Week 5 of the WNBA season has concluded. As Week 6 begins, let’s look back at how all the teams did over the past week. The Las Vegas Aces and Connecticut Sun remain at the top as they have for multiple weeks. The Seattle Storm had the best week of any WNBA team as they were the only team to go 3-0. A couple of other teams also went undefeated but didn’t play as many games. Last week the Storm were the 7th overall seed and after winning three straight games they’ve moved up to the 4th seed in the standings.
If you have a favorite team you can scroll down to them or read the entire article if you want an idea of how every team is doing and which players are playing the best right now. I also provide some additional commentary for most teams.
Atlanta Dream
Week 5 Record: 0-2
Overall Record: 7-6
The Atlanta Dream had a tough week losing both of their games on their West Coast trip. They lost on Tuesday (6/7) to the Storm by a final score of 72-60. Four players scored in double figures. Cheyenne Parker 13 points and 10 rebounds led the way. Kristy Wallace (12 points), Rhyne Howard (11), and Monique Billings (11) were the other players to reach double figures. Howard struggled offensively shooting 5-17 FG including 0-6 from beyond the arc.
Later in the week, the Dream lost a very close game to the Phoenix Mercury 90-88. Rhyne Howard bounced back with an impressive 25-point performance on excellent shooting. She connected on 9-18 FG including 6-12 from long distance. Cheyenne Parker continues her impressive season with a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds. Aari McDonald added 13 points in the losing effort.
Chicago Sky
Week 5 Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 9-4
The Sky played three very close games over this past week. They could have won all their games or lost all of their games but ultimately they took two out of three. On Wednesday (6/8), they lost 84-82 to the Washington Mystics. Five players reached double figures. Candace Parker led the way with 16 points and nine rebounds. Kahleah Copper (12 points), Rebekah Gardner (12), Allie Quigley (11), and Azura Stevens (11) were the other leading scorers.
On Friday (6/10), the Sky had maybe their biggest win of the season. A road victory over the Connecticut Sun where they won 83-79. They used a 24-17 fourth quarter to rally for the win. Emma Meesseman was the star of the game with 26 points Parker added 18 points and Gardner added 14 points off the bench in just 17 minutes.
Courtney Vandersloot hit the game-winning three with less than a second to go in the game after Chicago got multiple offensive rebounds in the final 30 seconds. They missed several shots but when it mattered the most, they kept getting rebounds and finally hit the shot they needed. Vandersloot had a monster game in general with 20 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds. Emma Meesseman had a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Allie Quigley added 16 points in the win.
Connecticut Sun
Week 5 Record: 1-1
Overall Record: 10-4
Connecticut dominated the Indiana Fever on Wednesday (6/8), beating them by 19 points (88-69). The Sun continue to show off their balance as five players scored in double figures. Brionna Jones continues her campaign for the 6th player of the year award with 18 points and nine rebounds. Jones, a free agent after this season, is also working her way towards a nice payday in the next offseason. Jonquel Jones added 16 points and nine rebounds. DeWanna Bonner (12 points), Dijonai Carrington (12), and Alyssa Thomas (11) were the other players to hit double figures.
On Friday, Connecticut lost a crucial Commissioner’s Cup game against the Chicago Sky 83-79. Brionna Jones led the way again with 20 points. DeWanna Bonner scored 18 points and Alyssa Thomas had 11 points and a team-high eight assists. Jonquel Jones had just seven points but a game-high 14 rebounds.
Dallas Wings
Week 5 Record: 0-2
Overall Record: 6-7
Dallas had a tough week losing two close games to the Seattle Storm. They were also without Marina Mabrey for both games as she was put into the Health and Safety Protocols.
On Friday (6/10), they lost by just one point 89-88. Arike Ogunbowale led the team with 23 points but she had a poor shooting night making just 6-17 FG. Isabelle Harrison actually played the best scoring 19 points off the bench on 70% (7-10 FG) shooting. Allisha Gray was the only other player to hit double figures with 12 points but also didn’t have a great shooting night going 4-11 FG.
Then on Sunday, the Wings had more problems than just losing the game 84-79. There was an incident at halftime where Arike kicked the ball into the stands at the buzzer of the 2nd quarter. Up to that point, Ogunbowale had scored just two points on 1-7 FG shooting.
Before the game was even over Arike took to Twitter to explain that she used to be a soccer player and always kicks the ball when it comes near her. Coach Vickie Johnson didn’t want to hear those excuses.
Unfortunately, the bad news didn’t end there. Late in the third quarter, Satou Sabally came down between two players and then her knee bent backward. She was on the ground holding her knee, crying, and had to be helped off the court. She did not return to the game. The team has not disclosed the severity of the injury at this time.
On the court, Allisha Gray stepped up big-time, especially in the 2nd half. Gray led the team with 20 points. Teaira McCowan also had a strong performance off the bench with 13 points and six rebounds including five on the offensive glass in 17 minutes. Sabally had scored 13 points prior to her injury. Ty Harris also added 10 points and six assists.
Indiana Fever
Week 5 Record: 1-2
Overall Record: 4-12
The Indiana Fever continue to develop their young players this season. This year isn’t about getting a ton of wins and trying to compete for the playoffs, it’s about figuring out which pieces will be part of their future. And despite their 4-12 record, I feel they’ve actually had some good success this season when looking at building the foundation.
On Wednesday, they lost to the Connecticut Sun 88-69. NaLyssa Smith continues to have a strong rookie campaign with 19 points and seven rebounds. Danielle Robinson had 12 points and Queen Egbo added 10 more.
Next, they lost to the New York Liberty 97-83. Kelsey Mitchell led the team with 23 points. Smith had 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Victoria Vivians was the only other player to reach double figures with 11 points.
Lastly, they picked up a big win over the Lynx in Minnesota by a final score of 84-80. Coach Knox picked up the second win of his career. All of Indiana’s starters played well with NaLyssa Smith leading the team with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Danielle Robinson had 16 points and a team-high six assists. Kelsey Mitchell and Victoria Vivians each added 15 points in the win.
Las Vegas Aces
Week 5 Record: 1-0
Overall Record: 11-2
The WNBA’s best record still belongs to the Las Vegas Aces after they won their one and only game on Saturday (6/11) against the Los Angeles Sparks. Vegas dominated the first three quarters entering the 4th quarter with a 24-point lead ultimately winning the game by 17 points (89-72).
A’ja Wilson had a season-high 35 points. She also had a double-double with 11 rebounds. Dearica Hamby had a strong performance with 20 points and eight rebounds. Kelsey Plum had 17 points and a team-high eight assists. Chelsea Gray scored 10 points and dished out seven assists.
The only concern for Vegas right now is that their bench has been really weak this season. After Coach Becky Hammon moved both Kelsey Plum and Dearica Hamby into the starting lineup their bench has taken a huge hit. That’s countered by the fact that the Aces’ starting five is the best in the league and has led the team to an 11-2 record. In this game, the Aces reserves were outscored 19 to nothing.
This obviously hasn’t really mattered through 13 games into the regular season. But what happens around games 30-36? Do their legs get tired? What about a playoff series that goes five games? Anything could happen but right now this season it feels like either the Aces are going to steam-roll through the playoffs to a title or their lack of bench depth will catch up to them in the playoffs when it matters the most.
Los Angeles Sparks
Week 5 Record: 0-1
Overall Record: 5-8
The biggest news for the Sparks over this past week was that head coach and general manager Derek Fisher was fired just 12 games into the game. You can read the story here.
Assistant Coach Fred Williams takes over for the team and in his first game, the Sparks were completely outplayed by the Las Vegas Aces losing the game 89-72. Nneka Ogwumike led her team with 16 points and nine rebounds. Katie Lou Samuelson added 13 points. Jordin Canada scored 10 points and a team-high eight assists.
Los Angeles will need to turn things around as they already traded away their first-round pick for next season.
Minnesota Lynx
Week 5 Record: 0-3
Overall Record: 3-11
On Tuesday (6/7), the Lynx were outscored 29-11 in the 3rd quarter and ultimately lost to the New York Liberty 88-69. Kayla McBride led the way with 13 points. Aerial Powers had 11 points and Sylvia Fowles added ten more.
Before their next game against the Mystics, it was announced that Sylvia Fowles would be out indefinitely with a knee injury. This is incredibly sad news as Fowles has already announced her retirement at the conclusion of this season. It’s unclear of how severe the knee injury is or if she’ll be able to return this season. I know every WNBA fan is rooting for Sylvia to make it back because she deserves to end things on her own terms.
Minnesota was defeated by the Washington Mystics 76-59. Aerial Powers led the team with just 12 points. Rachel Banham provided 10 points off the bench. Jessica Shepard had just five points but all players with 15 rebounds in the game.
During their last game on Sunday, they dropped a hard-fought game to the Indiana Fever by a final score of 84-80. In what has been an extremely disappointing season for Minnesota one of the brightest spots has been the addition of rookie Nikolina Milic. She had a career-high against Indiana with 23 points off the bench. Aerial Powers had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Both Bridget Carleton and the returning Moriah Jefferson contributed with 11 points and five rebounds each.
New York Liberty
Week 5 Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 5-9
For a second straight week, the New York Liberty went 2-1. Not only that but they were one second away from going 3-0 this past week until Courtney Vandersloot nailed a three-pointer to win the game for Chicago. Despite the loss, the Liberty are clearly back on the right track winning four of their last six games after starting the season 1-7. Sabrina Ionescu has been a huge reason for the team’s turnaround as she’s playing at an elite All-Star level. Ionescu was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week averaging 22.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG, and 9.0 APG.
New York crushed Minnesota 88-69 on Tuesday. Five players reached double figures with Ionescu being the top scorer. She had 26 points on 10-11 FG shooting. She also had eight rebounds and eight assists in the game. Han Xu scored 15 points and Sami Whitcomb added 11 more off the bench. Rebecca Allen provided 13 points and Natasha Howard contributed 11 more in the victory.
Next, the Liberty handled the Indiana Fever 97-83. Natasha Howard had a monster game of 25 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Han Xu added 16 points and five rebounds off the bench. Marine Johannes, who just joined the team from France, provided an instant spark off the bench with 11 points and six assists. Sabrina had a solid all-around game with 13 points, seven assists, and six rebounds.
In their final game of the week on Sunday, New York appeared to have the victory in hand but ended up being outscored 29-21 in the 4th quarter including giving up a three essentially at the buzzer to lose the game 88-86. Just as she did several times throughout her career at Oregon, Sabrina Ionescu had a triple-double with 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists. Ionescu has already had multiple triple-doubles now in her WNBA career which has been an extremely rare feat to accomplish throughout the history of the league. Stefanie Dolson (12 points), Crystal Dangerfield (11), and Han Xu (10) were the other players to score in double figures.
New York clearly has the talent to be a playoff team and they have a veteran head coach who’s reached the WNBA Finals multiple times in Sandy Brondello. I would not be surprised if New York makes a strong push over the next month to move up into playoff position.
Phoenix Mercury
Week 5 Record: 2-0
Overall Record: 5-8
Just like the New York Liberty, the Phoenix Mercury appear to be turning a corner. They went undefeated this past week and have now won three games in a row dating back to the previous week.
Phoenix had two very close victories. First, they beat the Atlanta Dream 90-88 at home. Five players reached double figures with Diana Taurasi being the leading scorer tallying 23 points. Tina Charles had 20 points and nine rebounds. Sylar Diggins-Smith added 18 points and both Diamond DeShields and Shey Peddy contributed with 10 points each.
Then on Sunday, the Mercury went into overtime against the Washington Mystics but ultimately prevailed 99-90. They outscored Washington 14-5 in the OT period. Diggins-Smith led five Mercury players in double figures with 27 points. Taurasi scored 20 points and distributed a team-high seven assists. DeShields scored 13 points; both Tina Charles and Shey Peddy added 12 points.
Even without Brittney Griner on the roster due to her horrible situation in Russia, the Mercury are still loaded with talent. Their slow start was extremely disappointing for the team. But in a 36-game season, they have plenty of time to turn things around.
Seattle Storm
Week 5 Record: 3-0
Overall Record: 8-5
After a disappointing week in Week 4 where Seattle went 0-2, they bounced back to win all three of their games in Week 5. On Tuesday, they were able to slow down the Atlanta Dream and won their game 72-60. Jewell Loyd led the team with 26 points. Breanna Stewart added 19 points and tied for a team-high seven rebounds. Ezi Magbegor was the only other player to reach double figures with 12 points. She also had seven rebounds and five blocks.
There is something about the Seattle Storm and Dallas Wings that often result in thrilling games against one another. Who could forget this thrilling buzzer-beater from last season?
Not to be outdone, two days later Arike Ogunbowale hit the game-winner over Seattle.
On Friday (6/10) we were treated to another one-point thriller with the Storm coming out on top 89-88. Breanna Stewart hit a pair of free throws with less than seven seconds remaining in the game. Ogunbowale had an opportunity to win the game but her three-ball rimmed out as time expired. Stewart led the way with 32 points and 11 rebounds. Jewell Loyd added 18 points, five assists, and four rebounds. And Ezi Magbegor had 13 points, six rebounds, and two blocks in the win.
Then two days later, the Storm and Wings rematched again in Dallas with Seattle once again coming out on top 84-79. There was controversy in this game as Arike was ejected from the game at the end of the first half for booting the ball into the stands. Stewart led the way again with 25 points and eight rebounds. Jewell added 22 points and Ezi contributed with 13 points and five blocked shots.
With Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd on the team, the Storm are always going to have a chance to compete in every game and should always be a playoff team. However, they’re going to need to get a lot more from their teammates if they want any chance to make a deep playoff run. Ezi Magbegor has stepped up in a big way in her third season. At just 22-years-old, Magbegor would just be graduating from college had she not gone straight to the league. Foreign players don’t have the age restriction that domestic players do. Ezi is averaging 12.2 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 3.2 BPG (leads the WNBA) which are all career-highs.
The big concern with the Storm is that they aren’t getting a ton of contributions from the rest of their roster. Sue Bird is the team’s 4th leading scorer at 7.8 PPG. She still leads the team at 6.6 APG.
Washington Mystics
Week 5 Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 9-6
After losing their last game to Chicago, the Mystics responded beating Chicago 84-82 on Wednesday (6/8). Ariel Atkins led the team with 19 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. Alysha Clark had her best offensive game since returning from injury with 18 points. Rookie Shakira Austin provided 14 points and six rebounds. Natasha Cloud had a solid all-around game with 11 points, five rebounds, and five assists. The larger concern was Elena Delle Donne who played just seven minutes scoring just two points. Delle Donne continues to deal with back spasms after having surgery on her back last season.
Washington easily dispatched of the Minnesota Lynx by a final score of 76-59. Delle Donne did not play in this game. In her absence, Myisha Hines-Allen led the team with 17 points and six rebounds. Atkins added 12 points and Elizabeth Williams provided 11 points and six rebounds off the bench.
On Sunday, they had an opportunity to beat the Phoenix Mercury but couldn’t score on the final position resulting in the game going to overtime. EDD missed this game as well. Hines-Allen led the team again with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Ariel Atkins finished with 15 points. Alysha Clark had 12 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Shakira Austin gave them 12 points and six rebounds.
At the beginning of this season, I said the biggest storyline involving the Mystics would be the health of their team. They’ve dealt with a lot of injuries in recent seasons, none more important than the health of Elena Delle Donne. While EDD started this season off very strong, she’s also been held out of most road games. Now with her back hurting even more she’s starting to miss home games as well. This is something that will need to be monitored over the next few weeks.
WNBA Standings:
Las Vegas Aces 11-2
Connecticut Sun 10-4
Chicago Sky 9-4
Seattle Storm 8-5
Washington Mystics 9-6
Atlanta Dream 7-6
Dallas Wings 6-7
Phoenix Mercury 5-8
Los Angeles Sparks 5-8
New York Liberty 5-9
Indiana Fever 4-12
Minnesota Lynx 3-11
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