Once again the WNBA is going up… on a Sunday, with all but two teams in action. So once again, we’re here with a guide to help you prepare for all the action.
Chicago Sky at Washington Mystics, 4:00 PM EST (NBA TV)
These two met on Friday night, and it was a classic, as the Sky won on an Allie Quigley triple with just two seconds remaining.
The East is still bunched up in the middle, with the Sky and Mystics tied for third and just a game behind Indiana for second. Both of them will want to avoid the Liberty in the first round, and with New York favorites to be the East’s top seed, that means staying out of fourth. Which in turn means avoiding a loss tonight.
Elena Delle Donne is still having a ridiculous season for the Sky and you’re doing yourself a disservice as a basketball fan by not watching her every chance you get. Tonight is another chance with the game on NBA TV, so stop slipping.
You should also keep your eye on Courtney Vandersloot, who doesn’t get as much attention as EDD, but is having a really solid year. She leads the league in assists, and does a fantastic job running the show for Chicago.
Los Angeles Sparks at San Antonio Stars, 4:30 PM EST (Live Access)
These two are still only separated by two and a half games in the West, but it might as well be twenty and a half with how the Stars have been playing. The Sparks are of course only in this position because Candace Parker and Alana Beard missed the first half of the season. We’ve touched on it numerous times, but since their return, the Sparks have been a much more impressive group, and at times have looked like a team that can win the West. Certainly no one wants to play them in the playoffs.
Make sure you catch Candace Parker’s highlights afterwards, but honestly this is a game to skip with all the other action going on at pretty much the same time.
Atlanta Dream at Connecticut Sun, 6:00 PM EST (Live Access)
Though technically they have not been eliminated, the playoff chase is over for Atlanta, and they’ll be playing spoiler the rest of the way. And they could be big time spoilers for Connecticut if they get a road kill this evening.
After starting out 7-1, the Sun have fallen to 12-13, and are now three games back of the final playoff spot in the East. The Sun are currently on a three game losing streak, which has come at the worst possible time, as the rest of the East has started to pull away. Connecticut may also be without Alex Bently, their leading scorer, after she left Friday’s game early with an injury. We are yet to receive an update, but an extended absence would be devastating at this point.
New York Liberty at Indiana Fever, 6:00 PM EST (Live Access)
Thanks to the Fever’s five game winning streak, which includes four road wins, this is now a matchup between the top two teams in the East. The Liberty sit atop the conference at 18-7, but the Fever are right behind them, just two games back at 16-9.
Tina Charles has lead the way for the Liberty, putting up 18 and 9 a night, and she was dominant on Friday against the Dream. But Charles is in no way a one-woman show in New York, as the Liberty are a really, really solid group. It’s certainly been a group effort as they’ve used their stingy defense to climb to the top of the East. They give up just 90 points per 100 possessions, and only allow 23 points per game in the paint, leading the league in each category.
That won’t be a huge concern for the Fever, however, as they are content to fire up threes. They hit 10 the other night in Los Angeles, and have four women hovering around 40 percent from behind the arc on the year. Shenise Johnson leads the league at 42 percent, while Maggie Lucas is third at 40.6 percent.
This should be a very interesting an entertaining matchup.
Minnesota Lynx at Phoenix Mercury, 6:00 PM EST (NBA TV)
Another 6 o’clock start, another matchup of top-two teams. This time it’s the Western Conference, as the West-leading Lynx travel to Phoenix to take on the second-place Mercury. The Mercury have been very solid at home this year, sporting a 10-4 record, but just dropped a home game to the Sparks on Friday.
Both of these teams have been rather inconsistent as of late, going just 6-4 in their last 10 games. Still, this should be an extremely fun matchup with all of the elite talent on the floor. Maya Moore and Brittney Griner are MVP candidates, while DeWanna Bonner, Lindsay Whalen, Candice Dupree, and Sylvia Fowles are not too shabby either.
There’s a very good chance this is a Western Conference Finals preview, so you should probably be in front of your TV with it tuned to NBA TV when 6 o’clock rolls around.