The Weekly Roundup: Kristi Toliver’s Game-Winner and Other Recent Outstanding Performances
Recapping the extraordinary individual efforts of the week and looking at their impact on playoff seeding
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The WNBA regular season wraps up in less than a month, and three playoff races have really started to take shape. First, the Connecticut Sun, Las Vegas Aces, and Seattle Storm have separated themselves from the rest of the pack and are locked in a tie for the top two playoff seeds and a double bye. Second, Phoenix’s four-game winning streak has the Mercury just one game behind Minnesota for the fourth seed and a playoff bye. Finally, a logjam in the bottom half of the standings has four teams that are separated by just 1.5 games battling for the seventh and eighth seeds. Let’s turn our attention to an overtime game that could play a significant role in determining how this last race is resolved.
Game of the Week: Toliver’s buzzer-beater propels Sparks past Dream
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but let’s not kid ourselves. Tuesday night’s contest pitting the Los Angeles Sparks against the Atlanta Dream was not the most aesthetically pleasing affair. Atlanta shot just 38.6% from the field, 5-for-20 from distance, and an anemic 7-for-18 from the free-throw line, the first time a team with at least 10 free-throw attempts failed to crack the 40% barrier since 2018. Los Angeles hit a mediocre 44.4% of its field goals and just 5 of its 22 shots from behind the arc. What the game lacked in aesthetics, it more than made up for in drama.
Kristi Toliver was one of those who suffered shooting woes Tuesday night. The Sparks guard was shooting 2-for-12 from the field entering the final possession of regulation with 4.7 seconds remaining and her team down 74-72. Rather than shy away from taking the last shot, Toliver rose to the occasion, knocking down a fadeaway buzzer-beating jumper to send the game into overtime. Los Angeles pulled away in overtime picking up a critical 85-80 victory in the battle for the final playoff spot.
Los Angeles head coach Derek Fisher had nothing but praise for Toliver’s ability to knock down the buzzer-beater despite an otherwise off shooting night: “She’s vital to our success,” Fisher explained postgame. “She embodies a lot of the qualities that Kobe was about...Her ability to make that shot at that time considering how the game had gone for individually; it says a lot about how tough she is and gritty she is.”
The Sparks nearly suffered a massive blow to their playoff hopes when Nneka Ogwumike collapsed to the ground with what appeared to be a knee injury with 3:42 remaining in the second quarter. A hush fell over the crowd as the 2016 MVP limped to the locker room. Did she reaggravate the left knee sprain that caused her to miss 14 games this season? Or worse, was it an ACL injury? Ogwumike put Sparks fans’ worst fears to rest when she returned to the lineup at the start of the second half and proceeded to miss a triple-double by just one rebound and one assist (13 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists).
Odyssey Sims led all scorers with 26 points, though it did take her 27 shots to reach this total. Candice Dupree added 12 points and eight rebounds. The Dream received a solid contribution off the bench from Monique Billings, who finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. Courtney Williams’ normally reliable mid-range pull-up jumper eluded her Tuesday night, as she finished with just 4 points on 2-for-13 shooting. However, in much the same way that Toliver did for Los Angeles, Williams nailed two clutch jumpers near the end of regulation, including one with just 4.7 seconds remaining that appeared to be the game-winner until Toliver’s heroics.
Atlanta’s already slim playoff hopes are quickly fading. Following Tuesday’s setback, the Dream dropped another heartbreaking decision to Los Angeles on Thursday, 66-64, and lost again on Sunday 84-69 to Phoenix. Atlanta has now lost eight straight and sits four games out of the final playoff spot. The Dream next see action when they host Chicago Tuesday evening.
In addition to sweeping Atlanta this week, Los Angeles went on to defeat New York 86-83 Sunday afternoon. The Sparks travel to Washington Tuesday night for their next game in an important contest that will help determine the eighth playoff spot.
Three Stars of the Week
The WNBA’s three best single-game performances this week were so impressive that the league’s second-highest individual scoring output didn’t make the cut. All three players on this week’s list have captured a WNBA title, and each made significant strides toward putting themselves in position to replicate the feat. Without further ado, here they are, the top three single-game efforts over the past seven days.
Third Star: Jewell Loyd - 29 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists on 8/20 at New York
With Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird sitting out Seattle’s first two post-Olympics regular-season games in order to rest, the expectation was for Jewell Loyd to shoulder much of the offensive load in their absence. Loyd responded by putting up a combined 90 points over a trio of games (the third game featuring the post-Olympic return of Stewie and Bird), the largest such point total over a three-game span in Storm history since Lauren Jackson’s second MVP campaign in 2007 per Across the Timeline.
So, which of these three single-game performances earns a spot on this list? While Loyd recorded 26 points in the first of these three games, a Seattle overtime loss against Chicago, her 26.7% effective field goal percentage represented her worst such output all season (until Sunday). Her 35-point explosion in Wednesday night’s loss at New York was phenomenal; however, it did include an 0-for-7 fourth quarter. It was Friday night’s win in the Storm’s rematch at New York that clinched a spot on this list. Loyd’s 29 points came on 8-for-13 shooting from the field, which included a blistering 7-for-9 from behind the arc (tying Sue Bird’s franchise record for triples in a game). This all translated to an 88.5% effective field goal percentage, tied for third among all 20-point performances this season.
Second Star: Brittney Griner - 30 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists on 8/19 vs. Washington
Entering Thursday night, a 30-point, 10-rebound, and 5 assist stat line had been recorded 26 times in league history. No player had accomplished the feat twice in a single season. Brittney Griner changed that, with her 30-point, 12-rebound, and 5-assist virtuoso performance in Phoenix’s 77-64 win over Washington. In a season where Diana Taurasi has missed almost half the season due to injury, Griner’s dominant play has kept Phoenix in contention for a first-round bye. The Phoenix center is currently in the top five in the W in the following categories: points per game (4th), rebounds per game (3rd), blocks per game (1st), points per play (3rd), win shares (3rd), and player efficiency rating (2nd). It’s little wonder PointsBet has her in its top five of players most likely to take home league MVP honors.
First Star: DeWanna Bonner - 31 points 11 rebounds on 8/19 vs. Minnesota
Speaking of 30-point, 10-rebound performances, none was more timely last week than DeWanna Bonner’s effort Thursday night versus Minnesota. The Lynx entered the contest as the hottest team in the W, carrying an eight-game winning streak into Mohegan Sun Arena. The Sun needed a win to keep pace with Seattle and Las Vegas in the race for one of the coveted top two seeds and a double bye in the playoffs (only one top-two seed has failed to make the WNBA finals since the new playoff format took effect in 2016). With league front-runner for MVP Jonquel Jones experiencing early foul trouble, Bonner picked up the offensive slack by posting a double-double and her highest scoring output of the season. Equally as important, the four-time All-Star held Lynx star forward Napheesa Collier to 4-of-15 shooting and just 11 points.
Buzzer inks agreement with the WNBA
Buzzer, a mobile app that makes short-form live sports content available to its users, announced an agreement with the WNBA last week, making the W the first women’s professional sports league on the service. Starting on Wednesday, Buzzer will offer free 10-second previews and the ability to purchase regular-season games on the WNBA League Pass. Buzzer currently has deals with the NBA, NHL, and the PGA Tour and boasts several well-known investors including Sabrina Ionescu, Renee Montgomery, Michael Jordan, Patrick Mahomes, and Naomi Osaka.
“The WNBA is proud to become the first women’s professional league to join Buzzer’s expanding lineup of major professional sports to be offered on the platform,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “We are continually looking for innovative ways to engage and attract fans, and this partnership with Buzzer will provide greater exposure to our game and will showcase the elite play on the court by WNBA players.”
The application curates a sports experience unique to each user based on the preferences they input upon signing up for the service. For example, if someone is a Liz Cambage fan, the user will receive alerts and highlights involving the Las Vegas star center.
It’s a creative approach by the WNBA to attract more of the Gen Z crowd, a group that consumes much of its content through highlights and other short-form videos. While time will tell how effective the Buzzer/WNBA partnership will be in achieving this objective, a recent poll on the Her Hoop Stats Twitter page suggests that it could be an uphill climb.
Natisha Naeher?
NWSL, are you watching? It’s a word overused in sports, but this punt by the Connecticut Sun’s Natisha Hiedeman was incredible.
WNBA schedule this week (All times Eastern)
Here is a full listing of this week’s games, start times, and where you can catch the action.
Adam’s Power Rankings
Check out the Her Hoop Stats Twitter page (@herhoopstats) tomorrow for our latest power rankings! Based on the criterion of who would win if teams played tomorrow on a neutral court, here is my contribution to those rankings:
Her Hoop Stats content in case you missed it
In Part I of a two-part series on Courtside, Christy Winters-Scott and Gabe Ibrahim broke down what lies ahead for the Las Vegas Aces, Connecticut Sun, Seattle Storm, Minnesota Lynx, Chicago Sky, and Phoenix Mercury. Christy and Gabe will cover the remainder of the league in Part II coming soon.
USA Basketball captured another gold medal in international competition; this time it was at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Hungary. Derek Willis chronicled the U19 team’s dominant run.
In WNBA Dissected, Richard Cohen offered his thoughts on which upcoming free agents have raised (or lowered) their stock this season.
Picked to finish dead last in the Pac-12 preseason poll, Washington State turned quite a few heads when it knocked off Oregon State, eventual national runner-up Arizona, and then-AP No. 5 UCLA. How will the Cougars build off of this Cinderella season? Kim Doss offered her thoughts on this and previewed what lies ahead for Arizona State and USC in Part III of her Pac-12 preview.
Other recommended content
Jeré Longman and Romain Molina of The New York Times provided the latest in the Malian basketball sexual abuse scandal that has led to the suspension of the president of Mali’s basketball federation, the imprisonment of a youth national coach, and calls for FIBA’s president to resign.
In August 2019, Liz Cambage wrote about her battles with anxiety and depression and the need for adequate mental health resources in the WNBA. For Sports Illustrated, Jackie Powell covered how the W has answered that call.
For Swish Appeal, Edwin Garcia assessed the Chicago Sky’s season to date and whether the James Wade-led squad is a legitimate title contender.
The Atlanta Dream’s 2021 season has included two head coach departures, the suspension of Chennedy Carter, and a historically poor defense. Spencer Nusbaum of The Next evaluated whether the Dream can turn things around and make a late push for the playoffs.
For The Athletic, Lyndsey D’Arcangelo documented Lauren Cox’s challenges with the Indiana Fever and how she is trying to make the most of her second chance in the W with the Los Angeles Sparks.
Women’s professional basketball trivia question of the week
Who are the only two active WNBA players who have won the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award?
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.