Guru’s WNBA Report: Los Angeles Holds Off Atlanta to Clinch Playoff Berth While Connecticut and Phoenix Gain Key Wins

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

 

The Los Angeles Sparks edged the Atlanta Dream 84-79 Sunday night to win their ninth straight and pull back to a second-place tie with the idle Las Vegas Aces at 12-3 just 0.5 behind the idle and league-leading Seattle Storm (13-3) at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., near Tampa/St. Petersburg and become the third team to earn a return to the postseason playoffs in what will again continue as an eight-team field.

 

In the other two games, the Connecticut Sun, which dropped its first five games, took care of the reigning but reeling WNBA Washington Mystics 76-63 and strengthen its hold a bit in seventh place ahead of the gridlock challengers just below in the idle Dallas Wings (6-10) in the eighth and final spot a half-game ahead of ninth place Indiana (5-10), which was idle, and 10^th place Washington (4-11), which is 2.5 games behind Dallas.

 

Rounding out the standings, Atlanta (3-13) with the loss to Los Angeles, is three games behind Dallas while the idle New York Liberty (2-13), which is 3.5 games behind Dallas.

 

In the other game on Sunday, the Phoenix Mercury strengthened its return to the playoffs with an 83-79 win over the Minnesota Lynx (10-5) which kept them in sixth at 9-7 but just one behind the idle Chicago Sky (10-6).

 

At the same time the loss hampered Minnesota’s bid to stay in the fight for the two double-bye berths as the Lynx in fourth are now two games behind Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

 

As per the setup in recent seasons, the best eight overall teams regardless of conference grouping make the field with the top two seeds owning the double bye as Washington and Connecticut did last season playing out to the finals. Those two rounds are best-of-five affairs.

 

The third and fourth teams get a one-game bye and then meet the first-round survivors who meet in opening knock-off games and then the second round becomes one-game fights to advance to the semis.

 

On Monday night the final two weeks of the 22-game condensed regular season get under way with two of the make-up games from last week’s stand-downs in the cause of social justice in the wake of the police shootings in Minneapolis and Kenosha, Wis., though at the WNBA’s outset the league embraced other Black victims in the last year such as Breonna Taylor, who was gunned down while sleeping in her Louisville, Ky., residence in what was a no-knock mistaken entrance by local police.

 

A normal WNBA season was originally set to increase two games to 36 after the winter’s newly negotiated CBA with the players’ union was negotiated but that all got scrapped by dealing with a delayed start due to the coronavirus and move the league to an all unified new site.

 

In the desire to get a meaningful season accomplished in the safest way possible, the WNBA followed the NBA’s bubble lead setting up shop in the nicknamed wubble 100 miles away from the NBA, which is at the Disney Sports Complex in Orlando.

 

Each team is playing a 22-game schedule playing their 11 opponents twice. The season got under way in late July and for the most part each team has had only a day off between games.

 

Originally, the setup enabled back-to-back games from occurring for the first time in the 23-year history of the league but that went out the door with last week’s two-night, one-game per team hiatus and with little time left for makeups, the first of the normally idle Mondays will be filled with two makeup games as Los Angeles and Minnesota retake the floor meeting each other at 10 p.m. on CBSSN.

 

The night begins with another key matchup as Chicago and Indy meet at 6, also on CBSSN.

 

As it’s playing out, for all intents, these next two weeks will be playoffs each night for playoff seedings and qualifications.

 

Next Monday, Connecticut and Phoenix will make up their game on Labor Day and then come right back 48 hours later against each other in their regularly scheduled second meeting on Sept. 9.

 

The other three games will be made up on the Sunday that takes the season one day later than the original dated finish as New York and Dallas meet with the Wings looking for playoff qualification and/or seeding, Phoenix and Minnesota meet with potential seedings on the line, and Los Angeles and Atlanta meet with the Sparks potentially contending for first or second, barring a slide between now and then for a lower seed in the first or second round.

 

Los Angeles Edges Atlanta to Gain Playoff Qualification and Stay in The Three Team Fight for First

 

The game between the Dream, which has struggled most of the way but upset Minnesota a week ago, and Sparks was close until finally breaking Los Angeles’ way in the fourth quarter for the win.

 

The Sparks’ ninth straight earned a WNBA record 20^th postseason appearance, missing just four.

 

Los Angeles was able to win despite the departure of Stanford grad and WNBA players union president Nneka Ogwumike leaving  in the second quarter with back stiffness. A team spokesman said she is under evaluation by team medical personnel with an update to be provided Monday prior to the Sparks’ meeting with Minnesota.

 

Brittney Sykes had 15 points for Los Angeles while Chelsea Gray scored 14, while past WNBA regular season and postseason MVP Candace Parker out of Tennessee scored nine points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dealt seven assists.

 

Rookie Chennedy Carter had a game-high 26 for Atlanta, while Courtney Williams, who starred at nearby South Florida, scored 15, and former UCLA star Monique Williams scored 12 and grabbed 14 rebounds.

 

Sykes brought the Sparks to a 74-74 tie with with 2 minutes, 45 seconds left in regulation and then snapped it with a pair of foul shots and a jumper before Parker’s layup made it a 6-0 run and an 80-74 lead with 1:11 left.

 

In the closing seconds, Billings made a three-point play but Sykes then blocked a score and then Carter scored on a drive for the game’s final points.

 

The playoffs are the first step in giving yourselves an opportunity to play for a championship,” Sparks second-year coach said after the game. “We’re fortunate to clinch that opportunity tonight.”

 

Reserve Sparks player Kristine Anigwe out of California and drafted originally by the the Connecticut Sun had a career high nine points.

 

“I’m really excited I get to go into the playoffs with these girls,” Anigwe said after starting the second half in the wake of Ogwumike’s departure. “The energy we have daily is unmatched. We’re like a family here, being in the bubble, being with them every single day.”

 

Gray also spoke of the Los Angeles togetherness.

 

“We’re playing for the person next to us and it’s like a sisterhood,” she said. “We are playing for a bigger purpose and we all understand that. We really feel a bond and an energy you can’t really describe.” 

 

In their recent first meeting, Atlanta feel to the Sparks in overtime.

 

“I think if you look at the stretch of five minutes until near three minutes (toward the end of the game), we missed three layups and we had two turnovers,” said Atlanta coach Nicki Collen. “We had three layup misses in that stretch against a team like LA that’s gotten so good in believing in themselves late in games, if you look at the last four games, every game has looked like this.

 

“They’ve either been down double digits or eight points. They did it against Connecticut, they did it against us, they did it against Dallas. When you lead the game in close game and you have Chelsea Gray and Candace Parker, you have the advantage. Those are two world class players that the moment is never too big. They handle it. They don’t even have to run offense.”

 

Added Carter, “I would say they just kept their foot on the gas. At times we didn’t match their energy. It’s something we have to learn as a team, and keep learning how to close out a game.”

 

Phoenix Gets Past Minnesota

 

In the battle of former UConn stars, ageless Diana Taurasi had 23 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists, to pace Phoenix past Minnesota, while former Notre Dame star Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 25 for the Mercury, and Brianna Turner had 10 points and 15 rebounds.

 

Rookie Crystal Dangerfield, another former Huskies standout, had 20 points, while reigning rookie of the year Napheesa Collier, yet another ex-UConn standout, had 13 points for Minnesota, which is in fourth place ahead of Chicago and Phoenix.

 

Had the Lynx won, they would be closer to Los Angeles, going in against the Sparks late Monday night.

 

Phoenix short-circuited a Minnesota rally from a 22-point deficit to win with Diggins-Smith hitting a key pair of foul shots with 5.9 seconds left in regulation to triumph, though the outcome was tempered by coach Sandy Brondello announcing before the game that former Connecticut star Bria Hartley has suffered a right knee injury in Friday’s win over Washington and is done for the season.

 

Also missing is Brittney Griner, who has not played for personal reasons since August 21.

 

Connecticut Gains Split With Washington

 

After dropping their first five games while cobbling together new chemistry in the wake of several roster departures from their squad that fell in a decisive game five in the fourth quarter of the WNBA championships, the Connecticut Sun has been able to get fat on opponents with losing records to have a decent shot at returning to the post season.

 

The latest came Sunday afternoon in a revenge win 76-63 over the struggling Mystics to hold seventh by a game in a bid to return to the postseason. And just ahead is a Tuesday date with the forlorn New York Liberty.

 

DeWanna Bonner has 20 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals for the Sun (7-9), while Alyssa Thomas had 16 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists — two short of gaining a triple double — while rookie Kaila Charles out of Maryland had a career-high 16 points.

 

Recently acquired veteran Essence Carson out of Rutgers, waived by Washington, made her first start and scored eight of Connecticut’s first 11 points.

 

Washington, which won its first three games and then went on a losing streak, remains in the playoff hunt, but is currently 10^th following the loss.

 

Emma Meesseman, the first MVP playoffs recipient in a reserve role last season, had 14 points for the Mystics, as did Ariel Atkins, while Myisha Hines-Allen had a double double of 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while Kiara Leslie scored 11.

 

“What I was really happy for the play of our bench,” said Sun coach Curt Miller. “We’re three wins up on Washington for those final playoff spots we’re all fighting for.

 

“Wednesday and Thursday were really emotional days for us and Friday was difficult. You have to celebrate every win down here in the bubble. Every win is big,” noted Miller, who, due to injuries, was forced to use just seven players from the second quarter to the fourth.

 

“All hands on deck tonight,” said Thomas. “People are hurt now, so people have to step up. And we knew the importance of a win tonight with somebody below us. Trying to gain separation, so we knew we had to come out focus and ready to play.”

 

Looking Ahead

 

Monday’s made-up games have already been noted in Los Angeles and Minnesota both meeting in the second of a pair of whats became back-to-back games, tipping off at 10, after Indiana meets Chicago at 6, also on CBSSN.

 

On Tuesday, back to a three-game daily card, as noted, Connecticut meets New York at 7 on CBSSN, followed by Indiana and Atlanta meeting at 8 on Facebook, while Las Vegas meets Phoenix at 10 on Facebook.

 

Wednesday will see Minnesota meeting Chicago at 7 on Facebook, followed by Las Vegas and Dallas at 8 on CBSSN, and then Washington and Seattle at 10 on CBSSN.

 

And that’s as far as the future we will peek ahead to right now as your Guru WNBA report comes to a close.