The Guru’s WNBA Roundup: New York Subdues ‘Vegas at Finish While Washington Snaps Two-Game Losing Streak; Clark and Collier Draft All-Star Rosters

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

After a 9-0 start, the best in franchise history, the defending WNBA champion New York Liberty, racked by injuries, most notably Finals MVP Jonquel Jones, plus a brief departure by Leonie Fiebich, one of a clump of international players who recently took a stateside timeout to go overseas and play for their home nations in a key tourney in Europe, went 3-6 and dropped from the top to third place, 4.5 games behind first-place Minnesota (17-2).

In one of two games in the league that were played Tuesday night, however, New York (13-6) broke away from the team it’s controlled vigorously since falling to Las Vegas in the 2023 Finals beating the Aces 87-78 at home in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center before a near sellout crowd of 15,041.

Las Vegas (9-10), which fell to an eighth-place tie with Washington (9-10), winner of Tuesday’s other game at the finish 81-79 over visiting Chicago (5-13), has its own injury concern after reigning MVP A’ja Wilson suffered a right wrist injury off a hard fall midway through the second quarter and was out of action the rest of the way though reappearing in the third quarter on the bench with her wrist wrapped.

The masses in the house included the Saint Joseph’s women’s squad from Philadelphia who bussed up to see one of their own on the Liberty but ended up suffering the same fate as the fans of Indiana’s Caitlin Clark in ten games this season.

Natasha Cloud, a native of Broomall who landed with New York via offseason trade with Connecticut after being with Washington and Phoenix and has been a spark, was sidelined with a left hip injury suffered in Sunday’s home loss to Seattle.

Isabelle Harrison has also been out for New York with an ankle injury.

The Hawks, though, did get to engage in some hanging out postgame for photos with Cloud, one of their all-timers, after the Liberty were led by Sabrina Ionescu scoring 28 points to move into a second-place tie with idle Phoenix (13-6) but in the 3-seed slot in the playoff race off losing  twice to the Mercury.

Clark, the overall No.1 pick out of Iowa and rookie of the year last season, has missed five straight games due to a groin injury and five earlier to a quad mishap, but is due to return Wednesday when Indiana (9-9) hosts expansion Golden State (9-9), both teams tied for sixth, at noon on NBA TV at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

After beating New York to claim back-to-back titles in 2023, the Aces fell to the Liberty in last season’s semifinals and in this season’s opener in Brooklyn 92-78 on May 17.

Tied at 72 in the fourth quarter Ionescu keyed an 8-0 run and also finished with eight assists and eight boards.

The Aces failed to score a basket the final 5:41and New York widened its lead making foul shots.

Jackie Young scored 19 for Las Vegas, while NaLyssa Smith and Chelsea Gray each scored 11 points.

New York is off until hosting Atlanta Sunday at 3 p.m. while Las Vegas visits Washington Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Washington Nips Chicago

The Mystics on Tuesday moved from their smaller arena in Southeast Washington for their camp game at George Mason University’s EagleBank Arena in suburban Fairfax, Va., before a crowd of 9,350 and won it as Shakira Austin snapped a tie with two foul shots with 2.8 seconds left in regulation and finished with 15 points.

Austin missed two from the line with 31.8 seconds remaining but keptthe possession alive with an offensive rebound to put Washington up 79-77 before Chicago second-year pro Angel Reese tied it with 14.9 remaining.

Austin got fouled on a drive to the basket and then scored the game winners at the line.

Chicago’s Rachel Banham then missed a half-court attempt as time expired.

Washington’s Sonia Citron scored 13 points, eight coming in the final period, while Kiki Iriafen had a double-double 11 points and 10 boards, her sixth, to tie the Mystics’ rookie mark set by Chamique Holdsclaw.

Citron and Iriafen will be joined by Dallas’ Paige Bueckers as three league newcomers in the All-Star game at Indiana on June 19 on ABC, ESPN+, and Disney+ at 8:30 p.m.

Brittney Sykes scored 11 for the Mystics.

Chicago’s Reese had 22 points and 15 boards extending her WNBA record with six straight games of 15 +rebounds.

Reese, from nearby Baltimore and out of LSU, has six straight double-doubles.

Elizabeth Williams scored 20 for the Sky, while Banham scored13 and Ariel Atkins had 11 against her former team.

Wednesday’s other games have Seattle (12-7) with a chance to go ahead of Atlanta to sole possession of fourth when the Storm at 11 a.m. visits last-place Connecticut (2-16), which has lost 10 straight; Phoenix can go back in front of New York hosting Minnesota at 3:30 p.m., while Chicago on a back-to back goes home hosting Dallas (6-14) at 8 p.m.

All-Star Teams Set

Prior to the New York game, ESPN aired the All-Star draft as starters and team captains Clark and Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier filled their rosters from a pool of eight other starters, four each; and 12 reserves, six each.

Clark, who will be in her home arena, chose Fever teammates Aliyah Boston and reserve Kelsey Mitchell along with New York’s Sabrina Ionescu, Las Vegas’ Wilson and Phoenix’s Satou Sabally.

Besides Mitchell, Clark’s other substitutes are Seattle’s Gabby Williams, Washington rookies Citron and Iriafen; Las Vegas’ Young, and Golden State’s Kayla Thornton.

Collier’s starters are New York’s Breanna Stewart, her formerUConn and USA teammate as well as co-founder of the winter Unrivaled League; Atlanta’s Allisha Gray, Seattle’s Nneka Ogwumike and Dallas rookie Bueckers.

The reserves are Minnesota teammate Courtney Williams, Seattle’s Skylar Diggins, Chicago’s Reese, Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas, Los Angeles’ Kelsey Plum, and Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard.

No player trades were made but the coaches were dealt giving Minnesota’s Cheryl Reeve, the former La Salle star from South Jersey, the chance to coach two of her players on the Collier team and New York’s Sandy Brondello to coach Ionescu on the Clark team.

They had the two best records on deadline day last Friday but since Clark was the top vote getter, Reeve with the best record was slotted to that side.

Prior to the game itself, the night before on Friday at 8 p.m., ESPN will air the 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge.