WNBA Wraparound: Clark continues to break records, the Lexie Hull Game, and the Liberty dominate

Here's everything you need to know from the WNBA as the league heads into the final stretch of the regular season and prepares for the playoffs.

3 highlights from the WNBA last week

Caitlin Clark surpasses the WNBA record for assists in a rookie season: The rookie sensation has been thriving in her debut WNBA season, and this latest record felt like a passing of the torch. As she breezed past her 225th assist of the season, Clark overcame the previous record held by Ticha Penicheiro. Clark averages 8.3 assists per game with the Indiana Fever, showing off her power as a playmaker. Another interesting fact about this record is that back in Penicheiro's rookie season, the WNBA only played 30 games a year. Clark surpassed the record before the 30-game mark.

The New York Liberty defeat the Las Vegas Aces: In one of the league's best rivalries, the New York Liberty traveled to Vegas to take on the Aces last weekend. A finals rematch from 2023, the Aces were the better team when they took the championship series 4-1. It seems the balance has shifted, and the Liberty are now 2-0 over the Aces in 2024. The Liberty's bench depth has become stronger, along with a huge leap from Sabrina Ionescu, and a palpable sense of chemistry and cohesion among the roster. On the other hand, it almost feels like the Aces have regressed, despite A'ja Wilson running away with MVP candidacy. In the Liberty's 79-67 win, Las Vegas could not get a bucket in the fourth quarter, and coach Becky Hammon commented after saying her team "went rogue." The Liberty are putting themselves in a great place ahead of the playoffs, while the Aces are fighting to keep homecourt advantage.

Indiana Fever win big over Seattle, with a 22-point night from Lexie Hull: It felt like the Indiana Fever could not miss in their recent win over the Seattle Storm. They took the game by a large margin, 92-75, and had some huge performances along the way. Most notably, this game has been dubbed the "Lexie Hull game" as the Stanford Cardinal alum achieved a career-high 22 points on 6-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. While Hull has been a defensive stronghold since being drafted to the Indiana Fever No. 6 overall in 2022, her offense has left something to be desired. It was nice to see her get back to her lethal 3-point shooting, which made her a Cardinal legend. Hopefully, she can continue to thrive off of assists from her teammate Caitlin Clark, because the Fever would benefit greatly from another big shooter on the roster.

2 WNBA Games to tune into this week

New York Liberty @ Connecticut Sun: Saturday, August 24, 7 p.m. ET

It's always fun with the top two teams in the league face off, but there are heightened stakes with this game! Most importantly, the Connecticut Sun will be determined to bridge some of the 3.5-game gap between them and the Liberty. After starting the season 9-0, the Sun were overtaken for the number one seed by New York, and they want it back. On the other hand, New York has their own agenda. The Liberty are 3-0 against the Sun this season and already have the season series. A win in this game would mean they sweep the Sun in 2024, which would be a huge boost in confidence and more confirmation that the Liberty are the best team in the league right now.

Las Vegas Aces @ Minnesota Lynx: Wednesday, August 21, 9:30 p.m. ET

These two teams face off twice this week, and these games could have huge seeding implications. Minnesota sits in third place, while the Aces are currently right behind them in fourth. There are only 1.5 games between the two — meaning if Vegas can beat the Lynx in both games, they could overtake that third-place spot. These teams are 1-1 so far this season, so it could go either way. Minnesota's Napheesa Collier is having an excellent season, and the Lynx have been solid. Yet, A'ja Wilson has been playing the best basketball the WNBA has ever seen, and the Aces are on a path to redemption after losing to the Liberty last weekend. Wednesday's game as well as part two on Friday night will be must-see TV.

1 storyline to monitor this week: The playoff race intensifies

It may only be the second week back after the Olympics, but the end of the WNBA regular season is coming fast. After this week, some teams will have less than 10 games to play before the postseason. The battle for playoff positioning is about to hit a new level.

The New York Liberty clinched the first spot in the playoffs after winning over Las Vegas last weekend They have a dominant 3.5-game lead over the Connecticut Sun, who sit second in the standings. Only two games are separating the Sun in second and the Aces in fourth — all highly desired seeding positions that grant teams homecourt advantage in the playoffs.

The Aces and the Storm are only half a game apart in the standings, at fourth and fifth, and are on the tails of that third-place spot. It will come down to the end to figure out these top and middle spots on the leaderboard.

The Atlanta Dream and Chicago Sky are in a fight for the last playoff spot, sitting 1.5 games apart on that cusp. Every game matters for both teams, especially as both have been building in recent years to get back to being playoff contenders.

All of this means that games are not only going to continue to be competitive, but every game has playoff implications. Even teams that are pretty safely in a playoff spot will be trying their hardest to climb the standings for a better first-round match-up. It's about to be a race to the finish line in the WNBA.