Around the W - Week 8
A vast summary of what took place in the WNBA during the 8th week.
As the WNBA season progresses we’re getting a clearer picture of which teams are legit title contenders, which can make a successful push for the playoffs, and which are likely lottery-bound. Let’s take a look at how each team did this week, shall we?
Atlanta Dream
Weekly Record: 1-2
Overall Record: 6-11
The Atlanta Dream went 1-2 this past week. First, they defeated the New York Liberty in a very close game 73-69. Courtney Williams led the team with 18 points. Crystal Bradford scored 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds off the bench. Cheyenne Parker and Chennedy Carter were the other two players to score in double figures as both scored 11 points in this game.
Next up, the Dream played the defending champion Seattle Storm down to the wire in Seattle but dropped the game 91-88. Atlanta managed to outscore Seattle by five points in the final quarter but it wasn’t quite enough. Courtney Williams had a chance to send the game to OT but missed a three in the final seconds. Williams had a fantastic performance with a near triple-double of 20 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Crystal Bradford scored a career-high 17 points. She also tied Williams with a team-high seven assists. Elizabeth Williams and Tiana Hawkins also added 10 points apiece in the losing effort.
On Sunday, the Atlanta Dream lost a shootout against the Las Vegas Aces as they weren’t quite able to keep up with the league’s best offense. They lost the game 118-95. Five players for Atlanta scored in double figures with Courtney Williams leading the way again with 19 points. Cheyenne Parker scored 18 points and had a team-high seven rebounds. Monique Billings added 12 points and six rebounds off the bench. Odyssey Sims had a double-double with a career-high in assists scoring 10 points and dishing out 13 assists. Lastly, Elizabeth Williams added 10 points.
The Dream’s week went from bad to worse. During their game on Sunday against the Aces, there was an altercation on the bench that resulted in Chennedy Carter being benched for the second half of the game. Since then, Atlanta has announced that Carter has been Indefinitely Suspended from the team.
Chicago Sky
Weekly Record: 1-1
Overall Record: 10-9
The Chicago Sky split a two-game series with the Dallas Wings. On Wednesday, they defeated Dallas 91-81. All five starters and seven players total scored in double figures. Kahleah Copper scored a team-high 17 points and added seven rebounds. The other four starters, Stefanie Dolson, Candace Parker, Diamond DeShields, and Courtney Vandersloot all scored 10 points each. Parker and Vandersloot both had double-doubles with Parker collecting 10 rebounds and Vandersloot dishing out 12 assists. Azura Stevens contributed with 13 points and Allie Quigley added 10 more off the bench.
The Wings then returned the favor defeating Chicago 100-91. Candace Parker led six Sky players in double figures with 22 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Diamond DeShields provided 16 points. Stevens (12), Copper (11), Ndour-Fall (10), and Quigley (10) were the other players on Chicago to reach double figures.
Connecticut Sun
Weekly Record: 2-1
Overall Record: 12-6
The Connecticut Sun are one of three teams that have put themselves above the rest of the pack. Connecticut was the last undefeated team to start this season and begin the season 8-2 through their first 10 games. Since then, they’re 4-4 but three of those losses took place when Jonquel Jones was absent from the team (playing overseas). At 12-6, they have a comfortable lead in the third spot of the WNBA standings and could still easily work their way into a Top 2 seed before it’s all said and done
With all that said, this past week proved that there are no guaranteed victories in the WNBA.
The Sun handled the Washington Mystics 90-71. Jonquel Jones returned to the team and led them with a double-double of 23 points and 16 rebounds. Jasmine Thomas had the next highest point total with 21. Natisha Hiedeman added 15 points off the bench. Kaila Charles added 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench as well. Brionna Jones scored 14 points and gathered nine rebounds to continue her fantastic season.
Connecticut then defeated the Indiana Fever 86-80 on Thursday. Brionna Jones scored a career-high 34 points and tied DeWanna Bonner for a team-high seven rebounds. Jonquel Jones added 19 points and Bonner added 14 more.
Saturday provided one of the more shocking moments of the WNBA season with the 1-16 Indiana Fever defeating one of the best teams in the league toppling Connecticut 73-67. Jonquel Jones led the team with 16 points and a team-high nine rebounds. DeWanna Bonner added 14 points, seven rebounds, and a team-high four assists. Brionna Jones added 13 points and eight rebounds, and Hiedeman added 12 more points off the bench.
Dallas Wings
Weekly Record: 1-1
Overall Record: 9-9
As mentioned above, Dallas split two games with the Chicago Sky last week.
In the first game they lost 91-81. Isabelle Harrison led the team off the bench with 23 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Arike Ogunbowale added 22 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Allisha Gray scored 16 points and added six rebounds off the bench.
Dallas got their revenge on Friday defeating the Sky 100-91. Marina Mabrey tied her career-high with 28 points including 5-8 from beyond the arc. She also added five assists. Ogunbowale scored 18 points, Gray added 17 points, Satou Sabally contributed with 12 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Isabelle Harrison (12) and Kayla Thorton (10) were the other two Wings’ players to score in double figures.
Note, the Wings also lost a game on Monday (7/5) to the New York Liberty to drop their record to 9-10. However, that’s part of this current week, so it’ll be covered in the next Around the W article.
Indiana Fever
Weekly Record: 1-1
Overall Record: 2-16
The Indiana Fever had a great week this season splitting two games against the Connecticut Sun. But even with their loss on Thursday, they lost to one of the best teams in the WNBA by only six points. Indiana fell 86-80. Kelsey Mitchell scored 21 points and Tiffany Mitchell added 18 more. Danielle Robinson was the only other Fever player to score in double figures with 10 points. She also had a team-high seven assists. Teaira McCowan had a near double-double with nine points and eight rebounds.
On Saturday, the Fever snapped their 12-game losing streak by beating the Connecticut Sun 73-67. Their defense was able to limit the Sun to under 70 points. Danielle Robinson led the team with 19 points and five rebounds. Kelsey Mitchell added 14 points and five rebounds. And Teaira McCowan had a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Las Vegas Aces
Weekly Record: 3-0
Overall Record: 14-4
After defeating the Seattle Storm the previous week, they followed that up by going 3-0 over this past week. Their 4-game winning streak has helped move them into the #1 overall seed in the WNBA. They are tied with Seattle for the top record but own the season series tiebreak (2-1) over the Storm which gives them the number one seed.
The Aces finished the 2020 regular season as the #1 overall seed and made it all the way to the WNBA Finals before being swept away by Seattle. But the Storm lost a lot of talent in the offseason and Las Vegas added All-Stars Chelsea Gray and a returning Liz Cambage. Not to mention Kelsey Plum and 6th Woman of the Year Dearica Hamby who both return from injury. They are absolutely stacked and the current favorites to win the title in 2021.
Las Vegas easily dispatched Los Angeles last Wednesday by a final score of 99-75. Six players scored in double figures with Jackie Young leading the team with 18 points, five rebounds, and five assists. A’ja Wilson (17p, 10r) and Liz Cambage (13p, 11r) both had double-doubles in this game. Riquna Williams added 14 points, while Dearica Hamby had 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Kelsey Plum contributed with 11 points, seven assists, and six rebounds off the bench as well.
On Friday, the Aces managed to score just 66 points but still defeated the LA Sparks 66-58. A’ja Wilson led Las Vegas with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Chelsea Gray had the next highest point total with 14 points and Liz Cambage was the only other player in double figures with ten.
Then on Sunday, Las Vegas set a new franchise scoring record with 118 points defeating the Atlanta Dream 118-95. Six players scored in double figures with five of them scoring more than 15 points! Kelsey Plum led the Aces with 23 points and a team-high eight assists off the bench. Plum is playing the best of her WNBA career coming off a torn Achilles injury she suffered in 2020. A’ja Wilson added 19 points and nine rebounds. Liz Cambage had a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Jackie Young had 16 points and six assists and Riquna Williams added 13 more points, Dearica Hamby also had a double-double coming off the bench for 18 points and 10 rebounds.
I just wrote in my last article that Las Vegas is really dominating the league right now. In seven of their 14 victories (half), they are beating their opponents by 20 points or more. The other two top teams in the WNBA don’t have nearly as many. Seattle has three victories of 20+ points and Connecticut has just two.
Los Angeles Sparks
Weekly Record: 0-3
Overall Record: 6-11
This past week could have been a make-or-break week for the Los Angeles Sparks who recently fell out of playoff contention after falling two games below .500. Unfortunately for LA, they played the two best teams in the WNBA and went 0-3.
They lost 99-75 to the Las Vegas Aces on Wednesday. Amanda Zahui B. led the team with 22 points and nine rebounds. Te’a Cooper had 15 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Erica Wheeler scored 13 points and Brittney Sykes added 11 more. No one on the bench scored more than five.
Then on Friday, the Sparks managed to hold the highest-scoring team in the league to under 70 points but unfortunately couldn’t score enough to pick up the win. LA fell again to Las Vegas 66-58. Erica Wheeler led the team in scoring with 15 points and a team-high five assists. Zahui B. had a nice double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Te’a Cooper scored 12 points in the loss.
Lastly, on Sunday, they played the Seattle Storm tough in the 2nd half, even taking an eight-point lead in the third quarter, but ultimately fell 84-74 after Seattle outscored them 28-16 in the final period. Brittney Sykes had a fantastic game scoring 19 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Erica Wheeler added 19 points and Nia Coffey scored 11 after connecting on three triples from beyond the arc.
Los Angeles currently sits 10th in the standings in a virtual tie for the 11th seed. Fans that are hoping LA can land a Top 3 pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft will be disappointed to learn that the team traded away the pick to Dallas in order to acquire the 7th pick in the 2020 draft where they acquired Jasmine Walker. Walker sadly tore her ACL at the beginning of this season.
Minnesota Lynx
Weekly Record: 2-0
Overall Record: 9-7
The Minnesota Lynx are the hottest team in the WNBA (along with Las Vegas) winning four straight games. They won two more this past week over the Phoenix Mercury.
The first game was competitive with the Lynx winning 82-76 after a big third quarter performance helped give them the lead for good. Kayla McBride scored 26 points to lead Minnesota. Both Napheesa Collier (19 points, 11 rebounds) and Sylvia Fowles (15 points, 11 rebounds) had double-doubles in the game. Layshia Clarendon had 12 points as the only other player to score in double figures. It’s a good thing the Lynx got big games from all their starters because the bench managed just two points total.
The second game was not competitive at all with the Lynx throttling the Mercury 99-68. The 31-point victory was Minnesota’s largest of the season. McBride once again led the team in scoring with 24 points. Collier had 19 again, added six rebounds and six assists. Clarendon scored 17, grabbed seven rebounds, and four assists. Damiris Dantas added 14 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Crystal Dangerfield contributed 12 points off the bench as the reserves totaled 19 points in this game.
At 9-7, the Lynx have moved up to the 4th seed in the league standings. They finished fourth last year in the Wubble and reached the semi-finals of the playoffs before being eliminated by the Storm. After their slow start (0-4), they’re 9-3 in their last 12 games. Minnesota is starting to turn things around and could be peaking at the right time.
New York Liberty
Weekly Record: 1-1
Overall Record: 9-9
New York dropped a close game 73-69 on Tuesday, June 29th. Betnjiah Laney led the team with 16 points, a team-high seven assists and five rebounds. Michael Onyenwere continued her impressive rookie season with 13 points. Sami Whitcomb added 11 points and seven rebounds and Leaonna Odom scored 10 points off the bench.
The Liberty then defeated the Washington Mystics 82-79 on Saturday, July 3rd. Laney led the team again with 19 points. Sabrina Ionescu had 15 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Onyenwere added 11 points. Jazmine Jones scored 17 points and Reshanda Gray added 11 points and six rebounds.
Note, the Liberty beat the Wings on Monday (7/5) to improve their record to 10-9 on the season. However, that’s part of this current week, so it’ll be covered in the next Around the W article.
Phoenix Mercury
Weekly Record: 0-2
Overall Record: 7-9
The Phoenix Mercury lost back-to-back games against the Minnesota Lynx last week. One of the games was competitive, the other? Not so much! Phoenix is in a bit of a slump, not only did they go 0-2 this past week, but they’ve actually lost six of their last eight games.
On Wednesday, June 30th, the Mercury lost 82-76. The Big 3 of Griner, Taurasi, and Diggins-Smith all scored in double figures with Brittney Griner being the standout of the three leading the team with 28 points and seven rebounds. Skylar scored 16 points and Taurasi added ten more. However, DT struggled with her shot going 2-14.
In the rematch, Phoenix was lifeless. They trailed by 18 at the half and 28 by the end of the third quarter. Only two players scored in double figures with Skylar Diggins-Smith leading the team with 12 points. Taurasi had 11 points in this game but still struggled with her shot going 2-9.
Phoenix is currently holding onto the 8th and final playoff spot but only have a 0.5 game lead over the Washington Mystics.
Seattle Storm
Weekly Record: 2-0
Overall Record: 14-4
Seattle rebounded well this past week after losing consecutive games for the first time all year. The Storm went 2-0 defeating the Atlanta Dream and the Los Angeles Sparks.
On Friday, the Storm outlasted the Dream 91-88. Five players scored in double figures with veteran Sue Bird leading the team with 15 points including five made three-pointers. Bird also had a team-high five assists. Ezi Magbegor scored 12 points in 15 minutes. Jewell Loyd, Mercedes Russell, and Stephanie Talbot all scored 10 points apiece.
Breanna Stewart scored 21 points and Ezi Magbegor had a new career-high of 20 points as Seattle defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 84-74. The 21-year old Magbegor also led the team with nine rebounds. Epiphanny Prince got the start in this game for the injured Jewell Loyd and played terrifically scoring 18 points on 50% (6-12) field goal shooting. Sue Bird scored 13 points in the victory but managed just one assist. An unusual sight for the league’s All-Time assists leader. Bird needs just nine more assists to become the first player in WNBA history to reach 3,000 assists in the regular season.
Seattle has three games remaining before the Olympic break and need to win all three in order to guarantee themselves a spot in the inaugural Commissioner’s Cup championship game. Las Vegas can still represent the Western Conference if Seattle falters and the Aces win their final three games before the Olympic break.
Washington Mystics
Weekly Record: 0-2
Overall Record: 7-10
After defeating the Storm a couple of weeks ago, the Washington Mystics have four straight games including two this past week.
On Tuesday, June 29th, the Mystics lost to the Connecticut Sun 90-71. Washington was extremely short-handed in this game with only six available players. Tina Charles scored 26 points and Ariel Atkins scored 19 point and had a team-high five assists in the losing effort. Theresa Plaisance had 10 points and seven rebounds as the only other player to score in double figures.
Then this past Saturday, Washington lost a hard fought game to the New York Liberty 82-79. Tina Charles had a very impressive game with 31 points and 16 rebounds. Shatori Walker-Kimbrough re-signed with the team on a 7-day contract and had an impressive debut with eight point on 4-5 FG shooting and four rebounds.
Other WNBA News
A’ja Wilson was named the Western Confernece Player of the Week. It was the first time during the 2021 season that the 2020 MVP had been selected for the honor. Wilson averaged 18.7 PPG, 9.7 RPG, and 1.0 BPG as she helped lead the Aces to an undefeated week.
Brionna Jones was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the first time in her WNBA career. Jones averaged 20.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG, and 1.7 SPG.
Editor’s Notes: I appreciate everyone who has signed up for the free newsletter. If you’re interested in highly detailed Seattle Storm articles and more WNBA coverage please consider becoming a paid subscriber.