WNBA Weekly BreakDown June 14-23: Road to Commissioner's Cup

 Written By; Danny Albers

 

The Angel Reese VS Caitlin Clark saga continued giving us 2 Sunday prime-time games between the rivals. We also saw a new championship contender in the Minnesota Lynx emerge. Things are beginning to heat up, let’s break down each of the games from this week. 

June 14: Minnesota is the New Basketball Town

The Minnesota Lynx (11-3) are now 8-2 in their last 10 games after beating the Dallas Wings (3-10) 90-78. They’ve won 4 in a row. Dallas on the other hand has lost 8 games in a row. The Lynx finished the game off with an emphatic finish outsourcing the Wings by 9 points. Lynx guard Kayla McBride was hot from 3-point land shooting 50% and finishing with 19 points. Minnesota got a boost off the bench from Natisha Hiederman who also shot 50% from 3. She would finish with 17 points. Dallas should feel pretty positive by the performance they got from the rookie out of Turkey Sevgi Uzun. She scored 17 points and shot 3-5 from 3-point land.  

The Washington Mystics (2-12) picked up their second win beating the Chicago Sky (4-8) 83-81. The Sky had a chance to tie this game but Marina Mabrey missed 2 free throws at the very end of the game. If she had made those two shots this game would have gone to overtime. 

June 15: It’s Always Sunny in Connecticut

The Connecticut Sun (13-1) beat the Los Angeles Sparks (4-11) on Tuesday 79-70. The big news coming from this game is Cameron Brink, the 2nd overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, tore her ACL. Connecticut’s defense forced 22 turnovers in this game. F DeWanna Bonner scored 16 points and recorded 7 rebounds, leading the team in both categories. It’s crazy to think that the Sun are 13-1, and that 1 loss on the season knocked them out of the Commissioner Cup final. 

The Phoenix Mercury (8-7) picked up their biggest win of the season against the New York Liberty (12-3). Britney Griner is back to being BG as she fired the crowd up with her electric play in this game. She scored 19 points and had 4 rebounds. Diana Taurasi joined her with her own 19 point performance and grabbing 9 rebounds. The veteran duo of Taurasi and Griner have been on a roll lately as the Mercury try to work out of their slow start to the season. The 3rd piece to the Phoenix big 3, Kahleah Copper had a decent game scoring 17 points, but the Mercury offensive attack was much more balanced. 

June 16: Caitlin Clark Strikes Again 

The Indiana Fever (5-10) got another one up on the Chicago Sky (4-9) beating them 91-83. Guard Caitlyn Clark had a great showing scoring 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists. Aliyah Boston had a really great game down low for the Fever with a double-double, scoring 19 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Marina Mabrey scored 22 points for the Sky. Angel Reese recorded a double-double. Reese found herself in a bit of trouble with the media because of her hard foul on Caitlin Clark going to the rim. She refused to talk to the media after the game. Another physical game that brought incredible ratings is slowly turning this into one of the most bitter rivalries in sports. 

The Phoenix Mercury (7-7) beat the Seattle Storm (9-5) at home on Sunday. Mercury guard Kahleh Copper had one of her strongest games of the season scoring 30 points. Center Britney Griner added 28 points for the Mercury. The Storm got off to a slow start to the game playing much better in the second half and closing the distance between the two teams. Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike recorded a double-double scoring 15 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. 

The Atlanta Dream (6-6) picked up a home victory against the struggling Los Angeles Sparks (4-10). Dream guard Allisha Gray scored 25 points. The Dream also got a stellar double-double performance from the dominant center Tina Charles who scored 20 points and recorded 11 rebounds. Sparks 1st round pick Cameron Brink had an inspiring performance with 16 points as she looks to continue to develop her offensive game at the pro level. 

June 17: Lynx Roll at Home Against the Wings

The Minnesota Lynx (11-3) beat the Dallas Wings (3-10) on Monday, 90-78, as Lynx guard Kayla McBride shot 50% from 3. She finished with 19 points in the game. The Wings losing streak has now been extended to 8 games. Even worse for the Wings, they were without Arike Ogunbowale who’s been their leading scorer in nearly every game. The Lynx are on a streak of their own winning their 4th straight game after clinching a spot in the Commissioner’s Cup next week. The Lynx are emerging as one of the better teams in the league. 

June 18: Mercury Bounce the Liberty 

The Connecticut Sun (13-1) won back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Sparks (4-11) when they won 79-70. DeWanna Bonner scored 16 points, a mark she’s hit consistently all season. Bonner also provided defense with 2 steals and 2 blocks. The Sparks struggled to get much of anything going offensively against the league's best defense. Aari McDonald was the team's leading scorer with only 14 points.  

The Phoenix Mercury (8-7) shocked the red hot New York Liberty (12-3). The veteran guard Diana Taurasi scored 19 points and had 9 rebounds, just missing a double-double. Britney Griner had a positive game netting her own 19 points. The Mercury shot 50% from 3-pointers as a team, beating the New York Liberty at their own game. 

June 19: Lynx win 5th straight

The Minnesota Lynx (12-3) didn’t need a lot of offense to win at home against the Atlanta Dream (6-7). The Lynx won on Wednesday night 68-55 behind a 16 point effort by Napheesa Collier. The Atlanta Dream shot 17.4 % from 3 point land, and only 28.8 % on field goal attempts. This is now the 5th straight win for Minnesota who will be featured next Tuesday in the Commissioner Cup Final against the Liberty. 

The Indiana Fever (6-10) stayed hot on Wednesday after beating the Washington Mystics (2-13) at home 88-81. In a losing effort, Mystics guard Ariel Atkins exploded for 27 points to help the Mystics stay close in this game. But the Fever have really found their rhythm around Caitlyn Clark. Clark has a double-double, scoring 18 points and recording 12 rebounds. She also plays strong on the defensive side of the ball recording 4 steals. Offensively, the duo of Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston both scored 22 points. The Fever have now won 3 games in a row and have become relevant in the WNBA standings. 

The final game of the evening saw the struggling defending champions the Las Vegas Aces (7-6) beat the Seattle Storm (9-6) to get back over .500. Jackie Young received a massive standing ovation from the Aces crowd. In her return she scored 32 points leading the loaded Ace team. Combined with the post presence of Aces center A’Ja Wilson who scored 27 points nobody was beating the Aces. The Storm kept it close thanks to the offensive effort of 33-year old forward Nneka Ogwumike who scored 21 points. Ezi Magbegor recorded yet another double-double on the season scoring 19 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. The Aces used the emotional return of Jackie Young to get off to a fast star, leading 29-16 after the first quarter, and 47-32 at halftime. 

June 20: Angel Reese makes history 

The Chicago Sky (5-9) got maybe the steal of the draft and potentially one of the most impactful rookies this season in Angel Reese. She’s a special player. She made history being the first rookie to record a double-double in seven straight games. She scored 16 points and had 18 rebounds in the Sky’s win over the Dallas Wings (3-11). The Wings have now lost 9 games in a row. The Sky offensively ran through Marina Mabrey who scored 19 points and the scrapy guard Chennedy Carter who also scored 19 points. The Sky picked up a much needed win, snapping a 4 game losing skid. 

The Los Angeles Sparks (4-12) tried to rebound after losing to the sun and losing Cameron Brink for the season. They visited the New York Liberty (13-3) who beat the Sparks 93-80. The Sparks looked lost on both sides of the ball. It didn’t help that Liberty guard Sabrina Ionesu went off. Sabrina shot 6-11 from 3, and scored 31 points. Liberty forward Jonquel Jones had a strong scoring performance as well. She scored 22 points on the night. Beside 15 points from guard Aari McDonald, the Sparks failed to get anyone going on the offensive side of the ball. 

June 21: Aces up, Sun go down 

The Las Vegas Aces (8-6) got their biggest win of the season topping the Connecticut Sun (13-2) 85-74. A’ja Wilson stepped up for the Aces, recording a double-double. Her 26 points led the Aces in scoring in this game. Aces guard Kelsey Plum returned to the starting rotation and had a solid game. She scored 18 points over 34 minutes. Connecticut’s offense fell flat scoring 12 points in the second quarter, putting them too far behind at half time. The Sun offensively aren’t the most explosive, so coming from behind against a balanced team like the Aces is unlikely. Sun’s guard Dijonai Carrington was a spark plug for the top team in the WNBA. She scored 19 points shooting well from 3. 

The Indiana Fever (7-10) picked up their 4th straight win against the Atlanta Dream (6-8) with a 91-79 victory. Caitlin Clark scored 16 points in their victory. The Fever jumped all over Atlanta with 35 points in the 1st quarter. The Fever got a big performance from Nalyssa Smith who dropped 21 points. The Fever are enjoying a solid June that have seen them climb the ranks all the way from the bottom of the league. 

June 22 Lynx Stay Hot

The Washington Mystics (3-13) won the first game of back-to-back games with the Dallas Wings (3-12) by a score of 97-69. Veteran guard Karlie Samuelson shot 3-5 from 3 and scored 17 points. But Emily Engstler’s 23 points off the bench carried the team. It was a dominant performance by Washington, with their 31-point second quarter being the most impressive quarter by this team. When the Mystics have had success this season, it’s when they get hot from 3-point land. They shot 42% from 3. 

The New York Liberty (14-3) are heating up right in time for their Commissioner’s Cup Final game with the Minnesota Lynx. They beat the Los Angeles Sparks (4-13) 98-88 as the Sparks try to adapt to life without Cameron Brink. Breanna Stewart went off scoring 33 points. Sabrina Ionescu scored 24 points of her own in the effort having a solid shooting performance from 3-point land (4-9). 

The Minnesota Lynx (13-3) stayed red hot when they beat the Phoenix Mercury (8-8) 73-60. The Mercury were flat on offense in this game as they couldn’t get any momentum started. The Lynx forward Napheesa Collier scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. The Lynx have now won 6 games in a row leading into their game with the New York Liberty on Tuesday. 

June 23 Sky Get Revenge on the Fever

Angle Reese and the Chicago Sky (6-9) finally got one up on Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever (7-11). The Sky held on to beat the Fever 88-87 at home. Angel Reese scored a career high 25 points and recorded her 8th double-double as she continued her historic run. Sky guard Chennedy Carter had a strong game against her rival scoring 23 points and holding Caitlin Clark to 17 points. Every time these two teams play it's must watch television.  

The Seattle Storm (10-6) beat the Connecticut Sun (13-3) 72-61 on Sunday. The Storm have been one of the hottest teams in the league right now. The Storm’s guard Jewell Loyd is averaging 20.2 points per game and has been the catalyst for the Storm. She scored 16 points in this game and led Seattle in scoring. Connecticut's offense went cold in this game once again, which could be a problem for them when trying to make a deep playoff run against the elite teams in the league. Connecticut shot 14% from behind the 3, and only shot 50% from free throws. Those offensive numbers will rarely win you games. 

A battle of bottom dwellers pinned the Washington Mystics (4-13) against the Dallas Wings (3-13). The Mystics picked up the win in this game by a score of 92-84. Mystics center Stefanie Dolson scored 18 points and 8 rebounds. The Mystics as a team shot over 50% from behind the 3-point line. Washington used a big 3rd quarter where they outscored the Wings 29-14 to pull away from Dallas in this game. The Mystics took the sweep in their back-to-back series with the Wings.

The New York Liberty (15-3) played their last game before they look to defend their Commissioner’s Cup Title on Tuesday. Sabrina Ionescu couldn’t miss in this game scoring 26 points and shooting 4-9 from 3. She also dished 11 assists in the game as the Liberty beat the Atlanta Dream (6-9) 96-75.