Atlanta Dream vs New York Liberty Starting Lineups and Depth Charts for 2024 WNBA Playoffs Game 1 | Sept. 22

The New York Liberty will begin their title defense against the Atlanta Dream on Sunday, Sept. 22 at the Barclays Center in Brroklyn. The matchup pits the no.1 seed Liberty against the no. 8 seed Dream in Game 1 of the first round of the WNBA playoffs.

New York finished the year with a WNBA-best 32-8 record and have lost just four games at the Barclays Center this year. They boast one of the most potent offenses in the league, ranking second in points per game (85.6) behind only the Las Vegas Aces. The Liberty also rank first in the league in point differential (9.2).

Atlanta edged their way into the postseason with a win in their final game against the Liberty, so will be confident that they can upset their opponents once again.

The Dream finished eighth in the standings with a 15-25 record. However, they have struggled to put points on the board this year, averaging just 77 points per game, which places them last in the WNBA in the category.

---

Atlanta Dream vs New York Liberty Starting Lineups and Depth Charts

New York Liberty Courtney Vandersloot, Kayla Thornton, Nyara Sabally, Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu react at Crypto.com Arena. Photo Credit: Imagn

The New York Liberty have been one of the most consistent teams in the league, and a big part of that is due to their talented starting five. Coach Sandy Brondello has remained relatively consistent with her starting lineup over the course of the season.

New York has no major injuries reported going into the game. Expect to see a starting five featuring: Sabrina Ionescu, Courtney Vandersloot, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones.

New York Liberty depth chart

G	Sabrina Ionescu	Ivana Dojkic	Jaylyn Sherrod
G	Courtney Vandersloot	Kennedy Burke	Marquesa Davis
F	Betnijah Laney-Hamilton	Kayla Thornton
F	Breanna Stewart	Leonie Fiebich
C	Jonquel Jones	Nyara Sabally

The Atlanta Dream have rotated their starters quite a bit and have experimented with several different lineups.

Coach Tanisha Wright played her best five in a must-win game against the Liberty on Thursday and we should see a similar lineup take the court on Sunday.

Forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus and guard Aerial Powers will miss out on the game due to season-ending injuries.

Expect to see a starting five for Atlanta that includes: Allisha Gray, Jordin Canada, Rhyne Howard, Naz Hillmon and Tina Charles.

Atlanta Dream depth chart

G	Jordin Canada	Maya Caldwell	Ezinne Kalu
G	Allisha Gray	Haley Jones
F	Rhyne Howard	Nia Coffey
F	Naz Hillman	Laeticia Amihere
C	Tina Charles	Lorela Cubaj

Atlanta Dream vs New York Liberty: Players to watch

New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart celebrates in the first half against the LA Sparks Crypto.com Arena. Photo Credit: Imagn

The Atlanta Dream will need to improve on the offensive front if they hope to have a chance of overcoming the Liberty and Rhyne

Howard will be a key figure. The 6-foot-2 guard has led the team in scoring this year, with 17.3 points per game. She's shooting 37.1 percent from the field and 32.9 percent from behind the arc.

Forward Breanna Stewart has been instramental in leading the Liberty to a first-place regular season finish. The two-time WNBA MVP will be one of keep an eye on over the course of the series.

She ranks first in the New York roster in points (20.4) and steals (1.7) and is also chipping in with 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.