The Guru’s WNBA and UPSHOT Reports: Clark Buzzer-beater Carries Indy at Washington; New York Wins 5th Straight

 By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

A game-ending guided missile of the kind that were launched with great frequency during the University of Iowa collegiate career of Caitlin Clark struck near the White House Monday night while the current main occupant was out of town at an NBA Finals game in New York giving Indiana (6-5) a 78-76 victory over Washington (4-6) at the Mystics CareFirst Arena before a crowd of 4,200 at the small venue as the second week of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup intra-conference series got under way.

Indiana was coming out of tough 83-75 loss to the New York Liberty Saturday night before a boisterous crowd of 16,306 in Brooklyn in a game in which the home team was 33-for-40 at the line rallying in the fourth quarter.

The Mystics on Saturday were routed 109-77 by Atlanta (7-3) in front of a crowd of 3,609 at Gateway Center in suburban College Park in a game that saw Washington coach Sydney Johnson escorted by police off the court late in the third period after getting two quick technical fouls.

New York (8-4) meanwhile was up in Connecticut continuing a win streak record of five straight off an 89-80 defeat of the lowly Sun (2-11) at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville.

Monday’s third game saw defending champion Las Vegas (8-3) win 101-91 over Seattle (3-10) before a crowd of 10,261 at home in Michelob ULTRA Arena as reigning MVP A’ja Wilson scored 34 points with 12 rebounds, nine assists, and three blocks.

Wilson passed retired great Diana Taurasi (291) becoming the fast player in the 30-year WNBA history to reach 6,000 points, coming in her 278th game.

The Aces also won at home 84-79 Saturday before 10, 467 producing an 84-79 win over two-year-old Golden State (6-5) as Wilson double-doubled with 28 points and 14 rebounds.

Elsewhere on Saturday Minnesota (9-2) won its seventh straight winning 88-68 before 10,801 at the Target Center in Minneapolis over Seattle.

On Sunday, the two expansion teams played with Toronto (6-5) winning 85-65 over Chicago (4-7) before a Canadian crowd of 8,210 at the Coca Cola Coliseum while Portland (6-7) in Southern California lost 89-72 to Los Angeles (5-6) at the Cryptco.com Arena.

Clark Leads Fever Over Mystics

In a wild finish of multi-lead exchanges in the last minute, Caitlin Clark went back into the game to take the last shot and got the last word taking a cross-court inbound pass from Sophie Cunningham while Washington rookie Cotie McMahon missed an attempted steal and successfully nailed one of her signature logo 3-pointers with 1.2 seconds left in regulation.

In their earlier meeting, Clark had it a similar bomb to force overtime but Washington survived the game in Indianapolis.

On Saturday Indiana lost a 12-point lead existing in the third quarter as New York continued a parade to the line the next period.

In Washington, the Fever blew a 17-point lead until Clark, who has struggled at times, saved the night.

“Sometimes we take great players, and certainly generational talent, for granted,” said Indiana coach Stephanie White. “What she did was incredible for us. She’s going to have many more moments like that. I know she is. And we needed this one tonight.”

Clark finished with 19 points but had limited time being in foul trouble.

Washington’s second-year talented pro Kiki Iriafen had to leave with a sprained ankle.

Down the stretch Shakira Austin’s layup put the Mystics up 74-73 and then Clark missed two foul shots.

But Austin turned it over on the next possession and Clark hit Kelsey Mitchell that put the Fever back in front by one with 11.3 remaining.

Indiana’s Lexi Hull then fouled Washington’s other second-year talent Sonia Citron, who made both from the line.

White then called time snd Clark took care of the rest.

“You better make this,” Clark said of her thought on the game-winner. “ The course I missed my free throws. All those plays are plays we work on after practice, so everybody knows their role, everybody knows what they’re going to do.

“Cotie almost got a fingertip on it,” Clark said. “It kind of worked out perfectly that she went for the steal. Honestly, probably the wide-open open shot I had all night. My hands got a little clammy, but still went in, I guess.”

“Just for Caitlin, very happy to see it go in,” Hull said.

Mitchell finished with 15 for the Fever and Aliyah Boston collected 14 points.

The Mystics’ high scorer with 17 points was Michaela Onyenwere, an assistant last winter at her alma mater UCLA, which won the NCAA national championship.

Jones Honored Before Liberty Beats Sun

Illness prevented Jonquel Jones from playing in New York’s fifth straight win, another without Sabrina Ionescu, who stayed behind but coach Chris DeMarco says is getting closer to resuming her season.

Jones was still a big attraction being one of six former members being honored this season before the Sun moves to Houston next summer under NBA ownership.

The former George Washington star played six seasons before signing with the Liberty in 2023 and came to Connecticut in a draft night deal with Los Angeles.

“They saw me as someone that could come in and really contribute before I ever stepped on the court in the WNBA,“ said Jones, the adopted daughter of Temple coach Diane Richardson. “That means a lot to me. It’s kind of cool to say you’re honored while you’re still playing in the WNBA as well. Definitely new territory. Something I’m looking forward to, something that I’m really excited about.“

The other honorees are Jasmine Thomas, Alyssa Thomas, Tina Charles and coaches Mike Thibault and Curt Miller.

“It was important to us that Jonquel’s legacy be permanently recognized,“ said Sun president Jen Rizzotti. “Raising her number into the rafters is a tribute to one of the greatest players in franchise history and a lasting reminder of everything she has meant to this organization and to our fans.”

Han Xu made her first WNBA start in place of Jones and scored 14 points.

Breanna Stewart, who scored 30 against Indiana, scored 28 for the Liberty with a key offensive rebound with 24.8 seconds left in regulation.

Reserve Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, the former Rutgers star out of Philadelphia, had 11 points.”

Connecticut’s Olivia Nelson-Adoda and Aliyah Edwards each scored 15 points while Saniya Rivers scored 12 and Diamond Miller collected 10.

The Sun were missing two key contributors – Brittney Griner out with a left rib strain, and Aneesah Morrow, sidelined with a left leg strain.

“It took a lot of toughness,” Stewart said. “Especially when you’re playinga team like Connecticut. They’re hungry for a win.”

“I love this team, we’re building together, growing together,” DeMarco said. “It seems like every game, somebody’s out, they’re in, and we’ve just found ways to get wins.”

Aces Deck Storm

Besides Wilson’s big night against Seattle, Jackie Young scored 29 points.

The Storm’s Dominique Malonga scored 19, Natisha Hiedeman scored 17, Awa Fam had 16 points and Flau’jae Johnson scored 13.

Wilson was 10-for-19 from the field with three makes from deep and 11-of-13 on the line.

“Our offense is getting better,” said Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon. “Our defense, we gave up 32 in the fourth quarter, I didn’t like that. I want 40 minutes of defense. We’re still plugging away but I feel people are settling into our offense, which helps our defense. There’s some things we still have to fix.”

Looking Ahead

On Tuesday at 7 p.m., ESPN will air Atlanta at Chicago, while League Pass will televise Dallas at Minnesota at 8 p.m., and at 10 p.m. Phoenix at Golden State.

On Wednesday, League Pass has Connecticut at Toronto at 7 p.m., and USA has Los Angeles at Seattle at 10 p.m.

On Thursday, Amazon Prime has Chicago at Indianapolis at 7 p.m., and Phoenix at Dallas at 9 p.m., while League Pass has New York at Atlanta at 7:30 p.m., and Las Vegas at Phoenix at 10 p.m.

The Friday twin bill on ION and League Pass features Toronto at Washington at 7:30 p.m.  and Golden State at Seattle at 10 p.m.

UPSHOT ACTION – Charlotte Tops Savannah

Catching up to the second of just two games last week in the new four-team UPSHOT League played Saturday, the Charlotte Crown (2-6) beat the visiting Savannah Steel 86-67.

The fourth quarter was the big difference with the winners outscoring the Steel 26-12.

Charlotte’s Schaquilla Nunn, a 5-9 guard from Winthrop out of Davenport, Iowa, had 22 points and 10 rebounds, Louisville grad Asia Durr had 17 points, Ugonne Michelle Onyiah scored 13 with seven boards and Deja Kelly dealt nine assists.

Savannah (4-4) got 27 points from Harvard’s Harmoni Turner, while Tennessee’s Zee Spearman scored 12 and Olivia Cochrane had 11 points and eight boards.

This weekend, the Greensboro Groove (4-3) are at the first place Jacksonville Waves (6-2) Friday night at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m., while Sunday Savannah is back at Charlotte at 2 p.m.

Games can be viewed for free on the league's official Youtube Channel.

The Guru’s WNBA Report: Dallas Goes to 7-3 After Beating Los Angeles; Chicago Halts Slide Beating Connecticut; Phoenix Minus Harris and Copper Nips Expansion Portland

 By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsgurux

Three games featuring mostly likes meeting each other Friday in what was night five of the first week of intra-conference Commissioner’s Cup action resulted in single-digit differentials across the board.

The highlight was Dallas (7-3) continuing to be above the doormat status of last summer with its sixth win in the last seven games – a 104-98 victory at Los Angeles (4-6) before 12,828 at the Crypto.com Arena.

Chicago (4-6) got its first home win before 6,594 at Wintrust Arena snapping an overall five-game losing streak made possible in part that the 85-80 victory came over the visiting Connecticut Sun (2-10).

Phoenix (4-8) won its second straight game after ending a six-game skid, the 78-72 road triumph coming before a Moda Center crowd at expansion Portland (6-6), which is now 0-2 in early June after closing May in its first WNBA season at 4-1.

Wings Defeat Sparks

The rebuilt Dallas attack continues to shine after getting offseason help for reigning rookie of the year Paige Bueckers out of UConn with a new coach in South Florida’s Jose Fernandez, adding Azzi Fudd, her Huskies teammate, as the overall No. 1 pick in April, signing free-agent Jessica Shepard, and keeping Arike Ogunbowale, who six 3-pointers and 30 points against Los Angeles.

Bueckers had 18 points and a personal best 14 assists while Shepard double-doubled with a career-high 22 points and 15 boards with five assists. The assists tied Ogunbowale’s franchise record.

Villanova’s Maddy Siegriest had 10 points in the final period and 16 for the game while Fudd scored 11 and Dallas had  25-plus assists for the fourth time this season bringing the Wings their best 10-game start since relocating from Tulsa in 2016 and before that originated in Detroit.

The Motor City is getting a new WNBA team in 2029 a year after Cleveland returns in 2028 as an expansion unit and before Philadelphia brings the WNBA to 18 teams in 2030.

The win ruined the return of L.A.’s league-leading scorer Kelsey Plum, who missed the three prior games with an ankle injury and scored 27 points while Ariel Atkins collected 16 points.

Additionally, Dearica Hamby scored 15 points, Nneka Ogwumike had 13 points, 10 boards and five assists while reserve Cameron Brink scored 10 off the bench.

“There were some big plays in that fourth quarter,” Fernandez said. “Big deflections, big rebounds, total team effort. Good win. We have to rest up and see who will be available next week.

“Paige is such a great decision maker. We talk at timeouts about things we want to go to. Down the stretch I have total trust in her putting us in position to go to the things we want to go to.”

Off the season start and turnaround, he said, “I don’t think anybody in the country or around the league thought we’d be 7-3 right now. I did. Our staff and locker room did. It’s a credit to we learn from wins and we learn from those three losses, we had leads in the fourth quarter.”

Off the loss, Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said, “It’s ironic, right? Last year, all we talked about was how we’re going to get better defensively, and we have. Now, it’s what’s wrong with the offense, which is the process.

“This will only be our second game where we have our whole roster, and while it’s not an excuse, it is a variable. So that will help. In terms of process, I went to see us play with more pace, and our spacing has to be better,” Roberts continued.

“In the last four minutes, they willed it to happen, and we didn’t. That’s unfortunate, but there are positives to take from it… Offensively, we can build on it. I think we were better (offensively), 25 assists on 36 shots, that’s good. Too many turnovers, especially in that fourth quarter. They just had some really timely… What I call 50-50 plays that could go either way but went their way and they capitalized on it.”

Sky Shine Over Sun

In Chicago’s win Skylar Diggins had 18 of her 24 points in the first half while on the back end Elizabeth Williams made two key shots in the final minute.

Tied following Diggins’ three-point play and the Sun’s Saniya Rivers’ make from deep to answer, Williams scored to make it 82-79 with48.9 left in regulation and her hook score with 14.5 made it a five-point lead.

Diggins then clinched it from the line.

Azura Stevens scored 13 for the Sky with 10 boards and Saint Joseph’s Natasha Cloud had 13 points, while Williams finished with all 10 of her points in the second half.

South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso had 10 points and eight rebounds.

Connecticut’s Diamond Miller and Brittany Griner each scored 16 points while Rivers had 14 points and Aneesah Morrow scored eight and grabbed 17 boards.

“It was one of those quarters, but I was proud of the way we continued to fight back,” Chicago coach Tyler Marsh said of the Sky held to 11 points in the first quarter and then reversing with 32 in the next.

“It feels great,” Diggins said of the win and her changed approach in this one.. “Obviously it’s been a journey the last five games. The crowd’s been amazing. The city keeps showing up and Chicago really loves their sports. “The last few games we went down, I don’t like being down, and I wasn’t aggressive.”

Mercury Douse Fire

Playing without key starters Maryland grad Alyssa Thomas out of Harrisburg due to a left calf injury and Rutgers grad Kahleah Copper out of North Philadelphia due to a left hip condition, Phoenix was still able to handle expansion Portland with DeWanna Bonner getting a season-best 19 points and Natasha Mack scoring 16 points.

The game’s outcome was undetermined most of the night until Jovanna Nogic’s score with 2:46 left in regulation flipped the lead back to the visitors, who held on the rest of the way.

The line was key for the Mercury who was 19-for-22 and in the final three minutes five were 10-of-12 with Bonner perfect at 4-for-4.

Noemie Brochant and Monique Akoa Makami each scored 11 points for Phoenix.

Portland’s Sarah Ashlee Barker scored 15 with seven boards while Karlie Samuelson got off to hot start making her first four attempts from distance to account for most of her13 points.

The Fire, committing 20 turnovers, also got 11 points from Teja Oblak.

“It was a good opportunity for everybody to get some confidence and get some reps in,” Bonner said of missing Thomas and Copper. “Everybody stepped up. I think our bench can match everybody in the league. We just have a lot of great players.”

“We were consistent all night,” said Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts. “One of our goals was try to keep people under 20 points. Everyone who played contributed in a certain way, especially on the defensive end.

“And that’s what it takes. Our two leading scorers are out. We had to guard at a high level. It’s been a tough start. You need this kind of win. We did a great job sharing it as the game went on.”’

Looking Ahead

On Saturday, ABC will air two West games in the afternoon: Seattle at Minnesota at 1 p.m. and Golden State at Las Vegas at 3 p.m. while in the East at night League Pass will air Washington at Atlanta at 6 p.m. followed by CBS and Paramount+ carrying Indiana at New York at 8 p.m.

Sunday League Pass will air Chicago at Toronto at 3 p.m., while NBA TV at 7 will air Portland at Los Angeles.

Week two beginning Monday at 7 p.m. has League Pass airing New York at Connecticut while at the same time NBCSN and Peacock will air Indiana at Washington.

At 10 p.m. USA will telecast Seattle at Las Vegas.

On Tuesday at 7 p.m., ESPN will air Atlanta at Chicago, while League Pass will televise Dallas at Minnesota at 8 p.m., and at 10 p.m. Phoenix at Golden State.

For those new to paying attention to the WNBA, the league standings regarding playoff and seeds are combined without regard to the best teams in the East and West.

The second and last game of this week in the new UPSHOT League airs at 4 p.m. Saturday with Charlotte hosting Savannah on the league’s free YouTube channel.

The Guru’s WNBA Report: Indiana and Clark Edge Atlanta While Miles Sets Rookie 3-Point Mark Propelling Minnesota Over Golden State

 By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsgurux

Just two games Thursday night in the Commissioner’s first week but each had plenty of excitement.

After a week of side drama for Indiana (5-4), beginning with cameras focused on a difference of opinion between superstar Caitlin Clark and coach Stephanie White during a timeout in Portland in a 100-84 blowout loss, followed by a team meeting Monday to get back on course, the Fever came back before a home crowd of 17,002 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis to begin title defense of the Cup with an 83-71 victory over Atlanta (6-3).

Next up, the fabulous Olivia Miles rookie show continued in Minneapolis before a crowd of 9,105 at the Target Center where the collegiate star at Notre Dame and TCU out of Central New Jersey set a WNBA rookie record with eight 3-pointers leading the Lynx (8-2) to a narrow 87-84 triumph over two-year-old Golden State (6-4) for their sixth straight victory.

Fever Down Dream

Back in 1999 before Clark was born, a football movie Any Given Sunday had a scene in which Jamie Foxx as a third-team quarterback is thrust into a key game and vomits during a play.

At halftime Thursday, Clark managed to do likewise before shaking it off and finishing with 17 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as the Fever snapped a two-game losing streak with their best defensive performance of the season.

“I haven’t puked that much in a really long time,” Clarke said afterwards. “But then I felt fine. I felt light. So, I was running around feeling good in the second half but feel OK. Obviously, I’m losing my voice a little bit. But I’ll be good.”

Indiana, tabbed preseason as a title contender with injury-riddled Clark recovered from just a limited 2025 summer, came into the game 13th in the 15-team league in defensive scoring at 89.0 but limited Atlanta to the Fever’s lowest output yield, also the Dream’s lowest offensively.

“I like our activity level,” White said. “Figuratively, of course, we hit first. We were the aggressor. We were active. We were anticipating. They felt us; they felt our energy. Our grit and our toughness was as good as it been all year long.”

Kelsey Mitchell, the former Ohio State great, led the Fever with 25 points and crossed the5,000-point plateau.

“Talent gets us there, but team camaraderie, and just being honest about where we are as a group keeps us there,” she said of Monday’s heart to heart internal conversations.

Indiana upset Atlanta in the first round last season despite missing Clark and a slew of others and nearly clipped eventual champion Las Vegas in the semifinals.

It was the first season meeting between the collegiate rivals Clark of Iowa and LSU’s Angel Reese, traded before opening day from Chicago, and booed all night by the partisan crowd, according to game reports.

Aliyah Boston added 19 points with seven rebounds for the winners while Rhyne Howard at eight and Allisha Gray were held to their lowest scoring totals this season.

“Tough one for us,” said Atlanta coach Karl Smesko, hired last year from a long successful run at Florida Gulf Coast. “We got off to a slow start, offensively. I give Indiana a lot of credit, they were locked in.

“Whenever we made a run, they came back with a big basket. Give them credit.”

Miles Powers Lynx Over Valkyries

Soon after Clark’s victory, her former rookie record was taken over by Minnesota’s Miles, the second overall selection in April’s draft behind UConn’s Azzi Fudd to Dallas.

Miles, the league’s rookie of the month, was 8-for-11 from distance, and 9-for-16 overall for 28 points, her best to date, with seven assists.

Not unbeaten with two losses, but still the Lynx are right where they were this time last season despite still missing MVP runnerup Napheesa Collier from offseason surgery on both ankles.

She had been listed as potentially back sometime this month.

Miles, meanwhile, talked about her start as a pro.

“It’s just a testament to my mindset and my confidence. It’s a lot of inner work to go and believe in yourself and constantly remind yourself that you deserve to be where you’re at. The support that I have here to go out there and hoop and be myself, it just allows me to be comfortable.”

Clark in 2024 as the overall No. 1 on the way to rookie of the year and New York’s Crystal Robinson in 1999 had the previous rookie long distance mark at seven.

Mile’s special 3-point performance ties Kayla McBride for the Lynx overall record while the rookie mark was six, set four times, most recently by retired Hall of Famer Maya Moore in 2011.

The record came after Miles had been 2-of-18 her previous nine games from deep, causing Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve to quip, “… was not on our bingo card but we’ll take it.”

“The last few games, we feel like she’s got opportunities to shoot the ball,” Reeve said. “She’s a good shooter… And so, we had been trending toward her being confident to take shots. Once she saw a couple go down, it felt like she was playing Baylor again, I guess.”

The Bears are a TCU rival in the Big 12 in the NCAA.

In her first ten games, Miles has scored or assisted on 317 points, one behind Dallas’ overall No. 1 Paige Bueckers out of UConn last season.

Clark’s rookie total was 312 in 10 games.

Courtney Williams added 17 points with seven rebounds, McBride had 14 with eight boards, and Natasha Howard had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Golden State, which is one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the league, had14, one more than the hosts, paced by reserve Janelle Salaun with 5-of-8 and 17 overall points while Cecilia Zanadalasini had four deep makes and 18 points, and reserve Tiffany Hayes scored 15 points but Gabby Williams was held to 2-for-10 from the field and five points.

“It came down to a couple of possessions in terms of execution,” said Golden State coach Natalie Nikase of the narrow loss, despite Miles’ big night for the opposition. “Boxing out the last couple, you need those rebounds.

“Giving up 14 offensive rebounds, not part of our game plan. Attention to detail, so give credit to them.”

Looking Ahead

On Friday, ION and League Pass carry all three games; Connecticut at Chicago at 7:30 p.m., and Dallas at Los Angeles and Phoenix at Portland, both at 10 p.m.

League-leading scorer Kelsey Plum, out the last three games with a right ankle sprain, is expected back for Los Angeles, coach Lynne Roberts saying at practice Thursday, “looks great. Hopefully, she can play.

On Saturday, ABC will air two West games in the afternoon: Seattle at Minnesota at 1 p.m. and Golden State at Las Vegas at 3 p.m. while in the East at night League Pass will air Washington at Atlanta at 6 p.m. followed by CBS and Paramount+ carrying Indiana at New York at 8 p.m.

Sunday League Pass will air Chicago at Toronto at 3 p.m., while NBA TV at 7 will air Portland at Los Angeles.

For those new to paying attention to the WNBA, the league standings regarding playoff and seeds are combined without regard to the best teams in the East and West.

UPSHOT AND WNBA AWARDS

The first monthly player award of the new four-team UPSHOT League announced Friday by commissioner and co-founder Donna Orender, the second WNBA president, goes to first-place Jacksonville’s Ariel Hearn, a 2016 Memphis graduate with 17.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists for games in May.

In leading the Waves (5-2) to the top, she shot 43.4% from the field and 35.0% from deep along with 90.0% from the line.

The league’s second and last game this week on Saturday has the Charlotte Crown (1-6) hosting the Savannah Steel (4-3), tied with the Greensboro Groove (4-3), at 4 p.m. on the league’s YouTube channel

In the WNBA, expansion Toronto’s Marina Mabrey (21.0 ppg., 3.5 rpg., and 5.5 apg.) and Dallas’ Jessica Shepard (22.0, 20.0,10.0) were the respective East and West players of the week.

Atlanta’s Allisha Gray (20.4, 4.1, 1.3) and Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson (24.8. 8.1, 2.3) were the respective players of the month in the East and West, while expansion Portland’s Alex Sarma was named coach of the month.

Minnesota’s Miles’ rookie numbers in May were 15.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.9 assists.