WNBA Power Rankings: A’ja Wilson and Aces Go All In, Clark and Fever Break

After a week of intense games including one of the most watched WNBA games ever, Week 7 finds the league’s hierarchy of power in flux. Some teams have been revived by the return of key players (welcome back, Chelsea Gray) while others like the Sparks and Dream are free-falling in the standings.

Read more: Compare the Best Streaming Services for Live TV

Napheesa Collier and the Minnesota Lynx battled it out against the New York Liberty for the Commissioner’s Cup Championship, earning an extra $500,000 to be split among the squad. The Liberty kept rolling in the regular season easily dispatching the Sparks and Dream, two of the league’s most injured teams. Elsewhere, A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces are going all in thanks to her dominant play lifting the team toward the top of the standings once more.

With all of that going on, here is where the chips fall this week:

12. LA Sparks (4-13)

Last week: 10 | Upcoming: Washington (7/2)

Outside of Dearica Hamby’s MVP and MIP-caliber play, the Los Angeles Sparks don’t have much to celebrate. The Sparks are not very ball secure gifting teams 20 points nightly off turnovers and are now lacking rim protection allowing teams to carve them up at the cup. The team is looking at a six-game losing streak and will be without one of the league’s best shot blockers for the duration of the season, and it has now been announced that the team will be without their breakout player from last season Lexie Brown who could be sidelined until after the Olympics with Crohn’s disease.

11. Dallas Wings (4-13)

Last week: 11 | Upcoming: Seattle (6/29), Seattle (7/1), Phoenix (7/3), Atlanta (7/5)

The Dallas Wings won their first game since May 26 after taking down the Commissioner Cup Champions just two days after their victory. The Wings have really struggled outside of the league’s second-leading scorer Arike Ogunbowale which is expected considering their mile’s long injury report, but thanks to some fresh legs the Wings were able to pull out a win against the fierce Minnesota Lynx.

Read more: Earn up to 6% Cash Back When You Pay for Streaming Services

Maybe part of it can be blamed on a literal championship hangover on the Lynx’s part but the Wings bringing in Odyssey Sims and the return of Natasha Howard to the lineup are certainly helpful additions especially with the burgeoning Maddy Siegrist and incomparable Satou Sabally sidelined for indefinite periods.

10. Washington Mystics (4-14)

Last week: 12 | Upcoming: Las Vegas (6/29), Sparks (7/2), Las Vegas (7/4)

The Washington Mystics were the beneficiary of playing back-to-back games against the equally injured Dallas Wings and were able to secure extremely convincing victories, winning by double digits each time. Even though things seem less than magical for the Mystics, they were able to take one of the league’s top teams into overtime before falling by three points. With a schedule that includes two games against the Las Vegas Aces and one against the Minnesota Lynx, the Washington Mystics can use all of the moral victories they can get.

9. Atlanta Dream (7-10)

Last week: 7 | Upcoming: New York (6/30), Chicago (7/2), Dallas (7/5)

Atlanta is hoping their dreams come true and their leading scorer Rhyne Howard returns to the lineup soon. The Dream have been decimated in their last three games, losing each one by double digits. The Dream have had issues on both ends of the court, over the past three games only the Dallas Wings and LA Sparks have had a worse defensive rating which could possibly be buoyed by the return of Rhyne Howard, the team’s best scorer and one of the league’s steal leaders of the season.

8. Indiana Fever (7-12)

Last week: 8 | Upcoming: Phoenix (6/30), Aces (7/2)

It looks like Indiana’s Fever has broken; after going on a four-game win streak, the Fever are losers of their last two including a close loss to the Chicago Sky in the WNBA’s most-watched game in 23 years and a drubbing by surging Seattle Storm. Caitlin Clark has still been impressive having hit the third most threes in the league right now while also dropping dimes and getting her teammates involved leading to one of the league’s most potent offenses.

Aliyah Boston is back to her efficient self, grabbing boards and scoring at the rim, NaLyssa Smith is a force on the offense end with an array of moves to get to a bucket and Clark’s backcourt partner Kelsey Mitchell is a veteran scorer with an offensive bag only matched by her rookie partner.

However, the team’s averageness on defense demands that all of their starters have it going in order to get a win, especially against more stingy defenses and crisp moving offense schemes. With a tough schedule coming up that includes some of the top teams in the W, the Fever are hoping to heat up and lean on a world-beating offense.

7. Chicago Sky (6-10)

Last week: 9 | Upcoming: Minnesota (6/30), Atlanta (7/2), Seattle (7/5)

Everything is looking up for the Sky who have won two of their last three including a barnburner single-point victory against the rival Indiana Fever but lost in decisive fashion against the Las Vegas thanks in part to a flamethrower of a game from the unguardable A’ja Wilson.

Rookie phenoms Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso have been special on the defensive end working as the catalyst for a team that prevents opponents second chance points and points at the rim at a league-leading level. Reese’s historic double-double streak continues even against the league’s leading rebounder where she nearly doubled A’ja Wilson’s rebound total.

6. Phoenix Mercury (8-8)

Last week: 6 | Upcoming: Indiana (6/30), Connecticut (7/1), Dallas (7/3)

The undeniable Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury are bubbling up despite their recent loss to the Minnesota Lynx. Thanks to the return of Brittney Griner from injury, the Mercury have added size and efficient scoring back into the lineup. Though she was held to a paltry 4-14 by the swarming Lynx defense, Griner is a force on both ends and one of the league leaders in field goal percentage.

With an offense dedicated to the three ball, the team goes whatever way their shooting goes as seen in their loss to the Lynx where Bec Allen was the only shooter to hit more than one three in the game. Griner’s presence as an interior force that can stretch the floor adds an extra dimension to a team that likes to let it fly from deep.

5. Connecticut Sun (14-4)

Last week: 1 | Upcoming: Phoenix (7/1), Minnesota (7/4)

Make no mistake, the Connecticut Sun are still a problem of a team with a high-powered offense and a lockdown defense but for the first time all season, the Sun dropped back-to-back games and eked out an overtime win against the mangled Washington Mystics after being down 16 points at one point.

DiJonai Carrington sparked the team in the second half and overtime, dropping 10 of the team’s 12 points in the OT period. DeWanna Bonner is still making history after moving up to 8th in all-time games played and 11th in all-time steals, for 15 years Bonner has been one of the league’s most consistent scorers and defenders adding an extra punch to the potent Sun offense. The Sun offense could use a boost behind the arc however as one of the most reluctant teams from behind the arc.

4. Seattle Storm (11-6)

Last week: 4 | Upcoming: Dallas (6/29), Dallas (7/1), Chicago (7/5)

The new Seattle Storm collective has quickly begun to gel, each member slotting into their role perfectly. Jewell Loyd, the Gold Mamba, acts as the team’s main scoring threat averaging nearly 20 points a game as the league’s sixth-best scorer, Skylar Diggins-Smith controls the flow of the offense as one of the game’s best facilitators, Nneka Ogwumike adds versatility and scoring efficiency, while Ezi Magbegor is an absolute fortress on the defensive end.

Jewell finally emerged from her slump against a rising Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever, scoring 34 points with 6 triples all while playing with her eye swollen shut. On top of getting the wheels turning offensively, the Seattle defense continues to smother teams including holding the league-leading Connecticut Sun to a mere 61 points.

3. New York Liberty (15-3)

Last week: 2 | Upcoming: Atlanta (6/30), Minnesota (7/2), Fever (7/6)

Sabrina Ionescu has her swagger back. The top pick of the 2020 draft is back knocking down the three ball at a high clip, shooting 47 percent from deep over the last three regular-season games while also admirably handling point guard duties while the team was without their conductor Courtney Vandersloot. Ionescu went off against the Atlanta Dream dropping 26 points and 11 dimes with four threes showcasing an array of scoring techniques.

Breanna Stewart continues to do Breanna Stewart things like being the textbook definition of a bucket-getter and making it look too easy against the Atlanta Dream with a light 17 points on 6-9 shooting just a night after torching the ailing LA Sparks for a jaw-dropping 33 points, 7 assists, and 6 blocks. Though the Liberty offense is potent, the team struggled against the Minnesota Lynx defense which forced 5 and 7 turnovers from Stewart and Ionescu respectively to prevent the Liberty from being the first back-to-back Commissioner’s Cup victors. With their team back to full strength the Liberty look to strike back against the Lynx on Tuesday.

2. Minnesota Lynx (13-4)

Last week: 3 | Upcoming: Chicago (6/30), New York (7/2), Connecticut (7/4), Washington (7/6)

Napheesa Collier and the Minnesota Lynx are your WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Champions. The Lynx’s game plan of moving the ball and hitting the three has resulted in one of the deadliest offenses this season with Kayla McBride, Alanna Smith, and Bridget Carleton are all elite shooters and excellent passers providing a varied offense that excels in transition and dares defenses to send the double team. The emergence of Alanna Smith has been a particularly massive piece for Minnesota following her breakout season with the Chicago Sky the year prior. Smith is a defensive anchor averaging nearly two blocks a game, she has become a playmaking hub doubling her assists to 3 a game, and vastly improving her three-point shot on more attempts per game.

Napheesa Collier, the Commissioner’s Cup MVP, continues to shine as one of the WNBA’s most impressive players where she ranks in the top 5 in points, rebounds and steals; she is one of the only players besides A’ja Wilson to crack the top 5 in three of the major statistical categories. Collier’s quick hands are a major feature in Minnesota’s game plan as one of the league-leading teams in steals and fastbreak points.

1. Las Vegas Aces (9-6)

Last week: 5 | Upcoming: Washington (6/29), Indiana (7/2), Washington (7/4), Los Angeles (7/6)

The reigning WNBA champions look to be back on track for their threepeat. The Aces are on a three-game winning streak, each of which came by double digits. It is no coincidence that the Aces’ win streak comes exactly as their point guard Chelsea Gray returns from an ankle injury. Gray’s presence has made life much easier for Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young to thrive in their natural roles, as Duke product is more than capable of setting up the ever-evolving A’ja Wilson for some easy buckets.

Wilson continues her revenge tour after being slighted for MVP last season, Nike’s latest signature athlete dominated the #1 Connecticut Sun with a 26-point, 16-rebound game, both of which were game highs, in a battle pitting the league’s top offense versus one of its top defenses. The WNBA’s scoring leader then followed that masterclass with a 31-point outing against Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky a day after being named Western Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season. With Wilson on a tear and a relatively soft schedule ahead, it would not come as a surprise to see the Aces at the top of the standings soon.