The New York Liberty head into the last week of regular play prior to WNBA All-Star Weekend — and the subsequent Olympic break — firmly ahead of the pack with the WNBA’s best regular season record, becoming the first team this season to reach 20 wins on Saturday.
With Breanna Stewart briefly sidelined, Sabrina Ionescu led the Liberty to a two-game sweep of the Chicago Sky, topping the score sheet in both games. Ionescu is currently averaging 19.4 points per game, the highest in her career (not including her three-game rookie year).
Aces excel behind WNBA MVP favorite A’ja Wilson
The Aces continued climbing the table behind A’ja Wilson’s record-breaking run, finishing the weekend in third with a record of 16-7. On Sunday, Wilson became the first player in WNBA history to register three consecutive 25-point, 15-rebound performances. With Sunday’s 89-77 victory over the Mystics, Las Vegas has won 10 of their last 11 games following the return of starting point guard Chelsea Gray. The third-place Aces are now nipping at the heels of the Liberty and second-place Connecticut Sun (18-5), with the Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm tied for fourth at 16-8.
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The push for playoff positioning grows fierce
Amidst the looming Olympic break, further down in the WNBA standings, sixth-place Phoenix dropped to 12-12 on a two-game skid, while Indiana won eight of their last 10 games to capture seventh.
Eighth-place Chicago currently holds onto the final playoff spot, with double-double machine Angel Reese boosting the Sky’s stats despite back-to-back losses.
Speaking of double-doubles, Reese’s record-breaking double-double streak came to an end after Saturday’s loss to the Liberty.
A frontrunner for WNBA Rookie of the Year, Reese finished with eight points and 16 rebounds against New York, falling just a couple points short of what would have been her 16th-straight double-double. The LSU grad’s record stands as the longest double-double streak in WNBA history, surpassing previous record-holder Candace Parker by three games.
Next up: WNBA All-Star Weekend
Regular season WNBA play extends through Wednesday, with all eyes turning to the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game this upcoming weekend. The highly anticipated matchup between the US Olympic squad and WNBA All-Stars tips off on Saturday, July 20th in Phoenix.
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