WNBA Power Rankings Week 3 by Her Hoop Stats
The Storm are back on top and Mystics fall in this week's poll
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After another week of three games for each WNBA team, we’re now a third of the way through the shortened season. Last week we saw young players step up, Chennedy Carter make history, and the reigning WNBA champs hand the New York Liberty its first win of the season.
The Storm reclaimed the top spot in the poll, while the Mystics experienced the greatest fall, and we had the first tie of the season in our rankings.
In our points-based ranking system out of 1,200 total points, each team gets 1,200 points for a first-place vote, 1,100 for second place, and so forth, and then we take the average for the overall ranking. This week’s poll is through Sunday, August 9, and does not take games from Monday, August 10, into consideration. Monday’s games will be included in Week 4’s rankings.
1. Seattle Storm (6-1)
Last week’s ranking: 2
Points: 1,200
After one week at the No. 2 spot in our poll, Seattle is unanimously back on top after snapping Phoenix’s hot streak on Saturday. The Storm led by Jewell Loyd and Breanna Stewart held the Mercury, averaging 91.8 points per game before Saturday, to 68 points on 36.4 percent shooting and just 4-for-20 from three. Sue Bird has been out since last Sunday with a knee injury, but Jordin Canada has filled in with ease, just like she did last season. Canada is averaging 10.9 points, 5.0 assists, and 1.7 steals per game through Sunday.
Next up: 8/12 vs. Atlanta Dream (11), 8/14 vs. Dallas Wings (T-9), 8/16 vs. Connecticut Sun (T-9)
2. Chicago Sky (5-2)
Last week’s ranking: 1
Points: 1,070
Chicago’s only loss this week came against a hot Phoenix team. Through the first seven games, Chicago still has five players averaging double figures in points: Kahleah Copper (15.0), Allie Quigley (13.9), Cheyenne Parker (13.9), Courtney Vandersloot (12.4), and Azura Stevens (11.9), and Gabby Williams is right behind them with 9.9 points per game. Even with Stef Dolson out and Diamond DeShields limited coming back from injury, passing is driving the league’s top-scoring offense. The Sky led the league with 88.7 points and 21.7 assists per game through Sunday.
Next up: 8/12 vs. Phoenix Mercury (6), 8/14 vs. Connecticut Sun (T-9), 8/16 vs. Atlanta Dream (11)
3. Las Vegas Aces (5-2)
Last week’s ranking: 4
Points: 990
Coming off a three-game win streak, the Aces survived a scare from New York, high off their first win of the season. A’ja Wilson helped Vegas overcome a 12-point deficit, finishing it off with the game-winning basket with 6.9 seconds left. She led all scorers with 31 points, despite not scoring in the third quarter. Wilson already looks like an MVP candidate with a league-leading 22.3 points on 50 percent shooting and 8.9 rebounds per game. Jackie Young, last year’s No. 1 overall pick, is averaging 8.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 25.0 minutes per game. She faces Indiana on Tuesday coming off back-to-back 15-point games.
Next up: 8/11 vs. Indiana Fever (8), 8/13 vs. Minnesota Lynx (4), 8/15 vs. Washington Mystics (7)
4. Minnesota Lynx (5-2)
Last week’s ranking: 5
Points: 890
Sylvia Fowles missed her first game in her Lynx tenure with a calf injury, but the team still had no problem beating the Liberty by 26 points on Wednesday. Bridget Carleton led the team in her first WNBA start with 25 points and seven rebounds, joining teammate Napheesa Collier and Candace Parker as the only players in WNBA history to record at least 25 points and five rebounds in their first starting game. Odyssey Sims will also return to the court as early as this week, bringing a veteran presence to a young backcourt with Lexie Brown and Crystal Dangerfield, who both had incredible weeks. Together they scored 73 points and dished out 23 assists in the last two games alone. Brown finished the week with 14 steals in three games.
Next up: 8/11 vs. Washington Mystics (7), 8/13 vs. Las Vegas Aces (3), 8/15 vs. New York Liberty (12)
5. Los Angeles Sparks (5-2)
Last week’s ranking: 6
Points: 840
The Sparks capped off the week with a statement win against Minnesota on Sunday led by Candace Parker’s near-triple double. She left the game with 6 minutes and 54 seconds remaining, ending the night just one assist shy. That’s not unusual, according to Kurtis from Across the Timeline, as Parker has eight of the 19 near-triple-doubles in league history. No other player has more than one. The feat would have been Candace’s second WNBA triple-double and the tenth in league history. However, her double-double was her fifth straight, and she’s currently averaging 14.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game on the season.
Next up: 8/11 vs. New York Liberty (12), 8/13 vs. Washington Mystics (7), 8/15 vs. Indiana Fever (8)
6. Phoenix Mercury (4-3)
Last week’s ranking: 7
Points: 700
Phoenix looked unstoppable until they lost to a familiar foe in the Storm on Saturday. Seattle held the Mercury to just seven in the second quarter, but Phoenix almost came back in the fourth, outscoring Seattle 26-12. Phoenix fans breathed a sigh of relief the next day after hearing that the hip injury Diana Taurasi suffered in the fourth quarter is unrelated to the back injury that kept her out for the majority of the 2019 season. Phoenix, who was without leading scorer Bria Hartley on Saturday because of a foot injury, will miss Taurasi in at least one game this week, but hopes to have her back soon. Taurasi’s 5.9 assists per game are good enough for the second-best in the league behind Courtney Vandersloot, who Phoenix meets for the final time on Wednesday.
Next up: 8/12 vs. Chicago Sky (2), 8/14 vs. Atlanta Dream (11), 8/16 vs. Dallas Wings (T-9)
7. Washington Mystics (3-4)
Last week’s ranking: 3
Points: 570
After a fantastic start to the season, the defending WNBA champions experienced the biggest fall in this week’s vote after a four-game losing streak. The last two games have to be the most troubling for Coach Thibault and his squad. After losing close games to the Sky and Aces, Washington lost to the Liberty, becoming the first team to do so this season, and the Fever, a team Washington beat by 25 points on opening day. The Mystics were held to just 37.7 percent shooting against both the Liberty and the Fever and hit only 11 threes in both games combined. They’ll look to bounce back this week, but will face three of the top five teams in our poll.
Next up: 8/11 vs. Minnesota Lynx (4), 8/13 vs. Los Angeles Sparks (5), 8/15 vs. Las Vegas Aces (3)
8. Indiana Fever (3-4)
Last week’s ranking: 8
Points: 520
Indiana handed the Mystics its second upset loss of the weekend on Sunday, avenging the 25-point blowout loss on opening day against the champs. Kelsey Mitchell scored a season-high 29 points in the win, Lauren Cox played 17 minutes in her first start of the season, and Teaira McCowan scored her second double-double of the year coming off the bench. The Fever have had some ups and downs, but are definitely making its case for a spot in the top eight, all without last year’s All-Star MVP Erica Wheeler, who is expected to join the team soon. Despite being under .500, the Fever currently have the best offensive rating in the league.
Next up: 8/11 vs. Las Vegas Aces (3), 8/13 vs. New York Liberty (12), 8/15 vs. Los Angeles Sparks (5)
T-9. Connecticut Sun (1-6)
Last week’s ranking: 9
Points: 320
The Sun finally secured their first win of the season in a 91-68 blowout against Dallas last Thursday. DeWanna Bonner, who had been leading the team and league in scoring before the week began, only scored eight against the Wings. Brionna Jones stepped up, scoring 17 points and grabbing seven rebounds in 24 minutes. Jones continued her momentum against Chicago with her fourth straight double-digit scoring effort of the season. The Sun had five double-digit scorers, but gave up 100 points. Rookie Kaila Charles tied with Bonner for the second-most points on the team with 15 in 25 minutes. Curt Miller will need to turn his team around quickly in order to get back into playoff contention, but the team’s recent scoring has been promising.
Next up: 8/12 vs. Dallas Wings (T-9), 8/14 vs. Chicago Sky (2), 8/16 vs. Seattle Storm (1)
T-9. Dallas Wings (2-4)
Last week’s ranking: 10
Points: 320
Our power ranking voters have a range of views about where the young Dallas team stacks up. The Wings beat Atlanta on Saturday to stop a three-game slide. Kayla Thornton had her best game of the season with 17 points and held Chennedy Carter to 14 points on 5-14 shooting. Arike Ogunbowale is still averaging 20.1 points per game despite her struggles from three. She’s shooting more than anyone else (20.1 attempts a game) and converting just over 40 percent. Rookie Satou Sabally continues to be a top rebounder for the Wings.
Next up: 8/12 vs. Connecticut Sun (T-9), 8/14 vs. Seattle Storm (1), 8/16 vs. Phoenix Mercury (6)
11. Atlanta Dream (2-4)
Last week’s ranking: 11
Points: 280
Although the Dream had a losing week, they showed promise in a down-to-the-wire game against Seattle on Thursday night. Rookie phenom Chennedy Carter had an outstanding performance with 35 points on 11-for-17 shooting and seven assists in the 93-92 loss. She passed Angel McCoughtry for the best scoring performance from a rookie in Dream history, and the youngest player to ever score 30 or more points in a single WNBA game.
The Dream were down seven going into the final 30 seconds, but couldn’t catch up despite three clutch threes in 13.5 seconds from Betnijah Laney and Carter. As newcomer Courtney Williams tweeted, it will take some time for the team to build some chemistry, but don’t be surprised when they start tallying some wins.
Next up: 8/12 vs. Seattle Storm (1), 8/14 vs. Phoenix Mercury (6), 8/16 vs. Chicago Sky (2)
12. New York Liberty (1-6)
Last week’s ranking: 12
Points: 100
New York showed life behind their veteran starters to end a winless start with an upset over the reigning champion Mystics on Friday. Even without No. 1 pick Sabrina Ionescu, who left Florida this week to see a team specialist in Manhattan, the Liberty looked like a new team coming out of an emotional team meeting after a 26-point loss to the Lynx last week. They were one controversial clock malfunction away from another shocking upset over the Aces on Sunday.
Next up: 8/11 vs. Los Angeles Sparks (5), 8/13 vs. Indiana Fever (8), 8/15 vs. Minnesota Lynx (4)
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. You can also buy Her Hoop Stats gear, such as laptop stickers, mugs, and shirts!
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