The Guru’s WNBA Roundup: Atlanta Completes Sweep of L.A. While Indiana Tops Chicago and New York Rallies on Seattle

 By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

Life on the cliffs of elimination from qualifying for the WNBA playoffs continued Friday night in a triple header that saw 10th-place Los Angeles (19-22) end up being swept 2-0 on the road over the last three days, this one a 104-85 victory before a crowd of 3,314 at Gateway Center in suburban College Park, Ga., that again enabled the Dream (28-14) to break out again of a three-way tie for second and left the idle duo of Las Vegas (27-14) and Phoenix tied for third.

Seventh-place Indiana (22-20), a day after announcing reigning rookie of the year Caitlin Clark was not going to be able to come back from a groin pull that has left her sidelined since July 15, went out won at home 97-77 over 11th-place Chicago (10-31) before a Gainbridge Fieldhouse crowd of 16,012 in Indianapolis.

That result reduced the Fever playoff prospects to a magic number of one, which can immediately be translated to a clinch Sunday at 10th place Washington (3 p.m., NBA TV), which has been eliminated, as has 11th place Connecticut (10-31), 11th Chicago (10-31), which is tied with the Sun and 13th-place Dallas (9-33), which is at the end of the line.

Like defending champion New York (25-17), which backed in earlier in the week with a loss at expansion Golden State (23-18), Indiana can turn on the taillights and do likewise if Los Angeles loses Sunday to visiting Dallas at 6 p.m. on NBA-TV.

In Friday’s third game, New York snapped a two-game loss on the three-game road trip by rallying to an 84-76 triumph at eighth-place Seattle (22-21) before a crowd of 12,500 at Climate Pledge Srena.

The win puts New York in fifth at 2.5 games behind Phoenix and 1.5 in front of Golden State, which is 1.5 in front of seventh place Indiana.

The Fever are 0.5 in front of Seattle, which after the loss to the Liberty sit two games ahead of ninth place Los Angeles.

On Saturday Phoenix is at Connecticut at 1 p.m., while Minnesota is at Golden State at 8:30 p.m.

On Sunday, besides Indiana at Washington at 3 p.m. on NBA TV and Dallas at Los Angeles at 6 p.m. on NBA TV, Chicago is at Las Vegas, on a 13-game win streak, at 9 p.m. on NBA TV.

The record 44-game regular season ends Thursday, Sept. 11, when the pairings will be set with the postseason getting under way three days later on Sept. 11 on Sunday all four first round games begin on either ABC or ESPN.

The best-of-three first round is under a revised 1-1-1 format.

Indiana Led by Mitchell and Howard Over Chicago.

Kelsey Mitchell scored 20 while Natasha Howard scored 18 in a game that way back featured another duel between Caitlin and Clark of the host Fever and Angel Reese that did not occur due to Clark’s long streak sidelined since July 15 with the groin pull while Reese was under an automatic one game suspension due to her eighth technical foul on the season.

Furthermore, the Sky announced Reese would miss the first half of the following contest for comments detrimental to the team. Earlier in the last week in a local newspaper interview Reese criticized Chicago’s performance and she hinted she was ready to move on unless the Sky began to start winning games.

She then apologized for criticizing her teammates saying the report was misconstrued.

Indiana swept the five-game series as Odyssey Sims added 13 points Aliyah Boston scored 11 for the Fever.

Chicago’s second-year pro Kamilla Cardoso out of South Carolina and Michaela Onyenwere out of UCLA each scored 18 points while Elizabeth Williams had 13 points with 11 boards and Ariel Atkins scored 10 points.

The Fever roared to a 31-15 in the first quarter and took advantage of 24 Sky turnovers to mine 24 points.

Atlanta Douses Sparks

Rhyne Howard equaled a WNBA record with nine three-pointers to account for all 27 points while Atlanta tied the team record with 19 that New York set twice earlier this season and the Dream joined Phoenix having clinched home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Las Vegas has the overall team 3-point completion mark with 23 in the playoffs.

Howard is the first to score nine from from beyond the arc twice, which she has achieved this season, sharing the achievement in WNBA history with Kelsey Mitchell (2019) of Indiana, Jewell Loyd (2023) and Arike Ogunbowale (2024) of Dallas.

Maya Caldwell of the Dream fired five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points, while Brionna Jones scored 12. Percentage wise, Howard was 9-17 on three-point attempts, Caldwell was 5-7 and Atlanta as a team was 19-39.

Los Angeles’ Dearica Hamby scored 26 points, shooting 11-15 from the field, while Kelsey Plum scored 20 and Rickea Jackson scored 17.

In the 3-for-2 race at the bottom to make the playoffs Indiana and Seattle both have easier schedules.

The visitors pulled even at 64 midways through the third period and then Atlanta reeled off a 13-0 run to regain control.

New York Rally Foils Seattle Bid for the Moment to Clinch the Playoffs

Breanna Stewart came to life with 13 of her 24 points in the final period while Leonie Fiebich equaled her personal best with 21 points for the visiting Liberty.

New York had lost five straight road games but ended the skid with additional help from Kennedy Burke with 13 points.

Seattle’s Nneka Ogwumike scored 20 while Skylar Diggins added 14 and is in the same situation as Indiana needing one win or loss by Los Angeles to continue to the post season.

New York owned the second half 45-29 but first went ahead on Burke’s shot at the outset of the fourth quarter.

Seattle was within a bucket of the lead 74-72 with 3:22 left in regulation but couldn’t overcome the Liberty in the closing minutes.

Stewart outscored Seattle from the line going 13-14 while the Storm were 12-15.

In the first half, Seattle scored 31 in the second quarter to go up 47-39 at the break.

New York hosts Washington Tuesday while Seattle the same day plays its regular season final greeting Golden State.