Lynx prepare to face Liberty for Commissioner’s Cup

WNBA Commissioner’s Cup final

Lynx vs. New York

7 p.m. Tuesday at UBS Arena in Belmont Park, New York

TV, radio: Amazon Prime Video, Lynx radio app.

Opening bell: New York has won three straight, the Lynx six. Both teams are 9-1 in their past 10. Both teams are in the top five in just about every significant offensive and defensive stat. For the Liberty, Tuesday’s game is a reaffirmation of their status as a title contender. For the Lynx, it is validation for a team that has proved they belong in that conversation, too.

Watch her: Courtney Vandersloot of New York has missed some time following the death of her mother. In Vandersloot’s absence, Sabrina Ionescu has stepped up her play. She has averaged 21.0 points and 8.4 assists and shot 40.6% on threes over her past eight games. Over the past three, she has averaged 27.0 points and 9.7 assists and made 14 of 29 threes.

Injuries: Lynx G/F Diamond Miller (knee) is out. For the Liberty, Vandersloot and F Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (knee) are questionable, and F Nyara Sabally (back) is out.

Forecast: The key to the Lynx winning will be slowing the Liberty’s three-point shooting attack.