By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru
NEW YORK — When the New York Liberty beat the defending WNBA champion Ls Vegas Aces at the end of June for the Commissioner’s Cup title, their second win in two weeks, it was huge because it helped turned things around for a team that had plunged from playoff champion contender to scuffling in the 7th-8th standings spot, the border positions that are the differences of making the postseason or lottery bound in the next draft.
But under the event’s creation, that game doesn’t count in the standings, though the designated intra-conference games that determine who plays for the Commissioner’s Cup title besides who is the host team all are official season contests.
This is brought up in the wake of New York’s 111-71 victory before 17,082 at the Liberty’s Barclay Center Sunday afternoon over the Aces (22-11), part of the league’s Rivalry Week designated matchups.
It was also a day New York (20-13) declared the theme as a legends’ game honoring the greats in the franchise’s 30 years of existence dating to the WNBA’s inaugural summer of 1997.
One of those legends also happened to be Aces coach Becky Hammon, who became one of the league’s top players in history after making the roster as an undrafted player out of Colorado State.
Aces fans, however, Sunday’s meeting should be the game not counting in the long-range scheme of things considering Hammon decided to rest the biggest weapons on her squad, reigning and four-time MVP A’ja Wilson, who is in the hunt for another, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young.
Hammon made the move mindful of health and safety of her stalwarts, based on a schedule that became horrific back-to-back 48-hour set of road contests, the first at 1st place Minnesota (26-7), won by the host Lynx Saturday afternoon before a Target Center crowd of 14,101 in Minneapolis that made them the first of eight who will participate in this year’s playoffs.
In that contest, coach Cheryl Reeve’s team tacked on another of thriving after missing most of the early half of the season without perennial MVP and defensive player of the year candidate Napheesa Collier, rehabbing from double ankle surgeries last winter, but who has recently returned without missing a beat.
That’s due to the play of newcomer Olivia Miles, the second overall pick in April’s draft behind Dallas taking UConn’s Azzi Fudd a year after the the Wings made the Huskies’ Pagie Bueckers the top choice and who became rookie of the year.
Miles is her likely successor and on Saturday added another signature performance with 26 points with Collier scored 22, and Natasha Howard scored 17 with nine boards and six assists.
Young scored 23 for Las Vegas and Wilson had 16 points and eight boards.
Though Minnesota proclaimed earning a playoff key, the WNBA said not so fast, citing the existence of several tiebreakers.
The Lynx quickly said no problem and quickly came back in their own back-to-back, both at home, the second before 14,421 in the Target Center Sunday afternoon watching Minnesota top Dallas 103-90, the Wings (19-14) falling to eighth in an ongoing slump that still has them inside the playoff loop a game behind New York and 5.5 ahead of expansion Portland (13-19).
On Sunday, Minnesota’s Kayla McBride set a WNBA record scoring 10 three-pointers as part of a career-high 43 points while as a team the Lynx set a franchise record for long distance makes at 18.
The Lynx have won 12-of-13 though in that run was parted from a 10-game win streak at home earlier in the week on Thursday in a stunning 89-82 home loss to Los Angeles (12-19), who on Sunday night went back into the loss column as visiting second-year Golden State (23-9) turned in an 84-78 win at Cyrpto.com Arena before 15,739 as the Valkyries (23-9) managed to blow most of a 19-point lead before holding on for the win.
Cecilia Zandalski led Golden State with 15 points off a perfect 5-for-5 from deep while Tiffany Hayes scored 14 points. Gabby Williams and Kayla Thornton each scored 11 points.
The Sparks were led by Nneka Ogunmike with 16 points, while Derica Hamby scored 13 and Kiana Williams scored 10.
It’s hard to believe that Golden State could improve that quick that was an impressive start as a franchise last year setting records for most wins as an expansion outfit and qualifying for the playoffs in their season debut.
This one was on the road but Golden State has sold out every home game played to date across the Valkyries’ two seasons in the Chase Center in San Francisco.
The Valkyries have won four straight and since June 24 they are a WNBA-best 13-2.
Sunday’s other game saw Washington (19-12) win its seventh straight, led by Shakira Austin with 19 points and 11 rebounds, and second-year pro Sonia Citron with 19 points fueled by 7-of-9 from the field, including 5-of-6 from deep with six assists in a 95-75 victory over Phoenix (12-22).
Michaela Onyenwere and Cotie McMahon, the No. 11 pick in April’s draaft, each scored 13 for the Mystics, while Kiki Iriafen had 12 points and nine rebounds.
Phoenix, which acquired Kelsey Plum from Los Angeles just ahead of the trade deadline last weekend, have lost three straight and four of five.
The visiting Mercury before a crowd of 4,200 at the small CareFirst Arena in the nation’s capital were led by Rutgers grad an North Philadelphia native Kahleah Copper with with 15 points and Noemie Brochant added 13. Alyssa Thomas had 10 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists.
On Saturday, Washington claimed New York’s Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, a former Rutgers star out of Clayton, Del., whose mother is former Cheyney star Yolanda Laney, on waivers from New York.
New York coach Chris DeMarco, aware his team was going to face a shortened roster devoid of its superstars on Sunday, said beforehand that was not a reason to take the Aces’ lightly.
The Liberties’ Marine Johannes scored a personal best 27 points propelled by seven 3-pointers.
Breanna Stewart scored 14 for the Liberty, Jonquel Jones had 15 points and eight boards, Rebecca Allen scored 13, while off the bench Han Xu scored 14, and Rebecca Gardner scored 11 with seven boards.
The absence of the Aces’ daunted trio accounted for 57 points per game and only got eight from replacement starters Brianna Turner, Dana Evans and Jewell Loyd.
After its June slide, New York is now on a four-game win streak and seven triumphs in its last eight.
Ta’Niya Latson scored 20 for the Aces, while Mai Yamamoto scored 16.
Asked afterwards in which the reporter said was one of two questions leading with the playoffs, reference that the game could be a first-round preview, Stewart responded, “We’re so far away, we’re not talking about the playoffs, let’s just talk about this game.
“Listen, it’s a mess,” she referenced the congestiveness of the playoffs, New York only a game behind Las Vegas. “But we’re going to continue to control what we can control.
“Really, happy with start to finish how we handled this game. Now, we have a big week ahead.”
On facing a short-handed Las Vegas team, first-year coach Chris DeMarco said, “Listen, they had a quick turnaround. Obviously, player safety comes first. I don’t know what their schedule looks like in terms of practices.
“They decided to rest them. It’s a dangerous game for us. More players looking for opportunities (from the Aces) so, we just wanted to keep our aggression and just keeping our brand of basketball.”
Said Johannes’ “They were missing players, so we had to stay focused. We had to stay ready.”
Of her decision on the roster, Hammon said, “My players’ health is the most important. “You got to be healthy and fresh as much as possible, obviously, after going through a season. So, the health and safety of players come first. Where we end up (in the standings) we end up.”
All three are part of the USA World Cup team, who play for the World Championships next month, as the WNBA takes a two-week break near the back end of the regular season schedule.
The 40-point loss was the second largest in franchise history.
“I’m not going to put them in any kind of jeopardy to get hurt when we’ve been expending a lot of energy on travel and a lot of miles back and forth crisscrossing the country.”
Sunday was the last of a five-game road trip.
“I mean, everybody has a brutal schedule at some point. I don’t even think they do this in the NBA, though, when it’s less than 24 hours. “With the time change it ends up being that.”
Jones expressed understanding on the Aces’ needs but also disappointment that a true test was unable to be provided.
“As competitors, we really wanted to match up against them.”
On Thursday, the Aces’ Gray in what became a key win at Indiana hit a three at the buzzer to force overtime and then a three at the end of overtime to complete a comeback in an 86-84 win in Indianapolis.
That made her the first in the WNBA to have both extending to overtime and then game-winning shots both at the buzzer.
Indiana (20-12) bounced back on Saturday winning 90-86, in a game in which Kelsey Mitchell of the Fever scored 27 to let a league mark in the regular season with 16 20-plus scoring consecutive games.
Caitlin Clark had 26 points for the Fever with 11 assists.
Clark during the game inadvertently banged into an official causing an eighth technical, which would mean suspension from Tuesday’s visit from New York.
But the WNBA quickly rescinded that penalty afterwards.
In the game in the first quarter, DiJonai Carrington of the host Sky was ejected on a Flagrant 2 foul on Sophie Cunningham and soon thereafter on social media posted the words “White Prvilege.”
When Minnesota lost to Los Angeles, Lynx coach Reeve held every player accountable in terms of bad performances.
The ensuing two games was an upbeat attitude.
After Sunday’s game, she said of McBride, “She’s a pro’s pro. You have a back-to-back. Quick turn around. You can’t make excuses. You have to show up for your team.
“The incredible thing about ‘Mac. First of all, she’s an all-WNBA player. She’s an All-Star. Chased Paige around while scoring 43.
“Really incredible to pass (former Lynx star) Seimone Augustus. Lot of points. Lot of buckets. 6,010. That’s a lot of damn points.
“For her to do this at home. Way for the crowd to show their appreciation. They’re like that for her all the time.”
In Washington’s win, the first seventh straight since the Mystics’ title season in 2019, coming after an early expectation from pundits of not making the playoffs because of the youthful roster, coach Sydney Johnson said on Sunday, “Growth. Awareness. Reading the game much better kind of knowing what’s coming, being able to make the right play.
“As a team we can't keep giving the ball away and expect to win. So that’s what it is, getting those game reps,” he said of the team’s improvement.
The standings picture now shows Minnesota with a three-game lead on Golden State, 4.5 on Las Vegas, which is 1.5 in front of fourth-place Indiana, which is a half-game in front of Washington, Atlanta, and New York, which is a game in front of eighth-place Dallas.
Seattle in last became the first team eliminated from the league race.
Connecticut, in 14th place, is a tragic number of three to be sent to the lottery, while expansion Toronto is at two away for likewise to happen.
Dallas’ magic number over Portland, in 10th, is six, over L.A. is in 10th, Chicago a half-game behind the Sparks and Phoenix is a tragic number of four.
Besides those already mentioned, the rest of the USA FIBA roster consists of Stewart, Indiana’s Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark, Dallas’ Bueckers, Minnesota’s Collier, Atlanta’s Angel Reese and Rhyne Howard, Phoenix’s Kelsey Plum, and Phoenix’s Kahleah Copper.
Duke coach Kara Lawson is in charge through the Olympic cycle and is assisted by Golden State coach Natalie Nakase, Phoenix’s Tibbetts, and Indiana’s Stephanie White, while Dallas’ Jose Fernandez and Duke assistant Tia Jackson will serve as scout coaches.
Sue Bird made the selections with USA board approval.
Looking Ahead
On Monday, Atlanta hosts Toronto at 8 p.m. on NBCSN and Peacock, while Seattle hosts Toronto at 10 p.m. on USA.
Tuesday has New York at Indiana at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN, while at 10 p.m. Washington is at Las Vegas on League Pass, and at the same time Phoenix is at Los Angeles on NBA TV.
Wednesday’s card has Toronto at Dallas at 8 p.m. on USA, and at 10 p.m., Chicago is at Golden State on CNBC and USA, and Minnesota is at Portland on League Pass.
On Thursday, at 7 p.m. Atlanta is at Connecticut on League Pass, at 7 p.m., Los Angeles is at New York st 8 p.m. on Amazon Prime, which at 10 p.m. has Washington’s second game of the week at Las Vegas.
Dallas on Friday at 7:30 p.m. is at Indiana, and at 10 p.m., Portland is at Seattle, both on ION.
New York is at Connecticut at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Los Angeles is at Washington at 7:30 p.m., and Minnesota at 8 p.m. is at Las Vegas, the first two on League Pass, the latter on CBS and Paramount+.
The week wraps up Sunday at 5 p.m., Chicago at Seattle on League Pass, the same time Indiana is at Atlanta on Disney+ and ESPN, which also airs Portland at Phoenix at 7 p.m.
