecticut Suns vs New York Liberty Semifinals, Game 1 prediction and game preview - September 24, 2023 / WNBA playoffs

On September 24, the New York Liberty and Connecticut Sun will begin their semi-final series. The winner will progress onto the Finals, where they will compete for the title of WNBA champions. The Eastern Conference showdown features the top two teams from the conference, both of whom enjoyed a strong regular season.

The Liberty are expected to progress as they look to dethrone the Las Vegas Aces. However, the Sun has been a thorn in New York's side all season and will have hopes of gatecrashing the finals in their own search for championship success.

Both teams will be heading into the contest with a fully healthy roster, apart from Brionna Jones, who has missed the entire season for the Sun due to an Achilles injury. As such, neither team will have excuses if they fail to perform to their usual lofty standards.

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New York Liberty vs. Connecticut Sun: Prediction

The Liberty are the deeper and more talented team heading into their semi-final contest against the Sun. Throughout the regular season, the Liberty and Aces were the two most dominant franchises in the WNBA, with the Sun some way behind them as the third-best team in the league.

However, New York isn't in for an easy ride. The Sun is talented, deep, and extremely well-coached. During the regular season, the Liberty won 32 games, while the Sun won 27 — there isn't a chasm between these two sides.

In a best-of-five series, the Liberty and Sun will most likely push each other to a game five, winner-takes-all contest, where New York will likely secure a victory courtesy of their top-end star talent.

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New York Liberty Roster

PLAYER	POS	HEIGHT	WEIGHT	DOB	EXP	FROM
Stefanie Dolson	C	6-5 ft	235 lbs	JANUARY 8, 1992	9 yrs	CONNECTICUT/USA
Sabrina Ionescu	G	5-11 ft	165 lbs	DECEMBER 6, 1997	3 yrs	OREGON/USA
Marine Johannès	G	5-10 ft	134 lbs	JANUARY 21, 1995	2 yrs	FRANCE/FRANCE
Jonquel Jones	F	6-6 ft	215 lbs	JANUARY 5, 1994	6 yrs	GEORGE WASHINGTON/BAHAMAS
Betnijah Laney	F	6-0 ft	166 lbs	OCTOBER 29, 1993	7 yrs	RUTGERS/USA
Epiphanny Prince	G	5-9 ft	179 lbs	JANUARY 11, 1988	13 yrs	RUTGERS/USA
Nyara Sabally	F	6-5 ft	204 lbs	FEBRUARY 26, 2000	R	OREGON/GERMANY
Breanna Stewart	F	6-4 ft	170 lbs	AUGUST 27, 1994	6 yrs	CONNECTICUT/USA
Kayla Thornton	F	6-1 ft	190 lbs	OCTOBER 20, 1992	7 yrs	TEXAS-EL PASO/USA
Courtney Vandersloot	G	5-8 ft	137 lbs	FEBRUARY 8, 1989	12 yrs	GONZAGA/USA
Jocelyn Willoughby	G	6-0 ft	180 lbs	MARCH 25, 1998	2 yrs	VIRGINIA/USA
Han Xu	C	6-11 ft	203 lbs	OCTOBER 31, 1999	2 yrs	CHINA/CHINA

Connecticut Sun Roster

PLAYER	POS	HEIGHT	WEIGHT	DOB	EXP	FROM
Rebecca Allen	G	6-2 ft	162 lbs	NOVEMBER 6, 1992	7 yrs	MELBOURNE/AUSTRALIA
Kristine Anigwe	F-C	6-4 ft	200 lbs	MARCH 31, 1997	4 yrs	CALIFORNIA/UNITED KINGDOM
DeWanna Bonner	F-G	6-4 ft	143 lbs	AUGUST 21, 1987	13 yrs	AUBURN/USA
Leigha Brown	G	6-1 ft	165 lbs	JULY 14, 2000	R	MICHIGAN/USA
DiJonai Carrington	G-F	5-11 ft	175 lbs	JANUARY 8, 1998	2 yrs	BAYLOR/USA
Tyasha Harris	G	5-10 ft	152 lbs	MAY 1, 1998	3 yrs	SOUTH CAROLINA/USA
Tiffany Hayes	G	5-10 ft	155 lbs	SEPTEMBER 20, 1989	10 yrs	CONNECTICUT/USA
Natisha Hiedeman	G	5-8 ft	135 lbs	FEBRUARY 10, 1997	4 yrs	MARQUETTE/USA
Brionna Jones	F	6-3 ft	210 lbs	DECEMBER 18, 1995	6 yrs	MARYLAND/USA
Olivia Nelson-Ododa	C	6-5 ft	173 lbs	AUGUST 17, 2000	1 yrs	CONNECTICUT/USA
Alyssa Thomas	F	6-2 ft	190 lbs	APRIL 12, 1992	9 yrs	MARYLAND/USA

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New York Liberty vs. Connecticut Sun: Where to watch

You can watch the contest on ESPN, WNBA League Pass, and FUBO.

The game will be played at Target Center and is set to tip off at 1 p.m. Eastern time

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New York Liberty vs. Connecticut Sun: Players to watch

Breanna Stewart will be the focal point of the New York Liberty's offense. Stewart's rebounding and interior scoring will give the Sun some serious issues on defense, especially as they will also need to deal with Sabrina Ionescu's perimeter threat. Jonequle Jones and Betnijah Laney will also be important rotation members who could swing the contest in New York's favor.

Of course, Courtney Vandersloot's versatile production will boost New York's chances of making the WNBA Finals, too.

For the Connecticut Sun, Alyssa Thomas' playmaking and rebounding will be essential and will continue to complement DeWonna Bonner's exceptional offensive game. Tiffany Hayes can also provide an offensive boost with her double-digit scoring averages.

Rebecca Allen will also be a thorn in New York's side throughout the series.