Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the WNBA daily as we try to heal from this pandemic.
The Indiana Fever are on a bit of a streak going into the Olympic break.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Hakim Wright/AP.)
Well, well. What do we have here?!
I had been saying for weeks that the WNBA is full of talented players. And that the Indiana Fever are better than the 1-16 record indicated.
Well, they defeated the Connecticut Sun and New York Liberty after that hapless period. And now they’ve won three straight as they beat the Atlanta Dream by double digits.
The Dream did not make a single point for over 8 minutes of play, which encompassed both third and fourth quarters. It’s not like the Dream didn’t have a chance, either, as neither team scored for the first three and a half minutes of the fourth. But eventually, Teaira McCowan scored 6 of the first 10 points of the last regulation quarter. It was a 14-0 overall run by the Fever, which snuffed hope for Atlanta. The Dream did go on a late 8-0 run but the lead was just too big of a mountain for ATL to climb.
McCowan finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocks and I have championed her potential for a while now. Odyssey Sims led the Dream with 20 points. As mentioned, the Fever have won three in a row and have a slightly more respectable record at 4-16. The Dream drop to 6-13.
It’s tough to keep momentum going with a month-long break. But at the very least, they know now that they can win games and what’s more important for a team that is dwelling at the cellar to have more confidence and to get better each and every game.
Good on you, Fever!
Bullet Passes
The Las Vegas Aces took care of the Dallas Wings as A’ja Wilson came close to an elusive triple-double with 22-13-8. The Aces finish with a 15-6 record before the Olympic break.
It’s not the best record in the league, though, as Seattle keeps pace after a win against the Phoenix Mercury. The veteran, Epiphanny Prince, led the Storm with 15 off the bench. Kia Nurse scored a season-best 28 points and a career-high 7 three-pointers but it wasn’t enough against the defending champions.
Jonquel Jones led the Sun defense against the Liberty. She finished with 17 points and 17 boards. She should be definitely in your Top 3 (or Top 1) in your MVP voting. The Sun are in third place with a 14-6 slate.
Finally, the Minnesota Lynx stay in fourth as they extended their winning streak to 7 games. They blew out the Sparks in Los Angeles. Napheesa Collier muscled her way to 27 points in that thrashing.
In addition to the All-Star game coming up on Wednesday, we will have the three-point shootout at halftime. Two-time winner Allie Quigley returns to the competition. Challenging for the crown as well are all newcomers to the shootout: Jonquel Jones, Sami Whitcomb (Liberty), and Jewell Loyd (Storm). Can’t wait to see this!
WNBA Scoreboard
July 11, 2021
Watch This Play
The Sparks haven’t had a great season but I did like this Brittney Sykes buzzerbeater. Tough turnaround shot here.
OH MY, BRITTNEY SYKES AT THE BUZZER 🚨 @BrittBundlez@minnesotalynx lead the @lasparks 43-31 at halftime@PHEEsespieces: 12 PTS, 6 REB@EWeezy_For3eezy: 8 PTS, 5 AST
💻 https://t.co/fnncD5G4m5 pic.twitter.com/GrhdN1rkdg
— WNBA (@WNBA) July 12, 2021
Check out all-star coverage here on Thursday!
Everyone, please take care of yourselves during this pandemic. And that goes for everyone involved with the WNBA as well.
You can find Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
You can also check out Rey-Rey’s podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental, for more basketball content and, really, whatever else.
R.I.P. Nala.