Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Minnesota Lynx extended their dominance with seven straight wins and a 1.5-game lead in the standings.
- New York's recent four-game win streak shows their talent overcoming early-season injuries and adjustments.
- Indiana is grappling with inconsistent shooting from their star while relying on veteran leadership to steady the ship.
The Minnesota Lynx continue to be the best team in the WNBA, sitting atop the power rankings for the second week in a row. With seven victories in a row, the Lynx have a 1.5-game lead in the standings over the three teams chasing them, and this is without Napheesa Collier. Is it time to start talking about Olivia Miles not just as a Rookie of the Year candidate, but as a potential MVP?
How does the rest of the league measure up at the moment? From a gaggle of teams fighting for No. 2 to Connecticut reclaiming its rightful spot at the bottom, here's the current WNBA power rankings.
WNBA Power Rankings, Week 5
Position | Team | Record | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Minnesota Lynx | 9-2 | 1 |
2 | Las Vegas Aces | 7-3 | 3 |
3 | Atlanta Dream | 7-3 | 2 |
4 | Dallas Wings | 7-3 | 4 |
5 | New York Liberty | 7-4 | 6 |
6 | Golden State Valkyrie | 6-5 | 5 |
7 | Toronto Tempo | 6-5 | 8 |
8 | Indiana Fever | 5-5 | 9 |
9 | Los Angeles Sparks | 5-6 | 10 |
10 | Portland Fire | 6-7 | 7 |
11 | Phoenix Mercury | 4-8 | 15 |
12 | Washington Mystics | 4-5 | 11 |
13 | Chicago Sky | 4-7 | 13 |
14 | Seattle Storm | 3-9 | 12 |
15 | Connecticut Sun | 2-10 | 14 |
New York is back
It was a rocky start for the New York Liberty as the team tried to figure out just how to play together while dealing with new faces and a spate of injuries, but talent is starting to win out. New York has now won four games in a row and is within a half-game in the standings of the three-way tie for the league's second-best record.
Something that might be notable about the win streak? That the Liberty have brought Satou Sabally off the bench for the past three games. With Breanna Stewart shooting the ball poorly, the spacing with Sabally, Stewart and Jonquel Jones all on the floor has been off. Staggering those minutes more has helped negate that issue.
Pauline Astier has been a strong addition to the starting unit for these games, and the fact that the Liberty are doing this without Sabrina Ionescu sidelined is a great sign for future success, because once Ionescu returns, the team can move either Astier or Marine Johannes to the bench to bolster those units.
Cracks are showing for the Portland Fire
I've highlighted some concerns about the Portland Fire recently; specifically, the team's poor net rating suggested that winning close games and losing in blowouts was not a great sign for the team's viability this season.
Three consecutive losses now have Portland under .500, and it's probably a place the team is destined to stay this season. The lack of consistent wing creation beyond Carla Leite is becoming an unavoidable issue, and the lack of reliable bench depth is putting too much stress on the starters.
Portland had a nice start, but this team looks to be settling into what it was destined to be: a fun group of players that will consistently struggle to close out games because there's no true star who can take over. The good news is that the team has found at least a couple of good pieces moving forward, but don't expect a ton more victories in 2026.
Making sense of Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever
What's going on in Indiana? The Fever are 5-5 on the year and Caitlin Clark is going through a rough stretch as far as her shotmaking goes. At the moment, Clark has shot under 40 percent in four consecutive games, and was under 30 percent in three of those.
Tensions have flared this past week between Clark and head coach Stephanie White, and Clark's combination of missed shots and poor defense have Indiana in a rut. There are still moments when she looks like the superstar player that she was forecast to be, but she's also dealt with back issues throughout the season that seem to be impacting her overall game.
The good news for Indiana? The team has Kelsey Mitchell, who can run the offense and keep things rolling. The Fever don't have to keep putting all the pressure on Clark, even if fans and much of the media puts that weight on the third-year pro. Indiana can still salvage this season even with Clark playing like this, though it would obviously be good for the team if Clark can play her way out of this funk at some point.
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