The Guru’s WNBA Roundup: Unbeaten Minnesota Upset at Seattle; Buecker’s Dazzling Return Spoiled at Phoenix; L.A. Gets Bounce-Back Win at ‘Vegas

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

To steal and reshape a phrase from a pro sport played with a pigskin –“on any given day or night in the WNBA anything can happen – unless for the moment anything involves the idle, still unbeaten, and defending champion New York Liberty.

And on Wednesday Anything happened big time across the three late night games on the schedule all tipping off from out West.

In the ongoing dual start-of-the-season scoreboard-watching battle between New York and last season’s championship also-ran Minnesota, the Lynx (9-1) blinked in a storm – that would be the Seattle Storm (6-4) delighting a crowd of 9,722 in Climate Pledge Arena winning 94-84 to not only end the visitors’ perfect start but tie them in the Commissioner’s Cup standings 3-1 in the second of the three-week in-season tourney that will be decided in the July 1 showdown between the best in each conference.

The postseason playoffs, in a change several years ago, are seeded in the eight spots overall without regard to conference designation.

Ok, your minds can be read from here in Knoxville, Tenn., where the Guru is embedded for the next three days of induction activity involving the seven new members of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. The ceremony will air Saturday night on ESPN+.

New York (9-0), now the last WNBA unbeaten, next on Saturday at 3 p.m. on ABC and ESPN+ will take its perfection back to Indianapolis at Gainbridge Fieldhouse where the Liberty won its previous meeting by two points over the Fever (4-5), which has since been without reigning rookie of the year Caitlin Clark for the past five games sidelined with a quad strain but who might be ready to return against New York.

Clark’s successor Paige Bueckers, the overall No. 1 pick out of UConn, until Wednesday night had missed Dallas’ prior four games in the concussion protocol for three of them and suffering illness a fourth but emerged and showed how much she was chomping at the bit in returning on the road against the Phoenix Mercury.

Bueckers chomped her way for a personal best 35 points shooting 13-19 from the field, 5-7 on attempted threes, with six rebounds but the Wings (1-10) overall were unable to digest Phoenix (7-4), continuing their six-game slide as the Mercury delighted their home crowd of 13,001 in PHX Arena with a 93-80 victory.

In Cup play, the Mercury are now 3-2 while Dallas (0-4) stays winless.

In the other Wednesday game, which was played in the desert in Las Vegas, a crowd of 10,417 in the Michelob ULTRA Arena saw their beloved Aces (4-4) fall 97-89 to visiting Los Angeles (4-7), which was coming off a stunning 89-81 Monday night home loss to the expansion Golden State Valkyries.

The Sparks improved to 2-2 in the Cup race while Las Vegas is now 1-2.

Seattle Ends Minnesota 9-0 Season Start

Free agent acquisition Nneka Ogwumike had 21 points for Seattle with 10 boards while Erica Wheeler had 20 points and six assists.

“It was about us,” Wheeler said of the outcome. “I got to keep saying it’s about us, putting games together for ourselves and that’s a really great team, and for us, executing on things for the past two days because we don’t get to practice (much), so today we were locked in.

“For me, getting back to who I am.”

The Lynx, who led early by 11, had pulled within a point at 85-84 with 1:07 remaining in regulation on Kayla McBride’s 3-pointer but Wheeler erased that with her own make from deep.

The Lynx’s Alana Smith than missed an open inside shot and Wheeler, a product of Rutgers, made two from the line to put the upset into the books.

Skylar Diggins, who played a role in the stretch drive, gave the Storm 18 points on the night with six assists, Ezi Magbegor scored 13 with eight rebounds while Gabby Williams, a former UConn great who played on the silver medalist French olympic squad last summer in Paris, had 12 points, eight boards, seven assists and four steals.

Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier scored 25 with nine boards and five assists, while McBride had 19 points, aided by 5-11 from deep.

“‘Phee is a problem,” Ogwumike said of defending the MVP leading scorer. “In the beginning it was trying to get her off her spots. I didn’t guard her much today, but I thought ‘Ezi and ‘Dom (rookie Dominique Malonga who had eight points and four rebounds) did an amazing job on her.

“She’s just one of those players who’s gonna score so how it happens is the name of the game.”

The Lynx next host L.A. Saturday at 1 p.m. on CBS, which is precluding any appearance here in Knoxville to support inductee and LSU grad Sylvia Fowles, the Olympian who was a contributor in the last decade to Minnesota winning four WNBA titles.

Seattle on Saturday is at Golden State at 8:30 p.m.

Dallas’ Big Night from Rookie Bueckers Spoiled in Phoenix

While Paige Bueckers was doing her WNBA best to help the Wings, who couldn’t fly with the rest of the squad shooting 16-48 for 33% from the field, Dallas was kept on the ground as the Mercury’s Satou Sabally against her former team had 20 points and 10 boards, sister free agent Alyssa Thomas, who had missed time with an injury, had 11 points and 10 helpers.

Kathryn Westbeld and reserve Lexi Held also scored 11 for Phoenix.

Bueckers is the fourth Dallas rookie with 30 points last achieved by Notre Dame standout Arike Ogwumike in 2019. After scoring 26 points with six threes from beyond the arc in Sunday’s loss to Minnesota, she was held to 10 points on 2-10 from the field.

“We’ve seen her do it at UConn for so long,” Thomas praised Bueckers. “She controls the game so well. The sky’s the limit for her.”

Sabally added, “We should have done better for sure, but she’s elite.”

Four from deep highlighted former South Florida star Kitija’s 14 points for Dallas, former Villanova sensation Maddie Siegrist, a third-year pro, back re-slotted as a top reserve as Bueckers returned, was held to three points in 15 minutes,

Luisa Geiselsoder also scored 10 for the Wings while DiJonai Carrington scored 11.

Since Dallas won a winless showdown at Connecticut 109-87 on May 27, their sole victory, the Wings have lost six straight heading to Las Vegas Friday night at 10 p.m. on ION, which will also air Friday’s earlier game Chicago at Atlanta at 7:30 p.m.

Phoenix next is at Las Vegas Sunday at 6 p.m.

Jackson’s Best Leads L.A. Over Las Vegas

Rickea Jackson had a personal best 30 points for Los Angeles while Azura Stevens had 19 points and 10 boards to help the Sparks light the Aces, who were missing All-Star and reigning MVP A’ja Wilson the last 11 minutes, leaving late in the third quarter with a head injury coming from an accidental hit to her face while Dearica Hamby was driving to the hoop.

Jackson, whose previous best game was 25 against Dallas last season, was 11-17 from the field, 4-of-8 from deep, while Hamby had 19 points, eight boards, and seven assists.

Additionally, Kelsey Plum, who came to the Sparks from the Aces last winter, scored 13 with nine assists.

“Everybody played loose and aggressive,” said Los Angeles first-year coach Lynne Roberts. “We really moved the ball. I thought ‘KP really did a good job with that, finding open people.”

Las Vegas’ Jackie Young tied her all-time high with 24 points, including 14 straight in the second quarter, while Chelsea Gray scored 28 hitting the Aces with their second straight loss.

Wilson, before leaving, was just 2-12 from the field, but 9-10 at the line for 13 points.

As mentioned, Las Vegas hosts Dallas Friday while Los Angles is at Minnesota Saturday 1 p.m. on CBS.

The league is dark Thursday.