The Guru’s WNBA Round Up: New York and Minnesota Go to 6-0 While Connecticut Wins First at the Expense of Indiana and the Injured Caitlin Clark

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

It was Friday night lights on the five-game WNBA card with the defending champion New York Liberty (6-0) navigating the end of a three-game/four-day span with no problem in taking an 85-63 road triumph over the Washington Mystics (3-4) while the runner-up Minnesota Lynx (6-0) eked out a 74-71 win at Phoenix (4-2) foiling the Mercury’s upset bid as both winners continued their unbeaten start.

The New York start is the Liberty’s best in history, spanning the 29-year existence of the WNBA dating to 1997.

Connecticut (1-5) edged host Indiana 85-83 to become the last league team getting a win in the early season as the Fever (2-4) dropped its second straight appearance as reigning rookie of the year Caitlin Clark stayed sidelined with a left quad injury.

The Las Vegas Aces (3-2) treated its home crowd and former star Kelsey Plum to a pre-game highlight video and then thumped her new Los Angeles team 96-81 dousing the Sparks to 2-5 while in the other game of the night Atlanta (5-2) won 94-87 at Seattle (3-3).

Washington drew a near-capacity 4,200 at CareFirst Arena returning from hosting Indiana Wednesday in nearby Baltimore, while 9,043 at the PHX arena watched the desert showdown, 16,213 supported their Fever squad at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis despite Clark’s absence, 10,504 at Michelob ULTRA Arena saw Las Vegas look like the team winning back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023 with an advancement to the semifinals last season, and Seattle drew 9,666 at Climate Pledge Arena.

The only game Saturday has Dallas (1-5) at Chicago (1-4) at 8 p.m. on the WNBA streaming League Pass.

On Sunday the two-week annual geographical intra East and West Comissioner’s Cup gets under way, all four games on League Pass, with the standing's winners meeting July 1 at the team with the best record.

New York hosts Connecticut at 3 p.m. at their Barclays Center in Brooklyn; Los Angeles hosts Phoenix at Crypto.com Arena while Seattle hosts Las Vegas both at 6 p.m.; and expansion Golden State (2-3) after its trip East was unable to give New York its first defeat in a blowout loss Tuesday and narrow setback Thursday, will try to knock off unbeaten Minnesota at 8:30 p.m. at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

With the Cup challenge filling the WNBA schedule the first half of the month it will still last much longer until July 30 when New York goes to Minnesota at the Target Center in Minneapolis for the first meeting since the Liberty narrowly edged the Lynx in overtime in a decisive Game 5 of the finals in Brooklyn.

Minnesota visits New York August 10, the two are back at Minnesota August 16 and return to New York August 19 for their fourth and final meeting in the regular season.

New York Handles Washington

Coming off Thursday’s extended challenge from Golden State until the last minute, the back-to-back hurdle on the schedule was brushed aside in the Liberty win in Washington as Sabrina Ionescu exploded again, even more, scoring 28 points with four shots made from deep while Jonquel Jones, the finals MVP, who missed the previous game with a hamstring issue, had 14 points and 18 boards.

The Liberty are 26-0 in games Jones, the George Washington graduate previously with Connecticut several seasons ago, double doubled. She is the adopted daughter of Temple coach Diane Richardson.

The game was close with the Mystics down four points early in the second half until Ionescu’s three-point play launched a 16-0 run to a 63-43 lead with just under two minutes left in the third period.

Brittney Sykes scored 20 for the home team, which shot 28% (21 of 74) for the game, including 4 of 16 from beyond the arc.

Sykes reached her 3,000th career point with the Mystics.

The two Mystics rookies taken in the first round continued to perform with Kiki Iriafen out of Southern Cal, taken fourth overall, scored 12 while Notre Dame standout Sonia Citron scored 10 points.

They are the first WNBA rookies to reach 10 points in each of their first seven games.

Additionally, rookie Lucy Olsen out of Collegeville, who starred at Iowa and previously Villanova, played her most minutes at 13 shooting 1-3 for two points with three boards and two assists.

New York’s Sunday game hosting Connecticut is the Liberty’s fourth in six days before the schedule allows an extended rest. Washington plays its first Commissioner’s Cup game Tuesday at Indiana after beating the Fever Wednesday night.

Minnesota Edges Phoenix to Stay Unbeaten

Phoenix continues to be an early surprise, but the upset bid was foiled when Natisha Hiedeman nailed a game-winning three-pointer with 5.1 seconds left in regulation.

Following a Mercury timeout Sami Whitcomb was unable to tie it with an attempted 3-pointer that would have sent the game into overtime.

The Mercury had led 71-68 when Courtney Williams tied it with a three-pointer with a minute left.

Former Notre Dame star Kayla McBride scored 20 for the Lynx, Alanna Smith scored 19, while Williams, who played at South Florida, filled the box score with 11 points, seven boards, snd seven assists.

The Lynx won without Napheesa Collier, one of the top stars in the league averaging 26.8, who has a knee injury.

Phoenix got 26 points and 11 rebounds from Satou Sabally, while Kalani Brown was 7-8 for15 points and Whitcomb scored 13.

Both teams head West Sunday, Minnesota to Golden State and Phoenix to Los Angeles.

Connecticut Nips Indiana for First Win

The Sun had been a gold standard in the league, even while not able to grab a championship, since the Mohegan Tribe in 2003 bought the the team that was the Orlando Miracle.

But the loss of all five starters and 10 of 12 players in the offseason from the team that was a semifinalist that extended Minnesota to five games doomed Connecticut to an 0-5 start until taking advantage of Caitlin Clark’s sidelining injury on Indiana.

She missed the second of a predicted four games, maybe more, over the next two weeks that concludes with a visit to Chicago and Angel Reese, the game originally moved from Wintrust Arena to the NBA Bulls’ United Center airing at 8 p.m. on a Saturday night on CBS.

Marina Marbrey scored 26 points, 15 in the third quarter, while Tina Charles scored 18 points for the Sun.

Indiana fell behind 74-59 early in the fourth quarter and then erupted on a 19-2 run that featured three consecutive 3-pointers and went in front 78-76 with 2:46 left in regulation.

The teams then exchanged connected deeps on four possessions with Lexi Hull’s make getting the Fever to a one-point 82-81 deficit before Mabrey made it three with 1:15 left.

Sun rookie Saniya Rivers, a first round pick out of N.C. State, made 1-2 from the line making it 85-83 with 5.8 left.

Kelsey Mitchell then fumbled the inbounds pass and defended by Charles heaved an attempted game-winner that failed.

Rivers added 12 points and six assists to Connecticut’s attack.

Indiana’s Aliyah Boston scored 17 with with five rebounds and seven assists, while Mitchell and DeWanna Bonner each scored 13 points. Newcomer Sophie Cunningham left the game with six minutes remaining appearing to suffer an injury to her right ankle.

While Connecticut is off to New York Sunday for its first Cup game, Indiana hosts Washington Tuesday looking to even the Mystics series after Wednesday’s loss.

Las Vegas Whips Los Angeles

A’ja Wilson had her highest scoring game for the winning Aces since reaching 41 on Sept. 1 collecting 35 points with 13 boards and six points as Las Vegas recovered from 20-point loss five days previously 102-82 in Seattle.

Jackie Young scored 26 and Chelsea Gray scored 15.

The Aces quickly tried to put the Sparks in the rear-view mirror with a 23-2 run, but the visitors made it more competitive with a 15-5 answer to draw within 28-21 before Las Vegas erupted again with a 15-3 attack the next quarter and cruised the rest of the way.

Kelsey Plum, in her first game back since leaving the Aces for Tinseltown, scored 17 points, Odyssey Sims scored 15, and Dearica Hamby, a former Aces member, had 14 points.

Technicals in separate moments were given to Plum and first-year coach Lynne Roberts for arguing with the referees.

Plum was part of a three-team trade in January that resulted in Jewell Loyd landing in Las Vegas from Seattle.

Atlanta Rallies Over Seattle

The Dream, trailing by 17 early in the third quarter, exploded on a 14-6 run and then went 11-0 to move within a basket at 61-59 with 2:48 left in the third period.

Atlanta, winning its fourth straight under first-year coach Karl Smesko, went in front in the fourth quarter for the first time since 3-2 back near the outset and held on as the combo of Rhyne Howard with 33 points and Allisha Gray with a career best 28 dominated the game combining with 40 points in the second half.

Free agent Brionna Jones out of the Connecticut Sun scored 15 while Naz Hillmon had 11 points and six boards.

Seattle’s Skylar Diggins, who scored 20, moved the Storm to within a basket at 82-80 but Gray answered with two from the line and Howard sealed it with six more points.

Nneka Ogwumike added 16 points for the Storm while Gabby Williams and Erica Wheeler each scored 14 points.

Atlanta is off until returning to the road for the Dream’s third straight in enemy arenas while Seattle makes it Sunday two of three straight at home hosting Las Vegas.