The Guru’s WNBA Roundup: Triple Doubles Lead to Minnesota Win at Indy and Phoenix Hosting Golden State While Seattle Improves in Playoff Hunt Winning at Dallas

 By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

Triple-doubles were the features of Friday night’s WNBA triple header in which the tight nine team chase for the seven remaining playoff spots saw no new entries clinched but action in the standings with the outcomes affected the top, the middle, and the bottom, including the idle defending champion New York Liberty in the mix.

At the very high point the first place Minnesota Lynx (29-7) overcame a slow start to snap their only two-game losing streak of the season winning 95-90 at injury-riddled Indiana (19-17) before a Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd of 15,121 in Indianapolis to end a three-game road trip this week that saw defeats at New York (22-14) and Atlanta (23-13) before meeting the Fever on the second night of a back-to-back after Thursday’s loss to the Dream.

The Lynx’s loss Tuesday to New York was the only one in the last of a compacted four-game series with the Liberty who last October edged them at the end of overtime in Decisive Game 5 of the finals for that franchise’s first championship in their 28-year history dating back to the WNBA inaugural summer of 1997.

In the middle of the pack Phoenix (22-14) bounced back from the previous night’s wipeout at red-hot Las Vegas (23-14) to win 81-72 back home against expansion Golden State (18-18) before 10,280 at the PHX Arena.

And down below Seattle (19-18) easily won 95-60 at Dallas (9-28) before a Wings crowd of 6,063 at College Park Center on the campus of Texas-Arlington in the suburbs.

The win coupled with the Golden State loss enabled the Storm to exchange places with the Valkyries, reversing their month’s long plunge from the middle and edge from the last playoff spot to seventh by a half-game as the countdown continues until the end of a record 44-game season on Sept. 11 when the playoff pairings will be set a few days ahead of the four-game first round openers on Sunday, Sept. 14 on ABC and ESPN.

Minnesota, the sole team officially in the postseason at the moment, increased the lead over idle Atlanta to six games reducing the magic number to one for home advantage in the best-of-three first round and two for top seed and overall advantage to the finals, if advancing, which has been expanded by two to a record best-of-seven series.

The Dream are just a half-game up on Las Vegas, which back in June was moving in and out of the playoff cutoff spot.

The Phoenix win moved the Mercury into a fourth-place tie with New York in the upper spot a half-game behind Las Vegas and home-advantage in an opening 4-5 series matchup.

That winner, though, would likely face Minnesota in one of the best-of-five semifinals, providing the impetus to finish higher or not feel terrible about landing a spot lower.

Key injuries have played an unfortunate hand in what would otherwise be a total joy for Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to see this huge amount of qualifying suspense this late in the regular season.

New York, which has a major game Saturday at Atlanta (2 p.m., CBS) needing to beat the Dream after Thursday’s upset home loss to Chicago, started the season with a franchise-best 9-0 run in what was a way-ahead 1-2 race with Minnesota over the rest of the 13-team WNBA.

Then the slide began when Finals MVP Jonquel Jones was lost for a month, and it got worse in late July when All-Star Breanna Stewart became sidelined with a bone bruise in her right knee. There have been other injuries as well.

During Stewart’s absence, she is expected to return by the end of the month, New York became the only one of the current top five to have losses to the eliminated and lottery-bound trio of Chicago (9-26), Dallas (9-28) and Connecticut (8-27).

Minnesota has managed to maintain a 7-3 run, most of it without front-running MVP candidate Napheesa Collier with an ankle injury from which she could be back in the next few games.

The poster child for the league’s medical ward is Indiana, which off Friday’s loss left the Fever in sixth a half-game up on Seattle and just 1.5 on ninth-place Los Angeles at the fence of the playoff cutoff.

Indiana has to face Minnesota again on the road Sunday (7 p.m., CBSSN).

Washington (16-20) is alive in tenth two back of Golden State, but the Mystics will be facing heavy hitters the rest of the way beginning with Saturday’s second of three WNBA games hosting Las Vegas (3 p.m.) and then on Sunday hosting Seattle (3 p.m.).

Indiana with reigning rookie of the year Caitlin Clark was considered a title contender off her transformation of the sport beginning at Iowa boosting the women’s collegiate game’s attraction in attendance and TV ratings which carried over to the WNBA last season.

But after an injury-free career last missing a game in high school, in three separate stints, the current one dating to July 16 after suffering a groin injury in a win over Connecticut in a sellout at the NBA Celtics’ TD Garden in Boston, Clark has not played in 23 of Indiana’s 35 games.

The Fever had managed to stay in the overall hunt, but it got much worse this month losing guards Sydney Colson (ACL) and Aari McDonald (foot) in the same game, and Sophie Cunningham (knee) several games later with season-ending injuries.

Clark is still hopeful of returning but no timeline has been set.

Saturday’s other game has Connecticut at Chicago, which saw second-year pros Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso get double doubles and the Sky finishing with an 8-0 run in the win at New York.

Connecticut had been deep in the basement in its worst season since being acquired from NBA Orlando in 2003, in major part off losing all five starters and 10 of 12 players last winter, but after the Sun’s first 2-0 run that was a sweep of Washington they have a chance to move up among the three lottery-bound teams.

Two more will join that group when the final standings occur, an increase of one off the addition of Golden State to the league and the playoff field still consisting of eight teams.

Sunday’s third game has Golden State at Dallas (4 p.m.).

Games with no network listed in these posts are on the the WNBA’s streaming League Pass site.

McBride and Shepard Lead Minnesota Back to the Winners’ Circle

Falling behind by as many as eight points in the first quarter to a Fever team urgently needing a win for its playoff hopes, the Lynx ultimately rallied with Kayla McBride scoring 29 points and Jessica Shepard gaining the second triple-double in franchise history with 22 points, 11 boards, and 11 assists playing all 40 minutes and shooting 10-11 from the field.

Shepard hit the milestone at the 21:57 elapsed time of the game making it the fastest achieved triple-double in WNBA history.

Seattle’s Skylar Diggins on July 28 had the earlier fastest at 22:51 and Moriah Jefferson had Minnesota’s other triple double.

During the Minnesota visit in New York, veteran coach Cheryl Reeve, the former La Salle star out of South Jersey, said there had been a lot of interest last winter in Shepard, who starred at Nebraska, and referred to her as a prime example of “the trade you don’t make.”

McBride, a past Notre Dame star, was 10-19 from the field and dealt five assists while reserve Natisha Hiedeman, who is headed for the Marquette Hall of Fame, scored 17 in 26 minutes of action.

“Couldn’t take her off the floor,” Reeve said of Shepard’s night. “I think what the group needed and what we don’t have without ‘Phee is a presence and the others needed someone to throw it into. Good scorer, passer rebounder, all of it today was on display.”

Of how the overall game went until Minnesota took control in the third quarter, Reeve noted, “I don’t like how we started the game, basically sleepwalking.

“In the third quarter we were able to do something different, getting stops, locked in.”

Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell, the Ohio State alum who has helped Indiana stay in the playoff race, scored 27 while Lexie Hull collected a career-high 23 points.

The Fever fell behind for good in the third but rallied 10-4 in the final four minutes before coming up short.

Former Temple star Shey Peddy, signed to a hardship deal, hit three straight from deep after entering the game and collected 10 points in 16 minutes.

“Those two runs they had, end of the second, beginning of the third,” Indiana coach Stephanie White said, “Turnovers for scores, part of it. You can’t set your defense with that. Letting players get to their spots. Kayla McBride is one of the most prolific three-point shooters in league history. We had some moments where we had some personnel breakdowns, and it hurts us.

“They’re the best team in the league for a reason and they make you pay when you make mistakes.

“What I don't see on the stat sheet, our players bust their ass. They battle every single game. This Is a special group of women, what they’ve been going through, everything that they’ve continued to overcome, and to put ourselves in position, we could have easily folded in the third quarter when they broke it open, to put ourselves in position to come back and win a ballgame,” White continued.

“No matter what, it happens win or lose, the roots this group is forming culturally, the roots they’re forming in terms of competitive spirit and what it means to compete at this level, those are what allows us to withstand these storms. The numbers tell a story, but their hearts and their character tell another one.”

Clark, who is now out 14 straight with her current injury, was also sidelined when Indiana in an upset on July 1 won the Commissioner’s Cup in Minnesota, a game that doesn’t factor in the regular season.

Thomas’ Triple Double Leads Phoenix Over Golden State

Phoenix shook off Thursday night’s loss and dented Golden State’s drive to be the first expansion team to make the playoffs as Maryland grad Alyssa Thomas out of Harrisburg gained her 17th career triple double with 13 points, 12 boards and tying a career-best 16 assists.

“I think today was a pride game,” Thomas said. “We didn't play the way we wanted to last night. We win games when we share the ball, when we take the easy shots, and when we play together.”

The visiting Valkyries have already set an expansion season record with 18 wins.

Phoenix is alive to finish as high as second or third which would dodge Minnesota in an opening playoff series but also capable of being caught by the pursuers behind the Mercury.

Thomas has six triple doubles on the season, which ties her WNBA record set in 2023.

“Can’t talk about it enough because the national media doesn’t,” Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts said of Thomas’ season. “Her greatness, I think we’re seeing it every single night. Just impressed, her focus, her desire, her want to every single night.

“I'm happy that she got the franchise record … what she does at both ends for us is special.”

This is Thomas’ first season in Phoenix after playing previously for Connecticut in her pro career.

Akoa Makani had 18 points fueled by four makes from distance while DeWanna Bonner equaled the long shot total on the way to 14 points.

The scoring was a turnaround from being held to their lowest total by the Aces as Phoenix swept the season series.

Golden State, which has lost four straight, was led by Janelle Salaun with 15 points, while Veronica Burton scored 11 with eight assists.

The Valkyries are another team impacted by injuries and in the third quarter veteran Tiffany Hayes, who came out of retirement this season, had a nasty collision with North Philly’s Kahleah Copper of the Mercury and left the game.

“She’s smiling. I’ll have to wait until I see what the medical situation is but she said she’s good,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said.

“I thought the game got a little physical, especially with two teams fighting for playoff positions. That’s part of basketball you have to be physical. I just got to do a better job of sustaining that physicality and move on to the next play.”

Golden State gets a break going to Dallas Sunday while Phoenix next is at Los Angeles Tuesday the same night Indiana hosts Seattle, the only two games on the books.

Malonga Stars in Seattle Rout of Dallas

French rookie Dominique Malonga, the number two overall pick in the draft, scored 22 with nine rebounds as the Storm beat the host Wings before a crowd of 6,063 at College Park Center in suburban Arlington to move a little bit away from the wrong side of the playoff cutoff in what is looking like a four-team race below for three spots unless Washington also becomes an added threat.

Seattle visits the Mystics Sunday.

“The group understands the sense of urgency we have to have,” Seattle coach Noelle Quinn said. “But it's also about how we're playing. We have to make sure we're executing and playing the right way. This stretch, we've had a lot of good production from a lot of places.”

Malonga has been the top player off the bench in the WNBA with four games of 15+ points and five boards.

“ I just feel the trust of my teammates and it shows on the court, and I just go out there and give one hundred percent,” Malonga said.  “I just do simple things like roll hard and run the floor, do the easy things that I'm good with, I think I'm more physical and I'm more powerful down there in the paint.”

Tiffany Mitchell was also in double figures off the bench, scoring 11 points and reserve Erica Wheeler, a Rutgers grad, scored 17 in a game no Seattle starter scored in double digits.

“The first group started off really well, and that set the tone for the game,” Wheeler said. “I think the biggest thing is being able to be consistent. If ‘Dom’ scores 22 points off the bench every night until the season ends, you'll see us in October. Being efficient in all of that is helping us in the long run, and you're seeing it.”

Some other milestones saw Ezi Magbegor grab her 1,200th career rebound, fourth best in Seattle history, while Nneka Ogwumike had her 200th multi-steal game, fourth best in the WNBA behind Tamika Catchings, Ticha Penicheiro and Sue Bird.

Overall No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers was coming off her rookie-tying 44-point night for Dallas in Sednesday’s one-point loss at Los Angeles in a game she also set an overall record scoring 40+ while shooting 80% from the field but Friday was held to just 11 — all in the first half.

Villanova all-time scorer Maddy Siegrist, overall, third pick in the 2023 draft, led the Wings with 12 points, the two former Big East stars – Bueckers out of champion UConn – the only Dallas players in double figures.

“ It started with our attention to detail with Paige,” Quinn said. “I thought ‘Slim’ (Brittney Sykes) was very physical and stayed in her space. We were very aggressive, we showed multiple bodies and made her hesitant to use the ball screen a little bit.

“When you guard a player like Paige, it's not just relying on our guards or whoever has the main match-up. It becomes a team picture understanding the rotations on and off the ball.”