3 highlights from the WNBA this week:
Indiana Fever ends New York Liberty winning streak: In a thrilling Saturday afternoon game that saw the return of Caitlin Clark from her three-week-long injury recovery, the Fever ended the Liberty's 9-0 winning streak. It was (as predicted) an instant classic as Clark lit it up from distance, ending the night with 32 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds and 1 steal. The Fever ended up winning 102-88, as the Liberty felt the effects of missing both Jonquel Jones (injury) and Leonie Fiebich (Eurobasket). Despite the loss, Sabrina Ionescu scored 34 points of her own, and Stewart had 24 points. It was an important statement win for the Fever, but they followed it up with a loss to the Valkyries. They are now 6-6 and still need to prove they are deserving of being in the top-3 conversation.
The Dallas Wings win their first home game: The Dallas Wings can sigh in relief now, as they finally won their first game at home this week. The Wings were able to hold onto their lead against the Golden State Valkyries, impressive given the Valkyries' recent surge, and won 80-71. Rookie Paige Bueckers led the Wings with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks, and Arike Ogunbowale was right behind her with 19 points of her own. Bueckers is also impressively leading the entire league in shooting from the midrange (10-15 feet from the basket). Hopefully, this is the beginning of some better days for the Wings, who are now 2-11 on their season. Another fun moment from that game was the fact that Arike dapped up UConn head coach Geno Auriemma, effectively ending "beef" from 2014. Arike joked about it on her X page, and the WNBA followed up with a nice video of the two after the win.
The Golden State Valkyries hanging out in a playoff spot: Many preseason predictions had the brand-new expansion Golden State Valkyries hanging out at the bottom of the standings. There was no precedent for how they'd perform, and on top of that, their roster was filled with international players who had never played in the WNBA before. Yet, they've now become this incredibly fun underdog team that competes every night. Plus, their home court atmosphere is incredible, with the largest number of average fans in attendance this season, league-wide. "Balhalla," as they call it, is becoming a place opposing teams do not want to play. They just beat the Fever and are currently 6-6 and sitting as the No. 7 seed.
2 games to watch this weekend:
Dallas Wings vs. Connecticut Sun: Friday, June 20, 7:30 p.m.
One of these teams will win their third game of the season Friday night, when they face off for the second time this season. To add to that energy, it's also another game in Connecticut for Paige Bueckers, who is undefeated at Mohegan Sun Arena as both a pro and a college player. Maybe the most beloved player in the state of Connecticut, Bueckers got her first professional win with the Wings against the Sun, in Connecticut. She scored a career-high (at the time) 21 points, along with 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block, shooting 80 percent from the field. The Wings won that game 109-87, so it's safe to say Paige loves playing in Connecticut.
Indiana Fever vs. Las Vegas Aces: Sunday, June 22, 3:00 p.m.
While there is no news about whether or not A'ja Wilson will play Sunday, as she continues to recover from a concussion she sustained last week, this game will be interesting. The Aces have been struggling this season, and the Fever are hoping to stack a few more wins now that Clark is back on the court. Another loss for the Aces could also result in them falling out of a playoff spot, as they linger at the 8th spot in the league currently, with a record of 5-6. If Wilson is back, the Fever may not have the front court power to stop her from scoring 30+ points, yet there is a mismatch in the backcourt as the Aces' Jewell Loyd is only averaging 11.2 points per game this season, something Clark will definitely level out.
1 storyline to follow: Allisha Gray should be in the MVP conversation
The MVP conversation is rightfully focusing on Napheesa Collier right now, as the Minnesota Lynx star is averaging 24.4 points per game. Collier is an elite two-way player whose size, efficiency, and defense make her virtually unstoppable. The other name popping up in MVP conversations is Caitlin Clark, as the Fever's sophomore guard continues to bring her team into the playoff conversation. Yet, there is an outlier who should be getting more MVP love, and her name is Allisha Gray.
The quiet, soft-spoken player hooping for the Atlanta Dream has always been on the radar of those who closely follow WNBA statistics. She can dominate a game on both ends of the court, shoots the lights out, and is such a calming presence for the 8-4 Atlanta Dream. Gray currently leads the WNBA in Win Shares (2.9, tied with Collier), and is averaging 20.4 points (95th percentile) along with 4.5 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game. She makes 6.6 field goals per game (95th percentile), and 2.5 three-pointers per game (95th percentile). Her scoring is at career-high levels for the 9-year veteran out of South Carolina. She has an offensive rating of 133.6, which is in the 99th percentile league wide, and her total minutes this season are in the 98th percentile.
Safe to say, Gray should definitely be up there in terms of MVP candidates. Her Dream are currently fourth in the league, flip-flopping with the Phoenix Mercury for that third spot in the standings behind New York and Minnesota.