If you just looked at each team’s respective record heading into Wednesday night’s affair, you would have expected a blowout for the home team. The New York Liberty may have gotten embarrassed by the Las Vegas Aces on their recent road trip, but then again, who hasn’t? A calm victory in their next contest against the Seattle Storm brought their record to 11-4, second-best in the league. Meanwhile, their opponent in the Phoenix Mercury, even with this season’s return of Brittney Griner, entered the contest at 3-12, worst in the West.
Early on, the contest followed a basic script, subverting nobody’s expectations.