Category: Basketball

The next step in the process for the Indiana Fever would be establishing a winning streak.

That opportunity comes Sunday in Indianapolis with a matchup against the visiting Phoenix Mercury.

“We’re moving in the right direction,” Fever coach Christie Sides said. “All we talk about is finishing.”

The Fever (2-5) shed their long losing streak stemming from last season earlier this spring and then topped the host Minnesota Lynx 71-69 on Friday night.

The Lynx managed only 14 points in the fourth quarter.

“When we talked about holding them down, we can,” Sides said. “We got those stops that we needed.”

The Mercury (1-5) have dropped three games in a row, including the last two at Dallas.

Perhaps most alarming in the Dallas games was the combined 91-57 rebounding edge for the Wings.

“Right now, what we need is people to rebound,” Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard said. “Right now, we just don’t have that.”

Center Brittney Griner had a team-high 18 points for Phoenix in a 90-77 setback on Friday, but pulled in only five rebounds. Brianna Turner had a team-best eight rebounds off the bench.

Indiana, meanwhile, has had a player with a double-digit rebounding total in each of its last six games.

Indiana is 0-2 at home this season, so breaking through in front of its fans would be a bonus. The Fever’s two prior home games came against the 2022 WNBA finalists, Connecticut and Las Vegas.

“It’s only a matter of time,” Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell said of achieving a sustained breakthrough for the team. “I think our group is really honing in.”

Mitchell scored 22 points in the Minnesota game for her third game this season with 20 or more points.

Mitchell is averaging a team-high 17.4 points, while Fever rookie Aliyah Boston is putting up 15.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. NaLyssa Smith is averaging a double-double with 13.0 points and 10.6 boards.

Griner leads Phoenix in scoring (21.7), rebounding (7.3) and blocks (2.8) while Diana Taurasi leads the team in assists (6.3) and is second in scoring (17.3).

–Field Level Media

In three-plus seasons with the Connecticut Sun, DeWanna Bonner never experienced the prolific production she did Thursday night.

Actually no player in team history was ever as productive as Bonner, who attempts to follow up a career-high 41-point showing with another big game Sunday afternoon when Connecticut visits the Atlanta Dream in College Park, Ga.

Bonner heads into Sunday averaging 17.6 points, up from the 13.5 she contributed in 33 games last season and on par with her scoring average of 19.7 in 2020 after being acquired from Phoenix for three first-round picks.

Bonner has topped 20 points three times so far but doubled her previous season high by making 16 of 23 shots and hitting five 3-pointers in a 94-77 win over the visiting Las Vegas Aces. Bonner’s big night occurred 48 hours after she was held to five points and shot 2-for-9 in 23 minutes in a 90-84 loss to Las Vegas.

Bonner broke the team record of 35 points set by Shannon Johnson during the 2002 season when the franchise was known as the Orlando Miracle.

“We know what she’s capable of and I think, you know, she reminded the league of what type of player she is,” Connecticut forward Alyssa Thomas said.

Besides seeing if Bonner can produce another big game, the Sun (7-2) are hoping to deliver another strong defensive showing. They converted 18 Las Vegas turnovers into 21 points on Thursday.

“We know that every day we’ve got to go out and earn it. Every possession we have to go out and earn it,” Sun coach Stephanie White said. “This is a group who not only accepts that but embraces that.”

Atlanta (2-4) has lost two straight and three of four at home so far. The Dream followed up a 92-87 loss to Las Vegas on June 2 by allowing a season-higih 14 3-pointers in a 106-83 loss to the New York Liberty on Friday.

Alisha Gray scored 17 points and Rhyne Howard added 15 points, but the Dream were unable to prevent Sabrina Ionescu from scoring 37.

“I’ll eat Sabrina having 37,” Atlanta coach Tanisha Wright said. “I clearly didn’t have the right game plan.”

–Field Level Media

The Washington Mystics aim to complete a two-game sweep of the Storm on Sunday afternoon when the teams reconvene in Seattle.

Brittney Sykes scored a season-high 18 points and Shakira Austin recorded her fourth consecutive double-double on Friday to propel the Mystics to a 73-66 victory over the Storm. Austin collected 15 points and 11 rebounds for Washington (4-3), which made just 38.2 percent of its shots from the floor (26 of 68) and 27.3 percent from 3-point range (6 of 22).

Elena Delle Donne contributed 11 points and seven rebounds to offset five turnovers for the Mystics.

Washington, which enjoyed a wire-to-wire win, was given plenty of anxious moments after mustering just 10 points in the third quarter.

“The ball stopped moving,” Mystics coach Eric Thibault said, per the Washington Post. “Thought we just had way too many possessions where we tried to force the first action and went away from things that were working for us.

“We tried to make some home-run plays up and down the roster that we didn’t need to make.”

Ezi Magbegor erupted for a season-high 24 points for the Storm (1-5), who were unable to overcome the absence of star Jewell Loyd (foot injury). Loyd is averaging a WNBA-best 28.0 points per game.

Seattle has struggled to forge a new identity following the departures of Breanna Stewart (New York) and Sue Bird (retirement).

“It’s a challenge for me because I have yet to have a team like this,” Seattle coach Noelle Quinn said. “The emphasizing, the coaching, the teaching, the reteaching of film and all of those things. Every single day matters and every single drill matters. And the repetition that this group needs is something that is cool for me, as a coach, to go through. Getting back to basics.”

Speaking of Bird, the Storm will retire her No. 10 jersey on Sunday. The 13-time All-Star and four-time WNBA champion will join former teammate Lauren Jackson as the lone players to see their respective jersey numbers retired by the Storm.

–Field Level Media

Brittney Sykes scored 18 points, Shakira Austin had a double-double and the visiting Washington Mystics defeated the Seattle Storm 73-66 on Friday night.

Austin finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds and Elena Delle Donne scored 11, eight of which came in the first quarter, for the Mystics, who never trailed.

Ezi Magbegor scored 24 and Jordan Horston added 10 points and nine rebounds off the bench for the Storm, who played without Jewell Loyd, the NBA’s leading scorer who rested a sore foot.

Horston scored five points, Megbegor added four and Seattle started the third quarter with a 13-4 run to get within 50-45.

Washington followed with a 6-3 run to increase the lead to 56-48 at the end of the third quarter.

Neither team made a field goal during the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, but the Mystics scored the first three points to extend the lead to 11 points.

Sami Whitcomb’s 3-pointer produced the Storm’s first points of the period and trimmed the lead to eight with 6:08 left.

Washington rebuilt the lead to 11, but Magbegor’s three-point play and two free throws by Yvonne Turner pulled Seattle within 66-60 with 2:35 left.

Tianna Hawkins answered with a layup with 1:35 remaining as Washington held on despite scoring just 27 points in the second half, which matched their second-quarter total.

Delle Donne scored the first four points of the game and added another basket as the Mystics took a 12-4 lead.

Magbegor had a basket and two assists as the Storm got within one point before Delle Donne’s basket helped give Washington a 19-16 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Kristi Toliver and Sykes each made a 3-pointer as the Mystics opened an eight-point lead early in the second quarter.

Seattle closed within three points before Washington scored 18 points in the final five minutes to open a 46-32 halftime lead.

–Field Level Media

Nneka Ogwumike scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, Dearica Hamby finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and five steals, and the Los Angeles Sparks dispatched the visiting Chicago Sky 77-62 on Friday.

Los Angeles (4-3) relied on its defense, which forced Chicago (5-4) into 17 turnovers, to overcome its own offensive woes. The Sparks endured a woeful shooting performance, finishing the night just 28-for-73 (38.4 percent) from the floor, including 3-for-20 (15 percent) from 3-point range.

Los Angeles also endured the early exit of Layshia Clarendon, who left in the second quarter due to a right foot injury.

Karlie Samuelson stepped into the void created by Clarendon’s departure, and the veteran player — initially signed to a hardship contract before she was extended for the season earlier this week — gave the Sparks seven points and three rebounds off the bench.

Samuelson hit one of Los Angeles’ three 3-pointers, putting a bow on the Sparks’ 11-0 run to end the game.

Los Angeles held Chicago scoreless for the final 3:08 and gave up just four points over the last 6:45.

The Sparks’ stifling defense limited the Sky to just 27-of-67 shooting from (40.3 percent) the floor and 4-of-23 (17.4 percent) from beyond the 3-point arc. Alanna Smith, who matched Ogwumike with a game-high 19 points, accounted for two of Chicago’s 3-pointers on seven attempts from deep.

Smith also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, blocked five shots and had two steals. Elizabeth Williams finished with 14 points, and Kahleah Copper scored 10 points for Chicago. The Sky scored their fewest points of the season — one game after posting a season-high 108 points while beating the Indiana Fever in overtime on Tuesday.

While limiting Chicago on one side of the floor, Los Angeles capitalized on the other with free-throw opportunities. The Sparks shot 18-for-22 from the line, including 6-for-6 by Jordin Canada, who finished with 16 points.

Chicago was just 4-for-8 from the foul line.

–Field Level Media

Kelsey Mitchell scored 22 points while NaLyssa Smith and Aliyah Boston each recorded double-doubles Friday night as the Indiana Fever nipped the Minnesota Lynx 71-69 in Minneapolis.

Mitchell’s three-point play with 1:54 left gave Indiana (2-5) a 67-66 lead. Smith converted a layup on the next possession for a three-point advantage, and Erica Wheeler sank two foul shots to make it 71-66 at the 1:03 mark.

Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier drained a 3-pointer with 1:01 remaining to cut the deficit to two points. After the Fever turned the ball over, the Lynx (1-7) had two shots on their next possession. However, Kayla McBride couldn’t hit a 3-point attempt and Collier misfired on a pullup jumper.

Wheeler was fouled and missed two foul shots with 4.8 seconds on the clock, but Minnesota couldn’t get off a shot before time expired.

Smith finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Boston added 10 points and 11 boards. Wheeler also contributed 10 points.

Collier pumped in a game-high 28 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, while McBride scored 11 but made only 3 of 9 attempts from the field. The Lynx canned just 38.1 percent of their field-goal tries, while the Fever made 40.6 percent.

As might befit a matchup of teams that entered with a combined 2-11 record, both started slowly. Neither team got to double figures until Mitchell canned a 3-pointer with 2:24 left in the first quarter. Indiana took a 16-14 edge after Boston converted a layup with 6.2 seconds remaining in the opening period.

Neither team led by more than five in a tightly contested second quarter. Minnesota’s 30-25 cushion was quickly erased as the Fever went on an 11-4 surge over the last 3:44, getting a pullup jumper from Wheeler on their last possession to earn a 36-34 advantage at the break.

The score was tied 46-46 late in the third quarter before the Lynx got back-to-back 3-pointers from McBride and Rachel Banham, and a layup from Collier that gave them a 55-51 edge going to the fourth period.

–Field Level Media

Arike Ogunbowale scored a season-high 35 points and Satou Sabally produced 17 points and 16 rebounds as the Dallas Wings completed a two-game home sweep of the Phoenix Mercury with a 90-77 victory on Friday in Arlington, Texas.

Natasha Howard finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots for Dallas (5-3).

Ogunbowale fell four points shy of her career high set against the Washington Mystics on Sept. 6, 2020.

Phoenix (1-5) has lost all three of its road games this season while the Wings improved to 4-0 at home.

Brittney Griner, in her first week back in Texas since her release from a Russia prison six months ago, drew a sellout crowd on Friday.

A crowd of 6,251 attended the game at the College Park Center on Texas-Arlington’s campus.

Griner, a Houston native and an All-American at Baylor, finished with a team-high 18 points and five rebounds on Friday. She had 24 points and four rebounds in the Mercury’s 84-79 loss to Dallas on Wednesday.

Phoenix’s Sug Sutton finished with 16 points and a game-high nine assists, and Diana Taurasi had 12 points and five assists (but also committed four turnovers).

The Mercury, who ranked last in the WNBA in rebounding entering the game at 30.2 per game, were outrebounded 41-31.

Dallas outscored Phoenix 19-8 in fastbreak points.

The Wings went on a 12-0 run to take a 66-53 lead with 1:38 left in the third quarter. Sabally had eight points and Howard four in the rally.

Phoenix committed three turnovers and missed seven shots from the field during that stretch.

Moriah Jefferson snapped the dry spell for the Mercury by making a 3-pointer with 1:15 remaining in the third quarter.

Phoenix did not come closer than eight points afterward and trailed by as many as 22 in the fourth quarter.

Dallas led 45-42 at halftime after Griner was assessed a technical foul for elbowing Howard late in the second quarter.

–Field Level Media