WNBA: Lynx and Mercury fight for the lead before the All-Star game

WNBA: Week Analysis and Minnesota Lynx’s Dominance

The Minnesota Lynx team has maintained its leading position in the WNBA rankings since the start of the season in May. However, this week they were closer to losing their spot.

Although Minnesota remains comfortably at the top of the WNBA standings, the weekly team analysis reveals that the Lynx needed a 91-78 victory over the Chicago Sky on Monday to secure their position. This result completed a week with a 2-2 record, narrowly surpassing the Phoenix Mercury, who inflicted one of their defeats on the Lynx.

Phoenix defeated the Lynx 79-71 last Wednesday and then achieved a close victory of 78-77 against Golden State on Monday. Next week could bring significant changes, especially with Wednesday’s matchup in Minneapolis between the Mercury and the Lynx, the last game for both teams before the All-Star break. Phoenix will seek to give Minnesota its first home loss of the season, excluding the Lynx’s loss in the Commissioner’s Cup against the Indiana Fever on July 1. In the standings, Minnesota leads with an 11-0 home record and a three-game lead over Phoenix. The Minnesota team is aware of the vulnerability that Indiana showed at the Target Center and will seek to prevent that from happening again, keeping the Mercury in second place.

Minnesota Lynx (19-4)

Previous ranking: 1

Next seven days: vs. PHO (July 16)Minnesota’s losses to Phoenix and Chicago showed different challenges. Offensively, the Lynx didn’t measure up against the Mercury, and their defense wasn’t as solid against the Sky in an 87-81 loss on Saturday. However, they bounced back with wins, beating Los Angeles 91-82 after losing to Phoenix, and controlling the game better in the rematch against Chicago on Monday. The outstanding player Napheesa Collier continued her excellent performance in free throws, going 11 of 11 on Monday and an impressive 95.4% (104 of 109) for the season. In addition, she scored four three-pointers, a personal record.

Phoenix Mercury (15-6)

Previous ranking: 2

Next seven days: @ MIN (July 16)

DeWanna Bonner’s incorporation into the Mercury has been a success, with 7 points and 6 rebounds in the victory against the Lynx, and leading the team with 22 points and 11 rebounds against Golden State on Monday. The prospect of a complete team with the return of Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper is promising.

New York Liberty (14-6)

Previous ranking: 4

Next seven days: vs. IND (July 16)

The current champions achieved significant victories, defeating the Aces 87-78 and overcoming a 19-point deficit to beat the Dream 79-72. The defense shown in the comeback against the Dream was a positive point, as was the performance of Leonie Fiebich, who scored 36 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 assists in both games.

Indiana Fever (11-10)

Previous ranking: 7

Next seven days: @ CON (July 15), @ NY (July 16)

After an 80-61 loss to Golden State, the Fever’s offense showed its best version, defeating the Dream (99-82) and the Wings (102-83). Kelsey Mitchell scored a total of 45 points and Caitlin Clark dished out a combined 22 assists. The Fever will look to maintain momentum in the upcoming East Coast games before hosting the All-Star Game on Saturday.

Washington Mystics (11-10)

Previous ranking: 9

Next seven days: @ LA (July 15)

The Mystics had a successful week with their second three-game winning streak of the season. All games were close, with wins over Chicago and Las Vegas by two points, and over Seattle by five. Brittney Sykes scored 48 points in the wins, while rookie Kiki Iriafen continued to excel in rebounds.

Atlanta Dream (12-7)

Previous ranking: 3

Next seven days: @ CHI (July 16)

The Dream are going through a difficult time, with five losses in their last seven games, including losses against Indiana and New York. In addition, Rhyne Howard, second in scoring and assists for the team, will miss the rest of July due to a knee injury. A positive aspect is the performance of Jordin Canada, who averages 17.2 points and 7.2 assists in her last five games.

Golden State Valkyries (10-11)

Previous ranking: 6

Next seven days: @ SEA (July 16)

The Valkyries were close to a perfect week, but they lost two games by a single point. Despite this, they have proven to be competitive against any team in the league.

Seattle Storm (13-9)

Previous ranking: 5

Next seven days: vs. GS (July 16)

The Storm’s performance remains inconsistent. They lost against Connecticut, beat the Sun at home, and then lost against Washington. The addition of Tiffany Mitchell has been a boost for the team.

Las Vegas Aces (10-11)

Previous ranking: 8

Next seven days: @ DAL (July 16)

A’ja Wilson, Aces star, injured her wrist, but returned to score 34 points and 16 rebounds in the victory against Golden State. Jackie Young also had a great performance.

Chicago Sky (7-14)

Previous ranking: 11

Next seven days: vs. ATL (July 16)

Chicago had a mixed week, with wins over Dallas and Minnesota, and losses to Washington and Minnesota. Ariel Atkins’ injury could affect the team.

Los Angeles Sparks (7-14)

Previous ranking: 12

Next seven days: vs. WAS (July 15)

The Sparks have yet to achieve two consecutive victories, but the good performance of Kelsey Plum, Dearica Hamby, and Azura Stevens has been positive for the team.

Dallas Wings (6-16)

Previous ranking: 10

Next seven days: vs. LV (July 16)

Dallas suffered defeats against Chicago and Indiana. Arike Ogunbowale’s return from injury was not enough, and Teaira McCowan doesn’t seem to fit into the coach’s system.