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WNBA Power Rankings: Aces remain No. 1; No. 10 Sparks at crossroads – OCRegister
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LOS ANGELES — The Sparks are at a crossroads heading into the second half of the season.
At 7-13, the Sparks are currently just outside of the playoff picture, ninth in the standings, which would put them in the 2024 WNBA draft lottery, guaranteeing them a top-four pick.
However, that would also mean not making the playoffs for the third consecutive season, and not winning a playoff game since 2019.
Before their current six-game losing streak, the Sparks were 7-7, climbing as high as fifth in the 12-team WNBA standings.
However, there is hope that the team’s injury and illness woes have subsided.
The Sparks were 4-2 with guard Layshia Clarendon in the starting lineup, who was effective as the team’s small forward. Clarendon was activated Sunday after rehabbing a partial tear of the right plantar fascia for four weeks.
Meanwhile, the Sparks were 5-4 with shooting guard Lexie Brown in the starting lineup. Brown missed several weeks with a non-COVID illness, but she practiced before the All-Star break. The 5-foot-9 guard’s career-high 42% 3-point shooting, as well as her secondary ball handling, has been sorely missed.
The return of Clarendon and Brown would mean a lot for Coach Curt Miller’s team and scheme, as the Sparks look to support All-Star forward Nneka Ogwumike’s career year. Ogwumike is currently averaging 19.8 points and 9.6 rebounds per game in her 12th WNBA season.
The Sparks will play at Minnesota on Thursday and at Dallas on Saturday.
The rankings (and records through Monday, July 17):
1. Las Vegas Aces (19-2): At 19-2, the Aces are off to one of the best starts in WNBA history, running the table as the league’s No. 1 in the first half of the season. Two-time MVP and All-Star captain A’ja Wilson was joined in the All-Star game by teammates Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young. The defending WNBA champions have not missed a beat this season, and have seemingly improved their overall depth by adding two-time WNBA champions Candace Parker and Alysha Clark to their stellar core. Meanwhile, Las Vegas still has one more wild card who has yet to play this season. Guard Riquna Williams, one of the league’s best reserves and the 2013 WNBA Sixth Player of the Year, has missed the entire first half of the season with a back injury. Adding Williams to the rotation would give Coach Becky Hammon another experienced, skilled player that could spell Gray, Plum, and Young heading into the playoffs.
Previous: 1
2. New York Liberty (14-4): The Liberty are 2-0 against Connecticut this season, earning them the No. 2 ranking coming out of the All-Star break. That puts them in a prime position to have home-court advantage until the WNBA Finals. All-Star captain Brenna Stewart was joined by her teammates Courtney Vandersloot and Sabrina Ionescu in a 143-127 victory for Team Stewie vs. Team Wilson on Saturday. However, New York is 0-1 against the actual Las Vegas Aces this season but they will play each other two more times before the playoffs.
Previous: 2
3. Connecticut Sun (15-5): The Sun took a measured approach during All-Star weekend. All-Star forwards Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner barely played for Team Wilson in the All-Star Game. Thomas played 10 minutes and Bonner played nine minutes. With Thomas and Bonner as known constants, former All-Star guard Tiffany Hayes could be the key to Connecticut’s title chances with center Brionna Jones sidelined for the rest of the season with an ACL injury. If Hayes can contribute more than the 11.3 ppg she’s currently averaging, the Sun could turn the tide against the Liberty in the second half of the season.
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4. Dallas Wings (11-9): The Wings will look to extend their winning streak to four games when they face New York on Wednesday. It will be a tough test for Dallas but Coach Latricia Trammell’s team has beaten Las Vegas, Indiana and Minnesota during their three-game winning streak. All-Stars Arike Ogunbowale, Satou Sabally and forward Natasha Howard will need to continue their stellar play if Dallas wants to earn home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Previous: 4
5. Washington Mystics (11-8): The Mystics have had an up-and-down first half of the season but still have an above .500 record for their efforts. Washington will look to maintain as Ariel Atkins, Elena Delle Donne, Kristi Toliver, and Shakira Austin were all on the team’s injury report heading into the All-Star break.
Previous: 5
6. Atlanta Dream (11-8): Atlanta is the hottest team in the league, cemented by a six-game winning streak. If the Dream keep winning, they have a chance to secure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Atlanta is one of three teams (along with Las Vegas and New York) that had three or more All-Stars this year, as guards Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard and forward Cheyenne Parker, were all selected as reserves on Team Wilson.
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7. Chicago Sky (8-12): The franchise should be hyper-focused on making the playoffs, especially after trading away the team’s first-round picks for the 2023 and 2024 drafts to the Dallas Wings for Marina Mabrey, who is averaging 14.9 ppg. Dallas also has the right to swap first-round picks with the Sky in the 2025 draft. That should be added incentive for Chicago’s leadership to focus on winning now since missing the playoffs would equate to handing Dallas lottery picks.
Previous: 8
8. Minnesota Lynx (9-11): After an 0-6 start, the Lynx, who are led by All-Star forward Napheesa Collier, have quietly positioned themselves in the playoff picture but they’re still having trouble competing against the league’s top-tier teams, as evidenced by a 113-89 home loss to the Aces on July 9 and a 107-67 home loss to Dallas on July 12.
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9. Indiana Fever (5-15): Indiana is on an eight-game losing streak but has only been blown out two times this season. All-Star center Aliyah Boston’s squad is seemingly due for a breakthrough, especially if Lexie Hull and NaLyssa Smith recover from their injuries soon.
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10. Sparks (7-13): The Sparks activated Clarendon on Sunday and subsequently terminated Destanni Henderson’s temporary hardship contract. Clarendon, who recovered from a partial tear of the right plantar fascia, is a gritty player who provides much-needed ball-handling and perimeter/wing defense. The Sparks were 4-2 with Clarendon as the team’s starting small forward, and he return should help ease some of the burden on Nneka Ogwumike.
Previous: 11
11. Phoenix Mercury (4-15): The Mercury, who are searching for consistency, are 2-8 in their past 10 games.
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12. Seattle Storm (4-16): The Storm are on a seven-game losing streak but All-Star MVP Jewell Loyd is leading the league in scoring, averaging 25.7 ppg.
Previous: 12
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