The Guru’s WNBA Roundup: Still Perfect at 9-0 as New York Thumps Chicago While Atlanta Turns Indiana Aside As Caitlin Clark Sidelined for Fifth Game

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

Still perfect and all tied at the top of the WNBA again.

That would be the defending champion New York Liberty which matched the idle Minnesota Lynx at 9-0 Tuesday night by soaring over the Chicago Sky 85-66 at home in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn before an energetic crowd of 16,081.

In the other game on the league card Atlanta took advantage of reigning rookie of the year Caitlin Clark’s fifth straight absence working her way back from a left quad strain to beat the visiting Indiana Fever 77-58 with a crowd of 3,265 at the Gateway Center in College Park, Ga., in the suburbs.

New York, now 3-0 in the Commissioner’s Cup standings, is the ninth WNBA team to start 9-0, following Minnesota reaching that total its last game played.

The Lynx can move back in front of the Liberty team that nipped them in overtime in decisive Game 5 of the finals last October when Minnesota visits Seattle Wednesday night.

The two other Wednesday games also have 10 p.m. tipoffs with Las Vegas hosting Los Angeles on CBSSN while Phoenix hosts Dallas, which expects the return of overall No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers, the former UConn standout who missed the last four Wings games – three in concussion protocol and the last one due to illness.

New York and Minnesota could be unbeaten and meet each other in the Cup championship July 1 repeating the matchup won by the Lynx last year but since the game doesn’t count in the league season records, they could still be perfect in their first scheduled meeting July 30th.

Back in Brooklyn, New York continues to bust franchise marks in the Liberty’s 29-year history while Chicago (2-6) continues to struggle, now 0-2 in week two of the Cup standings.

The Liberty’s +171 point differential, 104 made threes, and 23.4 net ratings are all WNBA all-time bests through the first nine games.

In this one, Sabrina Ionescu had 23 points and seven assists for the Liberty, while Breanna Stewart scored 18 points as the home team jumped to a 12-0 start and were never threatened the rest of the way.

The opening run was the Liberty’s longest shutout stand (5.49) since 2019.

By halftime Kennedy Burke, who has become a deadly 3-point shooter, nailed one just before the end of the half for a 52-32 lead.

One quarter later a closing 11-0 run with a 6-0 start to the next quarter made it 76-42 while the Sky were forced into 22 turnovers.

Burke had 15 points, and with three makes from deep, became the fifth WNBA player all time to shoot 100% on attempted threes, three or more times, in consecutive games, joining former New York player Catherine Kraayeveld, Jennifer Azzi, Briann January, and Alysha Clark.

Furthermore, with Burke’s seven straight threes the last two games, she tied a Liberty record shared by Nicole Powell, Kraaveld, Elena Baranova and Crystal Robinson. Her 19-30 for 63.3% on threes is currently tops in the WNBA.

Saint Joseph’s alum Natasha Cloud joined former Rutgers star Cappie Pondexter at ninth all-time on the WNBA career assists leaders list.

Because the Liberty’s Jonquel Jones was sidelined with an ankle injury, Nyara Sabally made her first WNBA start and was 4-4 from the field for nine points.

Chicago’s second-year pro Angel Reese in her 42nd game became the fastest to reach 30 double doubles scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 boards.

  New York, which next goes to Indiana a second time this season on Saturday, had planned to give Courtney Vandersloot her championship ring but the former Gonzaga great who returned to the Sky in free agency last winter did not make the trip after suffering a season-ending knee injury in Saturday’s loss to Indiana.

In off-court news Vandersloot’s wife, former DePaul star Allie Quigley, who has not played the past three seasons after scoring 3,273 points and making 1,386 field goals for Chicago in ten seasons (2013-2022), announced her official retirement.

Vandersloot passed those numbers last month to become the new Sky career leader.

Atlanta Handles Indiana

After beating each other on the road last month, the Dream (6-3), easily took this one at home to get even in the Cup race at 1-1 while the Fever fell to 2-1.

Atlanta’s Allisha Gray scored 23 points and free agent signee Brionna Jones had 21 points.

The Dream broke open the game with an 11-0 run for a 10-point lead in the third quarter that later grew to 54-42 in the period.

The Fever (4-5) were led by Natasha Howard’s double double of 15 points and 10 boards.

Caitlin Clark continued to travel with the Fever and sit near the coaches.

“The most important thing for us is to not position ourselves to have any setbacks,” said Indiana coach Stephanie White in being cautious to not rush Clark or Sophie Cunningham, limited to four games this season with a right ankle injury, back into action.

Indiana next hosts New York Saturday while Atlanta greets Chicago Friday night.

Induction Weekend

On what will be the late Tennessee coaching legend Pat Summitt’s birthday Saturday, that night the next induction ceremony in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville will add WNBA greats Cappie Pondexter, Alana Beard, Sue Bird, and Sylvia Fowles, West Chester and Queens coaching great Lucille Kyvallos, WBCA top executive Danielle  Donehew, and D-2 (NAIA) Union University coach Mark Campbell.

The ceremony will air on ESPN+.

Yes, your Guru will be on the scene and came down early to the airport to spend the all-nighter here writing this roundup but pulling it off doing so prior to gate area instead of anticipating going through the checkpoint since the access personnel had gone home by our midnight arrival, probably returning in the 3 a.m. hour. It’s now 2:30 as we go into posting mode for today’s report.