This weekly wrap covers the games from May 25 to May 31. Check out last week’s edition here.
Game of the Week
The Seattle Storm once again takes center stage in our weekly WNBA wrap as the defending champions came away with a thrilling 90-87 overtime victory against the Connecticut Sun last Wednesday (PHT).
The reigning queens of the league gave a strong reminder that they have a winning formula each and every game. Though the Sun gave the Storm a serious run for their money, the deadly combination of Sue Bird, Jewell Loyd, and Breanna Stewart remains the gold standard.
The Sun put the clamps on Stewart for most of the contest, not allowing last year’s Finals MVP to get into a rhythm. On offense, Connecticut leaned on the continued brilliance of Jonquel Jones who had an eye-popping stat line of 28 points, 13 rebounds, three steals, and three blocks.
The Sun’s frontline has been causing a ton of problems for opposing teams this season. The Storm felt the brunt of it as Brionna Jones and DeWanna Bonner combined for 34 points. But as much as the Sun looked like they were going to get a statement win, Bird came to life in the extra session.
After committing a costly turnover at the end of regulation, the veteran guard was hell-bent on making it up for her squad by knocking down a pair of triples in overtime. Loyd also had a layup in between Bird’s outside shots as the Storm raced to an 8-0 run. After the Sun countered, Stewart finally found her stroke and drilled a gut-punching 3-pointer to seal the win.
With the Storm (5-1) and Sun (6-2) on top of the standings, was this game a preview of more thrilling games to come? Finals preview, anyone?
The Minnesota Lynx, meanwhile, captured their first win of the season in style, beating the Sun in overtime, 79-74, on Monday. Sylvia Fowles led the way with 24 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks. The Lynx also drew inspiration from newcomer Layshia Clarendon who had 12 points in her debut.
Clarendon, who was waived by the New York Liberty last week, signed with her new team before Monday’s game versus the Sun. Her debut would have had a surreal fairytale ending with a buzzer-beating game-winner but her shot didn’t get off in time.
THAT CLOSE.
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) May 31, 2021
time for some free basketball. pic.twitter.com/71muHzkUDS
She did, however, nail a clutch 3 with a minute left in overtime to give her squad the lead. As Clarendon said after she was waived, “you can’t bury a seed.” Good to see her back in the W.
Teams in the spotlight
Both the Las Vegas Aces (5-2) and Atlanta Dream (4-2) went 3-0 this past week, shaking up the standings.
Considering that the Aces have a lot of new faces on their roster, plus they are also missing two players in Angel McCoughtry (torn ACL) and Kelsey Plum (international commitments), their winning ways speak a lot about the team’s hunger for success. Remember, they lost the Finals in the bubble last year and you can bet that they want to make amends this season.
It has been a team effort so far for the Aces. They have the best net rating in the league (13.2) – number one in offense (107.8) and second in defense (94.6). At the forefront, of course, is reigning MVP A’ja Wilson with her averages of 18.1 points and 7.8 rebounds.
The Dream, meanwhile, have managed to get their bearings after a slow start. They lost their first two games but quickly turned things around and have won four straight. Courtney Williams has been absolutely balling, putting up 19.5 points after six games while shooting 55 percent from deep. She is fresh off a season-high 31-point game against the Liberty where she also delivered the game-winning trey.
Big-time ballers
Jonquel Jones of the Sun is getting a lot of early MVP buzz, rampaging through the league as a double-double machine. She’s scoring 20.3 points and pulling down 10.5 rebounds per game. She does a little bit of everything for the Sun, racking up 2.4 triples and 3.3 assists while being a defensive gem exhibited by her 1.6 steals and 1.0 block. She had six straight double-doubles before coming short against the Lynx.
The Washington Mystics’ Tina Charles is the league's leading scorer with 26.7 points. She is a relentless force especially down in the shaded lane, using her 6-foot-4 frame to overpower opponents. So far, this is her best season scoring the ball, coming back stronger than ever after missing last season. There’s no concrete timetable yet for the return of former MVP Elena Delle Donne (back surgery). So until then, Charles has been holding down the fort.
It’s hard to believe that Betnijah Laney was released by the Indiana Fever just two years ago. In 2019, she was averaging just 5.6 points while shooting 36.2 percent from the floor. She found a new home with the Dream in 2020, where she blossomed as a scoring threat with 17.2 points per outing. Fast forward to this season, she has become one of the premier bucket-getters of the league. She’s up to a personal-best 22.3 points on a crisp 51.9 shooting clip while grabbing 4.0 rebounds and handing out 5.0 assists.
Watch out for...
A new era has begun for the Storm as legendary coach Dan Hughes announced his retirement on Monday (PHT) and will be replaced by Noelle Quinn.
Hughes concluded his 20-year career but will continue his assistant coaching duties for Team USA in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. A two-time WNBA Coach of the Year, he is tied for third in the league’s all-time list of coaching wins with 286.
Quinn, who played in the WNBA for 11 years, has been an assistant for the Storm since 2019.
“I am excited to hand the reins to Noelle,” Hughes said in a team statement. “She is well-positioned to do this job and I am proud to have mentored her during my time here. I look forward to her and the team’s ongoing success.”
