The WNBA's stretch run continued on Friday night with a big four-game slate. Early on, the Minnesota Lynx cooled off the Indiana Fever to maintain the best record in the league since the Olympic break, A'ja Wilson led the Las Vegas Aces to a huge win over the Connecticut Sun and escaped an injury scare in the closing seconds and the Atlanta Dream beat the Dallas Wings in overtime to keep their playoff hopes alive. In the finale, the Chicago Sky made easy work of the Los Angeles Sparks to snap their seven-game losing streak and keep ahold of the eighth and final playoff spot.
Here are the scores and some key takeaways from the crucial contests:
- Minnesota Lynx 99, Indiana Fever 88
- Las Vegas Aces 72, Connecticut Sun 67
- Atlanta Dream 107, Dallas Wings 96 (OT)
- Chicago Sky 92, Los Angeles Sparks 78
Lynx's defense slows down Fever, again
The Lynx and Fever have been two of the most surprising teams in the league this season, and entering Friday night were tied for the best record (7-1) post-Olympic break. Minnesota is a dogged defensive bunch, while Indiana thrives with a fast-paced offense.
On Friday, it was the Lynx's defense that won out.
The Fever have been borderline unstoppable over the last few weeks, largely due to their dynamite backcourt of Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell, but the Lynx were able to slow them down. While they still combined for 48 points, they needed 40 shots to get there and turned it over 11 times. As a team, the Fever shot 42.7%.
Minnesota's effort in the third quarter stood out. They held the Fever to just 12 points on 3-of-15 shooting and forced six turnovers in the frame. That was the Fever's lowest-scoring quarter since the restart, and tied for their fourth-lowest of the season.
The Lynx are now 8-1 in the second half of the season, and have overtaken the Sun in the race for the No. 2 seed. As for the Fever, they fell to 7-2 post-Olympics, with both losses coming to the Lynx. The good news for Clark and Co., who currently occupy sixth place, is that those two defeats make it less likely they'll have to face the Lynx in the first round of the playoffs.
Wilson plays hero again, escapes injury scare
A'ja Wilson has been the leading force for the Aces all season long, and that continued on Friday in Uncasville, Connecticut. She finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, which was not her most spectacular line of the season, but she came up with clutch plays down the stretch to secure the win.
With just under a minute to play, she knocked down a mid-range jumper to put the Aces ahead for good, then came up with two clutch defensive rebounds to help preserve the victory.
On the second one, Brionna Jones landed on Wilson's leg and rolled up her ankle, which sent her hobbling to the corner of the court. Her initial reaction sent her teammates hurrying to her side and caused everyone watching to hold their breath.
Thankfully, Wilson was able to stay in the game after a timeout and played the final five seconds. She then remained on the floor after the game to take pictures and meet with fans, which suggests it's not anything too serious. That, of course, is a major relief for the Aces, who have been overly reliant on Wilson at times this season.
Dream make huge comeback, keep playoff hopes alive
For a large portion of Friday night's contest in Atlanta, the Dream found themselves down by double digits to the Wings. Even with less than six minutes to play they still trailed by 11. Then, suddenly, they flipped a switch. The entire team got involved as the Dream closed the fourth quarter on an 18-7 run, then ran away in overtime for the 107-96 victory.
Rhyne Howard finished with a season-high 33 points, Tina Charles added 20 points and 13 rebounds and all five starters finished in double figures.
The much-needed victory was the second in three games for the Dream, who are locked in a tight battle for the eighth and final playoff spot. They have the same record as the Sky (12-22), but remain in ninth due to the tiebreaker, and the Mystics are just half a game back. As for the Wings, they are now three games back with this loss, and likely out of the running.
Carter's return helps Sky snap seven-game losing streak
Coming out of the Olympic break, the Sky had a three-game lead on the Dream for the final playoff spot. Entering Friday night, the Sky were clinging to that spot via a tiebreaker and were on a seven-game losing streak. And just as their game tipped off, they had actually briefly fallen into ninth due to the Dream's win earlier in the evening.
Thankfully for the Sky, Chennedy Carter made her return on Friday and they were playing the lowly Sparks, who are the only team yet to reach double digit wins this season.
After a competitive first quarter, the Sky pulled ahead going into halftime and never looked back. Carter was a bit rusty, which was no surprise considering she missed four games while in the health and safety protocols, but she finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, and provided a real boost to the Sky's struggling offense. Angel Reese also had a strong game with 24 points and 12 rebounds.
With the win, the Sky remain in eighth, though they still have plenty of work to do to secure a playoff berth.