This week’s WNBA rankings start to see solid patterns forming in the standings, with a clear top, middle and bottom tier. There are just days until the league takes a midseason break for the All-Star game, and you can feel the stakes rising with every game played.
1. Minnesota Lynx (19-4)
The Lynx remain steadfast at the top of the WNBA standings, holding a commanding three-game lead over the next-highest team in the league. While a few mistakes have led them to lose games they shouldn’t have, they remain the most dominant team in the league at the moment. They have also been tweaking their roster mid-season, something that helped them immensely last season when they traded for Myisha Hines-Allen. We’ll see what the Lynx cook up this year before the trade deadline.
2. Phoenix Mercury (15-6)
The Mercury have been blazing lately, trying to catch Minnesota for the best record in the league. Their trio of Alyssa Thomas, Kahleah Copper, and Satou Sabally, although not getting much playing time together, have individually held their own to lead this team. Their new addition in DeWanna Bonner came up huge for them in a one-point victory over the Golden State Valkyries this week.
3. New York Liberty (14-6)
It had gotten a little rocky for the Liberty there, as they adjusted to the loss of Jonquel Jones with an ankle injury. Yet, this past week, they won both of their games and seem to be managing okay while they wait for their anchor to return. Getting back Leonie Fiebich from EuroBasket has been huge for the team, and the German scored 21 points in their win over Atlanta to lead the Liberty to a win this week.,
4. Seattle Storm (13-9)
After losing to the last-place Connecticut Sun in an early morning camp game, the Storm were able to recover in their second game against the Sun just days later. Their trio of Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike and Gabby Williams will be in attendance at the All-Star Game this upcoming weekend, so hopefully they are still able to rest enough to be able to start the second half of the season strong.
5. Atlanta Dream (12-9)
The Atlanta Dream are sitting at a crossroads at the moment. If they slip a little bit, they could end up in the dreaded “mid-tier” of the WNBA standings, but if they can surge at the right moment, they could re-enter the top-4 conversation. As the Indiana Fever creep up from behind, the Dream need to hold firm to avoid getting into the tangle of the 6-8 range of the league standings. With Rhyne Howard out for a few weeks with a knee injury, this time will test them immensely.
6. Indiana Fever (11-10)
The Fever had a good week, winning two of their three games and beginning their comeback into the top echelon of the WNBA standings. While Caitlin Clark is still struggling offensively and hasn’t scored more than 14 points in the three games she has played since returning from injury, her teammates are better equipped now to perform even when she isn’t putting up 30+ points per game. Clark’s eye for playmaking helps as well, and she has dished out 13, 9, and 6 assists through these three games.
7. Washington Mystics (11-10)
Washington is almost in the same boat as Golden State, as they had little expectation heading into this season. It’s been fun to see this young team shock fans by being more along in their process than expected. Their two young rookies will be off to the All-Star Game this weekend, a fun celebration for the entire group on how this season has gone for them.
8. Las Vegas Aces (10-11)
Vegas had a great two-point victory over the Golden State Valkyries this week, which is why they get the slight nod over them. They also lost to both Washington and New York this week, their struggles this season continuing. Currently hovering around the ninth place mark, it seems they will be shifting from trying to get into the top-4 to just trying to make the playoffs.
9. Golden State Valkyries (10-11)
It’s hard to criticize this team, knowing there were zero expectations of them this season. Any success is positive for them, and they have been providing fans with a great experience. They were on the losing side of two unfortunate close games this week, but also beat the Indiana Fever by a larger margin, so they are continuing to impress.
10. Chicago Sky (7-14)
Chicago had a decent week, all things considered. Winning against Minnesota is always a tick in the positives' column, and they also won against Dallas. They were on the losing side of a close game against Washington earlier in the week, but overall, they seem to be making small improvements and taking advantage of closing out games. They still have a ways to go if they are going to catch up with Las Vegas in 9th place in the overall standings, as they are solidly three games behind the Aces.
11. LA Sparks (7-14)
The Sparks only had one game this week, losing to the Minnesota Lynx. The good news for them, though, is that Cameron Brink may be on the … brink … of returning to their lineup. After injuring herself last June, the 2024 No. 2 overall pick has spent the year recovering from reconstructive ACL surgery. The Sparks having her back will do wonders for their team and fan morale as well.
12. Dallas Wings (6-16)
Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark finally played against each other this week for the first time as professionals. Despite the fun of that atmosphere, the Wings lost that game. They also lost against Chicago, causing them to fall below them in these rankings.
13. Connecticut Sun (3-18)
The Sun were able to win their third game of the season against the Seattle Storm this week in an early camp game. Unfortunately, Marina Mabrey is still out, but other than that, not too much to report from Uncasville.