The Connecticut Sun (9-0) host the New York Liberty (9-2) this Saturday, June 8 in a highly-anticipated Commissioner’s Cup matchup. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast nationally on ABC.
At 9-0, Connecticut is the WNBA’s lone undefeated team, and has already made franchise history for its best start to a regular season. The Sun will now try to do something that hasn’t been accomplished—begin a season with double-digit wins—since the Minnesota Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks did it in 2016 (Across the Timeline).
Standing in the Sun’s way are the Liberty, who are coming off a WNBA Finals appearance in 2023 and are once again one of the league’s top teams. New York is on a five-game winning streak and is one game behind Connecticut in the WNBA standings, currently sitting in second place overall.
On paper, the Liberty will present a challenge that the Sun have yet to face this season. Of Connecticut’s nine wins, only one is against a team that’s currently above .500 (the Lynx, who the Sun defeated in overtime back on May 23). The Sun have yet to play New York or Las Vegas—the two teams most widely expected to compete for a championship in 2024—and while their undefeated record is certainly notable and worthy of praise, they’ll need to beat the league’s top competition before being added to the discussion of championship favorites.
For Connecticut to improve to 10-0, Alyssa Thomas needs to be at her best, though it’s not often that she isn’t. The reigning WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month has continued the superb all-around play that made her an MVP candidate in 2023; she’s currently averaging 13 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, and her 8.8 assists per game lead the entire league. Everything the Sun do runs through Thomas, and given how durable and statistically impressive she’s been, it’s no surprise the team is off to such a good start.
The Liberty have a star of their own in Breanna Stewart, who won her second league MVP award in 2023. Stewart’s offensive versatility makes her a difficult matchup for just about anyone, and she’s currently averaging 19.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game to go along with a career-high 1.9 steals per game. Together with former Sun center Jonquel Jones, Stewart gives the Liberty size, length, and defensive activity that are unmatched by any other WNBA frontcourt.
Connecticut can play some defense of its own, though. The Sun are forcing turnovers at a higher rate (22.5 percent) than any other team in the WNBA, and four of their players (Thomas, DeWanna Bonner, Brionna Jones and Tyasha Harris) are averaging at least one steal per game. With New York guard Courtney Vandersloot not expected to play due to personal reasons, the Liberty will need to take extra care with the basketball, lest the high-octane Sun get going with their trademark transition basketball.
Sky, Dream face off for the first time in 2024
The Chicago Sky (4-5), who are coming off a comeback win against the Washington Mystics, will return home to face the Atlanta Dream (4-4) in Saturday’s nightcap. It’s the first meeting of the season between the two teams, and things certainly look different than the last time they played.
Chicago has a pair of rookie stars in forward Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, who have injected new life into the franchise. Injuries to the team’s veterans have given Reese a large role from the get-go, and she’s responded by posting an astounding 5.1 offensive rebounds per game, which leads the WNBA by a wide margin.
Cardoso, meanwhile, has been brought along more slowly due to an injury of her own, but will likely see an uptick in her playing time with starting center Elizabeth Williams (knee) out. Cardoso’s potential fit with Reese was surely a factor in the Sky selecting the two of them in the 2024 WNBA Draft, and the future may now be closer than it seems.
Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images
The Sky’s prized rookies will have their hands full with Atlanta’s Tina Charles. Charles, who didn’t play in 2023, signed with the Dream in the offseason, and while the WNBA’s fourth all-time leading scorer isn’t the go-to player in Atlanta like she had been earlier in her career in Connecticut and New York, she remains one of the best rebounders in the WNBA (9.4 per game), and her low-post scoring will put Chicago’s young frontcourt through a trial by fire. Atlanta will need Charles to score efficiently if it’s to stop its current losing streak at two games.
Game information
New York Liberty (9-2) vs. Connecticut Sun (9-0)
When: Saturday, June 8 at 1 p.m. ET
Where: Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT
How to watch: ABC
Liberty injury report: Courtney Vandersloot (doubtful; personal), Nyara Sabally (out; back)
Sun injury report: Moriah Jefferson (questionable; ankle)
Atlanta Dream (4-4) vs. Chicago Sky (4-5)
When: Saturday, June 8 at 5 p.m. ET
Where: Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL
How to watch: WNBA League Pass, CW 26, Peachtree Sports Network
Dream injury report: Jordin Canada (out; hand)
Sky injury report: Elizabeth Williams (out; knee)