The Chicago Sky entered the Olympic break with a three-game advantage in the race for the eighth and final playoff spot. That lead was down to a tiebreaker earlier this month amid a seven-game losing streak, which coincided with a stint in the health and safety protocols for Chennedy Carter.
Carter, who has been one of the best stories of the season, finally returned after a four-game absence on Friday, and immediately ended the skid with a 15-point, nine-rebound, seven-assist effort in a win over the Sparks. A few nights later, she went off for 28 points, four rebounds and six assists to lead the Sky past the Wings.
Playing two of the worst teams in the league certainly helped, but it was no surprise that Carter's presence got the Sky back on track. Those wins were their first consecutive victories since early July, and their lead over the ninth-place Atlanta Dream is back to a full game as we approach the final 10 days of the regular season.
The Sky won't have star rookie Angel Reese the rest of the way due to a fractured wrist, but they will have Carter. After going unsigned last season, Carter has found a home in Chicago. She leads the team in scoring at 17.5 points per game, and has a chance to make the playoffs for the first time in her career.
"For me, it means a lot. I haven't been at this place, in this moment in my career, I don't think ever," Carter said. "So to feel that from not only our fans, but my teammates and my coaches, makes me feel loved, makes me feel valued. It's an amazing feeling."
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| The Liberty concluded the most difficult remaining stretch of their schedule with two more wins this week over the Storm and Aces, completing a season sweep of the reigning champs in the process. Though they're closer than ever to clinching the No. 1 seed, it wasn't a celebratory mood on Sunday after they nearly blew a 20-point lead and saw Betnijah Laney-Hamilton leave with a knee injury in the second half. | |
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| Since the Olympics, the Lynx are the only team to defeat the Fever, and they did so again on Friday. Their defense actually hasn't been quite as good as it was prior to the break, but when they turn it up -- like they did in the third quarter against the Fever -- they have a case as the best unit in the league. Thanks to their three-game winning streak, they are now 9-1 in the second half of the season and alone in second place. | |
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| The Sun lost back-to-back games this week for the first time since June. On both occasions, it was to the Storm and Aces. While that is something of a coincidence, it highlights the Sun's continued issues against the league's best. They are now 4-7 against the other top-five teams and have only hit the 75-point mark in four of those contests. Even with Marina Mabrey, their offense remains a question mark. | |
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| The young Fever picked up another impressive victory on Sunday when they battled back from a 16-point deficit in the second half to take down the Dream. Aliyah Boston had a career-high 30 points in that win, and she also became just the third player this season with a 30/10/5 game. Indiana is really clicking on the offensive end these days, and Boston's big night was another reminder that opposing defenses have to pick their poison. | |
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| The Aces' win over the Sun, their fourth in a row to that point, was one of their best of the season. In the waning seconds, though, Brionna Jones fell on A'ja Wilson's leg, and the MVP favorite is now in a walking boot. She did not play in their loss to the Liberty on Sunday, which was her first missed game since 2019. The good news for the Aces is that Becky Hammon said there are "no long-term concerns" with Wilson's ankle. | |
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| It continues to be one step forward, one step back for the Storm, who lost to the Liberty in between wins over the Sun and Mercury. One constant in Seattle has been strong playmaking from Skylar Diggins-Smith, who recently dished out 11 dimes in the win over the Mercury and broke Sue Bird's single-season assists record in the process. Her 6.5 assists per game rank fourth in the league this season. | |
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| Everything seems to be falling apart for the Mercury, who have now lost five of their last six games. Sophie Cunningham's quote after their most recent loss was even more worrying than the results: "We need to learn how to be great teammates. At the end of the day, we get to play basketball for a living, so that's a blessing. Maybe, changing our perspectives to start to be a little more grateful would be a good start." | |
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| This was a bittersweet week for the Sky, who got Chennedy Carter back from the health and safety protocols, won consecutive games for the first time since early July and moved closer to a playoff berth, but also lost star rookie Angel Reese to a season-ending injury. Reese fractured her wrist in a win over the Sparks and needed surgery to avoid any long-term damage. | |
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| In the span of a few days, the Dream pulled off a huge comeback to beat the Wings in overtime, then blew a big lead to lose to the Fever in the same manner. Despite the defeat, Rhyne Howard had another big night with a season-high 36 points. She has now scored 30 points in three consecutive games, which is tied for the second-longest streak in WNBA history. The Dream need her to keep that up as they try to overtake the Sky. | |
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| After their win over the Mercury on Thursday, the Mystics were just half a game back of the eighth and final playoff spot. Now, due a loss to the Lynx and some other results that didn't go their way, they're two games out as the final full week of the regular season begins. Looking long-term, they shouldn't even want to make the postseason, but the fact that they still have a chance after starting 0-12 is remarkable. | |
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| What a disappointing week for the Wings, who lost three games against the three teams they were in direct competition with for the final playoff spot. They have now been eliminated from postseason contention for the first time since 2020. Injuries were the major reason for their poor play prior to the Olympics, but that was no longer an excuse after the break. Since play resumed, they are 3-7 with a 113.7 defensive rating that is the worst in the league by a staggering 7.4 points. | |
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| The tough times continued for the Sparks this week with three more defeats to run their losing streak to four games. They became the first team to be eliminated from playoff contention with their loss to the Sky, and will now head to the lottery for the fourth time in a row -- the longest such streak in franchise history. The good news is they are now guaranteed the best odds for the draft lottery. | |