Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Golden State Valkyries are on an eight-game winning streak and lead the league in bench scoring depth.
- The New York Liberty have fallen to eighth place after a 2-7 record over their last nine games, struggling to start games.
- Connecticut Sun currently sit in last place but have won four of their last seven games, with upcoming matchups against the struggling Phoenix Mercury.
With the WNBA All-Star break only a week away, it's crunch time for teams that want to be in a good position heading into the second half of the season. The top four teams are seemingly looking better and better with each game, shaping up for some intense playoff showdowns.
From the Valkyries' incredibly promising winning streak to the Liberty's fall from grace and a new team sitting at the bottom, here's what the WNBA standings are currently looking like. Plus, some key takeaways from the past week.
WNBA standings as of July 16
TEAM | W-L (.PCT) | GAMES BACK | AVG. POINT DIFF. |
|---|---|---|---|
1. Minnesota Lynx | 19-6 (.760) | -- | +8.9 |
2. Golden State Valkyries | 18-7 (.720) | 1 | +6.1 |
3. Las Vegas Aces | 17-7 (.708) | 1.5 | +4.0 |
4. Dallas Wings | 16-8 (.667) | 2.5 | +4.1 |
5. Atlanta Dream | 14-10 (.583) | 4.5 | +3.5 |
6. Indiana Fever | 14-10 (.583) | 4.5 | +4.2 |
7. Washington Mystics | 12-10 (.545) | 5.5 | -2.1 |
8. New York Liberty | 13-11 (.542) | 5.5 | +3.3 |
9. Los Angeles Sparks | 10-13 (.435) | 8 | -4.6 |
10. Portland Fire | 10-14 (.417) | 8.5 | -6.2 |
11. Toronto Tempo | 10-14 (.417) | 8.5 | -2.9 |
12. Chicago Sky | 8-16 (.333) | 10.5 | -2.9 |
13. Phoenix Mercury | 8-17 (.320) | 11 | -4.0 |
14. Connecticut Sun | 6-18 (.250) | 12.5 | -6.7 |
15. Seattle Storm | 6-20 (.231) | 13.5 | -5.1 |
Golden State might be the best team in the league
The Valkyries are on the longest active winning streak in the league. Last night, they extended the streak to eight with a win over the Indiana Fever. This stretch hasn't been easy either; they claimed three wins over the Dream and one over the Liberty. All that to say, as Golden State continues to climb its way up the standings, a serious question presents itself — do they have the best chance of winning it all this year? Right now, I'm feeling the urge to say yes.
There's a serious argument for the Valkyries having the best bench across the W. Just last night, in their close matchup with the Fever, we saw it on full display. Janelle Salaün put up 12 points, Tiffany Hayes recorded 13 points and Kaitlyn Chen put up 14 points. The Fever had only 21 bench points total. While the bench can be the deciding factor at times, they haven't always saved the Valks. Golden State's biggest threats when it comes to their championship hopes are the league's other top contenders like the Minnesota Lynx and Las Vegas Aces. Both of these teams beat the Valkyries just last month, while also being two teams that rely heavily on their starters. Golden State's starters struggled in both of these matchups.
Seemingly, the Valkyries' chances at a ring this year rely on both the starters and the bench contributing. Both groups of players are elite and can put on serious performances, but when one lags, things typically don't go the Valkyries' way. But one thing is for sure: this is not the type of team that other top contenders want to face in the playoffs.
Are the Liberty's championship hopes in danger?
Short answer: No. Of course, seeing that New York has slid down to eighth in the standings can be worrisome for Liberty fans. It should ease their minds knowing that there's quite the jump between eighth and ninth in the standings right now — but they can still fall a little further before the end of the season. New York is 2-7 over the last nine games. While they've had a tough stretch, facing contending teams like Minnesota and Dallas, they also dropped games against the Toronto Tempo and Seattle Storm recently.
This Liberty squad has struggled to get things going early in games, which leaves them lagging and trying to claw their way back. Against the Toronto Tempo, they came back from a double-digit deficit but then couldn't close out the game. Against the Sparks, they kept things close but weren't able to pull out the victory. We've seen this Liberty squad get through a rough patch once already this season. They lost three straight back in late May. They face the Dallas Wings tonight with hopes of turning the season around again. The Liberty are 0-2 against the Wings this season, so tonight likely won't be easy.
There's a new team in dead last
Let's talk about the bottom of the standings. While there's likely no chance these teams make the playoffs, in my opinion, they've been some of the most entertaining to watch. The Connecticut Sun have been sitting in dead last since before the season even started — but they're 4-3 over their last seven appearances. Most recently, the Sun battled it out with the Portland Fire and claimed a 90-87 win. Meanwhile, the Storm are on a three-game losing streak, which has sent them to the bottom. They've struggled to close out tight games despite strong performances from their stars like Dom Malonga, Natisha Hiedeman and Flau'jae Johnson.
The Sun have a perfect opportunity to climb a little further, too. This week, they have back-to-back games against the Phoenix Mercury, who currently sit in 13th place with an 8-17 record. It's no secret the Merc have struggled recently. After winning three straight, Phoenix has dropped their last four games. However, they put on a strong performance against the Minnesota Lynx, losing by only a four-point deficit. While they might not have any impact on the playoff picture, these two matchups against Connecticut could end up being very entertaining.
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