The Guru’s WNBA Report: Streakers Night Both Ways as New York Handed 4th Straight Loss at Last Place Connecticut; Indy Wins 4th Straight; Golden State Takes Third

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

Friday’s WNBA five-game package could be tagged streak night for several winners and losers though a bunch of the teams continuing them would seem to be in the wrong category off how they were performing several weeks.

Exhibit A is none other than the defending champion New York Liberty, who seemed to be about to move in reversal shape from their current road trip woes heading into a pair of weekend games Friday and Sunday up the road at last-place Connecticut.

Though the Liberty had just fallen at first place Minnesota on Wednesday on a day they revealed All-Star Breanna Stewart might not be back until just before the playoffs late this month or early September from a bone bruise injury on her right knee, they felt they had performed better than in Monday’s upset setback at Dallas, they were heading to a rival suffering its worst season since being acquired in 2003 as the former Orlando Miracle and shortly after sunrise officially announced the signing of past WNBA standout and Belgian Emma Meesseman who had resolved her visa situation and would be dressed to play the Sun.

Instead, in casino country, a place New York had not lost since 2022 to a team that had been one of the gold standards, to the delight of a crowd of 8,664 at the Mohegan Sun Arena the long shot Sun (5-21) prevailed 78-62 handing the Liberty (17-10) their longest losing streak, now at four, since that same summer when they suffered stretches of five and seven game skids.

Messeeman, the 2019 Finals MVP with Washington, suited up, but did not play, though coach Sandy Brondello expects her for Sunday’s game at 1 p.m. after having gotten acclimated. And to be fair, the visitors only had eight healthy players with Nyara Sabally (knee) and Kennedy Burke (right calf strain) also sidelined.

New York, which early in the season was off to their best start at 9-0 before injuries occurred, was right with the Lynx (23-5) who they edged in overtime in the decisive Game 5 of the finals in Brooklyn last October for their first WNBA title in their 28-year history.

Now, while still second, they have fallen to 5.5 games behind Minnesota and a half-game in front of Atlanta (17-11), which beat visiting Phoenix 96-72 before a crowd of 3,283 at the Gateway Center in College Park, Ga., in the suburbs.

The Dream have won four of five including stopping Minnesota’s perfect home streak at 14 a week ago and the win over Phoenix (16-11) flipped them into third a half-game ahead of the Mercury, who had gone 9-2 from late June to mid-July and since have gone 1–5.

Indiana (16-12) now has two streaks to discuss after winning at Dallas 88-78 going 4-0 in one of them since hosting the All-Star game and moving to a tie for fifth with Seattle (16-12), which fell at home 108-106 in double overtime to 10th place Los Angeles (12-15) before a crowd of 11,354 at Climate Pledge Arena.

The Sparks bounced back from Tuesday’s home loss to idle Las Vegas (14-13) which ended a five-game win streak and the now 6-1 run has Los Angeles two games behind ‘Vegas and expansion Golden State (14-13) who tied the Aces for seventh and the last two playoff slots after winning at Chicago 73-66 before a crowd of 7,714 at Wintrust Arena for the Valkyries’ third win and four of five.

The Sky (7-20) have lost seven straight since a home upset of Minnesota on July 12 and are now in a statistical 11th place tie with Dallas (8-21), seven games behind the playoff entry point after the Wings’ loss to Indiana following a home upset of New York and buzzer-beating home loss to Atlanta earlier this week.

The Seattle loss and Indiana win enabled the two to tie for fifth at 1.5 behind New York, a game behind Atlanta and a half-game Phoenix.

Idle Washington (13-14) which fell short at the finish at home Thursday to Golden State, sits at ninth one in front of Los Angeles and one behind the Vegas-Valkyries duo heading into Sunday’s game at Atlanta (3 p.m., ESPN3).

Villanova grad Maddie Siegrist, the overall No. 3 draft pick in 2023 who has missed 18 games with Dallas with a right knee fracture, was held out after the team on Thursday said she was ready to return for the second Indiana meeting in Texas this season, which again was moved to the larger NBA Mavericks’ American Airlines Arena.

The reason involves Indiana’s second streak.

Both times the move was to accommodate a match-up between reigning rookie of the year Caitlin Clark, who has raised the WNBA to new highs in attendance and TV viewers, and overall No. 1 pick UConn’s Paige Bueckers, but Clark was still sidelined for her sixth straight game from a groin injury suffered just before the All-Star game.

However, Indiana has now improved to 8-7 without Clark.

The former Iowa star until this season was injury free dating to high school when she had last missed a game.

The contest still drew 17,857, the second largest ever for the Wings whose Bueckers delighted Dallas fans with 22 points, her 12th game reaching 20, and an extended WNBA record 23 double-figure games to launch a pro career.

The first meeting with Indiana in Texas drew a sellout 20,409.

 Chicago, which has second-year pro Angel Reese, the LSU rival of Clark, ran into the same situation as Dallas moving two Indiana games to the NBA Bulls’ United Center but still sold out both times and Reese missed the second contest with back problems.

In all, Clark has now missed 15 games off the earlier quad and first groin injuries plus the Commissioner’s Cup won at Minnesota, the All-Star 3-point skills contest and the game itself of which she was one of the two team captains ahead of the Lynx’s Napheesa Collier as the leading vote getter from the fans.

In Friday’s game, Kelsey Mitchell scored 23 points for Indiana while Aliyah Boston (12 pts., 11 boards) and Natasha Howard (11 pts., 16 rebs.) each had double-doubles.

It was a very physical game, we matched it, knowing that we need to do it all four quarters,” Bueckers said. “(Kelsey Mitchell) is one of the toughest people to guard in the league. Just her quickness…”

Howard’s rebounds tied a career-high and both dealt five assists while recent signee Aari McDonald collected 12 points.

“When we put ourselves in position to win games we got to win them,” Mitchell said. “Any competitor knows that.”

Dallas only got double digits from Bueckers.

Indiana is at Seattle Sunday at 3 p.m. while Dallas is off until Tuesday’s visit to New York at the Barclays Center at 7 p.m. on NBA TV.

Bueckers played there last winter in Brooklyn against Louisville as part of a marquee double header.

“I didn’t think we played particularly well tonight,” Indiana coach Stephanie White said. “But there’s different ways to get wins. That’s going on scoring bursts. Relying on multiple players. Getting stops when needed.”

Connecticut Snaps Series Home Losing Streak Upsetting New York

Marina Mabrey had 18 points,10 boards, and eight assists to lead the Sun, who host the Liberty play again Sunday. Tina Charles added 15 points while reserves Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Leila Lacan each scored 16 points.

Trailing by five after one quarter Connecticut rallied to go up 44-37 at the half in a game the Liberty committed 21 turnovers.

In addition to the short roster the visitors have now played six games in 11 days.

Midway in the fourth New York on another late-game rally got close at 69-62 but then was shut down by the Sun defense the rest if the way.

Sabrina Ionescu scored 23 for the Liberty while Jonquel Jones contributed 14 points.

“We took our foot of the gas a little bit and that gave them some confidence,” Jones said of the swing in the first half. “We gotta take better care of the ball. But we’re down people right now. That’s just the situation we’re in.”

“We’re in a tough stretch right now,” Brondello said. “We get a chance to reflect and review and come back Sunday.”

Burton and Salaun Lead Golden State Over Short-Handed Chicago

Veronica Burton, who played her college ball nearby at Northwestern, scored 18 points while Janelle Salaun scored 16 as the Valkyries continue to regain their mojo following the loss of All-Star Kayla Thornton to a season-ending injury.

Additionally in playing the second of a back-to-back following Thursday’s one-point win at Washington, Iliana Rupert nailed four from deep on the way to 14 points and Carla Leite scored 11. Golden State was 10-of-30 beyond the arc and a near-perfect 15-of-16 at the line.

Chicago’s Elizabeth Williams scored 15 with eight off the glass, second-year pro Kamilla Cardoso off South Carolina’s 2024 unbeaten NCAA champions double doubled with 14 points and 11 boards, while Rachel Banham matched her teammate with 14, and Kia Nurse scored 10.

Reese was back on the sidelines for the Sky with recurring back issues, while Ariel Atkins was out with a leg injury and Hailey Van Lith was suffering with ankle difficulties.

With it all, the Sky still had a chance moving within a point 67-66 with 2:23 left in regulation but then the visitors turned out the lights.

Golden State has other injury problems with Monique Billings dealing with a sprained ankle to be re-evaluated in three weeks while Cecilia Zandalasini also was not in uniform.

“We’re not killers but we have great hearts,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said. “Just to be able to accept a new player the day of the game, but teach her things on the fly, give her confidence, that says a lot about our team identity.”

Chicago hosts Phoenix Sunday at 6 p.m. while at the same time Golden State in a key head-to-head game at the playoff borderline visits Las Vegas who will be playing on the second of a home back-to-back after Saturday’s only game when the Aces host Minnesota at 3 p.m. on ABC and ESPN+.

The way it’s been going for the Lynx they keep going on off days staying way in front of teams unable to close the gap since New York started losing ground moving closer to the pursuers.

Hamby’s Game-Winner Carries L.A. at Seattle in Double Overtime

Dearica Hamby kept Los Angeles from slipping further just outside the playoff fence with a layup with 4.3 seconds remaining in the second overtime to win at Seattle.

Skylar Diggins had a chance to keep it going for the Storm, but a similar contested shot dropped off the rim as time ran out.

Tennessee graduate Rickea Jackson scored 27 for the winning Sparks in the high scoring affair, while Kelsey Plum added 22 points and seven assists, and Hamby and Azura Stevens both collected 21 points, and Hamby completed a double double by grabbing 13 rebounds.

Cameron Brink, who returned to Los Angeles earlier this week after being sidelined since last June of a year ago with an ACL injury in her rookie season, scored seven points, grabbed 4 rebounds, blocked three shots, and swiped a pair of steals in 12 minutes.

 Seattle's Nneka Ogwumike scored 37, one short of her personal best when she was a member of the opposition nine seasons ago, and she also grabbed 12 rebounds.

She became the sixth WNBA player to reach 7000 points in her career.

Diggins scored 18 for the Storm, while Rutgers alum Erica Wheeler had 15, Gabby Williams scored 14 and dealt eight assists. Additionally, Ezi Magbegor had nine points, 11 boards and five blocked shots.

 The wild game had 14 ties and 12 lead changes.

 Jackson tied it at 36 with 4.3 seconds remaining in regulation and Wheeler missed a contested 3 at the buzzer.

Then Diggins knotted it at 99 with 18 seconds left in the first overtime before Plum missed the shot at the buzzer.

“We are able to eliminate distractions on the road,” first year coach Lynne Roberts said of the Sparks success in hostile arenas. “It’s very much a collective one for all, all for one mentality. We understand we’re a some of the parts team.

“And we got great crowds and we’re not playing in an empty arena. We got to fix the home game thing,” she said of the losses in Tinseltown, but this was a great win. It’s a great confidence booster.”

On the other side, “Not being able to capitalize in stops. Shots not falling. Then we’re playing from behind the rest of the way,” Ogwumike said of where things got away from the Storm.

Seattle next as mentioned hosts Indiana Sunday and then the Fever on Tuesday head down the West Coast to Los Angeles in the Sparks’ next game at 10 p.m. on CBSSN.

Gray Fires Seven 3-Pointers to Lead Atlanta Over Phoenix

Allisha Gray scored 26 points fueled by a career-best seven makes from deep in the Dream lopsided win while Naz Hillmon making her first season start had 18 points and nine boards.

Atlanta was hot from the outset shooting 62%, including 8-for-11 from deep, and scoring 34 points. The threes were a team best for any quarter in Dream history.

Brionna Jones added 16 points and eight rebounds to the attack, while Maya Caldwell scored 14.

The Dream won despite the absence of Brittney Griner, listed with a neck injury, and Rhyne Howard off her continuing knee injury before the All-Star break.

Rutgers graduate Kahleah Copper out of North Philly scored 19 for Phoenix, while Alyssa Thomas had 12 points and 10 boards and is now 13th on the league career scoring column with 2,579 points.

Phoenix next is at Chicago Sunday while Atlanta hosts Washington as both mentioned earlier in the post.

No games are scheduled Monday.