WNBA Power Rankings

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Sep 3, 2009

WNBA Power Rankings

Seattle Storm

First, the good news: a trio of quality victories against East foes Connecticut (86-74), Atlanta (91-84) and New York (65-58) has the Storm poised to overtake the West-leading Mercury. Now, the bad: team MVP Lauren Jackson is out indefinitely with a stress fracture in her lower back. Seattle's leading scorer with 19.2 points per game, Jackson had a bone scan last Friday that revealed the injury. But the Storm showed just how good they can be without her, besting the Liberty on Tuesday night for a sixth straight win that moved them to within one game of the Mercury. Next three: 9/3 at Washington; 9/5 at Minnesota; 9/10 vs. Phoenix

Phoenix Mercury

The Mercury may have locked up a playoff spot, but their status atop the West is anything but assured. After beating the Liberty on Tuesday night, the second-place Storm is just a game back and closing fast. Phoenix imperiled its two-game advantage with a 10-point loss to Washington last Friday night, but bounced back with a pair of solid wins at Los Angeles (98-90) and against Connecticut (95-84). Next three: 9/2 at Indiana; 9/5 vs. Atlanta; 9/10 at Seattle

Indiana Fever

Postseason harbingers don't come much more ominous than this: after suffering just two defeats in as many months, Katie Douglas (pictured) and the Fever have lost four times in less than four weeks. The most recent came last Saturday against lowly Sacramento in Indianapolis. Indiana led by 14 points in the third quarter and 63-57 heading into the fourth, but ultimately failed in their bid to capture their 14th straight home victory and the East's top overall seed in the playoffs. "You have to take advantage of every opportunity," said a disappointed Tamika Catchings, who finished with 22 points, six rebounds and four steals against the Monarchs. Next three: 9/2 vs. Phoenix; 9/4 at Detroit; 9/6 vs. Washington

Atlanta Dream

Last week was a rough one for the Dream. First, they lost leading scorer Chamique Holdsclaw to a right knee injury last Sunday, then they dropped road games in Detroit (87-83) and Seattle (91-84). Holdsclaw had the knee scoped last Sunday, and the team expects her to make a full recovery. Though the fact that is the second time that knee has been cut open in the last nine months should give Dream fans cause for concern, the 84-79 victory Atlanta got over the Sparks in LA without her -- thanks to Iziane Castro Marques' (pictured) 27 points -- is plenty encouraging. Next three: 9/4 at Sacramento; 9/5 at Phoenix; 9/11 vs. Connecticut

Los Angeles Sparks

A 98-90 loss to the Mercury last Thursday halted the Sparks' six-game win streak. One expects they would have stretched it to seven games had they been able to call on Candace Parker, who missed the Phoenix game because of undisclosed personal reasons. (Parker later Tweeted that her 3-month-old daughter, Lailaa, was sick.) She returned three nights later for LA's clash with Connecticut, tallying 20 points, 13 rebounds and four assists in a 91-81 victory. Next three: 9/5 at San Antonio; 9/8 vs. San Antonio; 9/11 vs. Minnesota

Detroit Shock

Victories in five of their last six games have stoked Rick Mahorn's Shock's flickering hopes of defending their WNBA crown, and no player has been hotter during that run than Deanna Nolan. The swingwoman won her fourth career Player of the Week on Monday after averaging a league-leading 26.7 points on 41.8 percent shooting, 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists in games against Connecticut, Atlanta and San Antonio. After scoring a season-high 34 points on the Silver Stars, she added 21 more in a 101-99 win over Phoenix Tuesday that allowed Detroit to slip into the East's last playoff spot. Next three: 9/4 vs. Indiana; 9/6 vs. Chicago; 9/9 at Minnesota

Washington Mystics

The Mystics avenged a 78-68 defeat at Seattle last Tuesday with an 81-75 victory against Minnesota two days later that would see Crystal Langhorne (pictured) lead all Washington players with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Though the effort wasn't enough to get her squad's record back above .500, thanks to Connecticut's late-season swoon the Mystics remain in the East playoff picture and in control of their own destiny. Next three: 9/3 vs. Seattle; 9/4 at Chicago; 9/6 at Indiana

Chicago Sky

Only the Sky could lose two of three and gain position in the East's heated playoff race last week. But Connecticut four-straight defeats have given schizophrenic Chicago a leg up in the standings. (They've since been leapfrogged by Detroit.) So which team will close out the season? Will it be the one that beat New York by 19 at home last Friday, the one that lost by 14 at the Garden last Sunday or both? Said coach Steven Key: "If we win four games, it doesn't matter. We're still in control of what happens to us." Next three: 9/4 vs. Washington; 9/6 at Detroit; 9/10 vs. Indiana

San Antonio Silver Stars

It was a week of ignominy and accomplishment for the Silver Stars' Becky Hammon (pictured). After being held scoreless for the first time in exactly four years in a 77-66 loss at Indiana, Hammon dropped 32 points and nine assists in a 100-88 victory that kept fourth-place San Antonio in the playoff hunt. With that effort, Hammon joined teammate Vickie Johnson as the only players in league history to notch 4,000 career points and 1,000 career assists. Next three: 9/5 vs. Los Angeles; 9/8 at Los Angeles; 9/10 at Sacramento

Connecticut Sun

How much of a difference could injured forward Asjha Jones have made for Kiesha Brown (pictured) and the Sun last week? The average margin of defeat in road losses to Seattle (86-74), Phoenix (95-84) and Los Angeles (91-81) was exactly 11 points. Jones' season scoring average is 16.7 points. Her loss is just one in a number adversities that the Sun are trying to overcome. Another is top reserve Erin Phillips, who played just 19 seconds after sitting out the Mercury game with a strained left knee.

Minnesota Lynx

Last Friday the Lynx sunk a record 16 three-pointers against Sacramento and only beat the Monarchs 100-95 to stay a game ahead of the Silver Stars in the race for the final playoff spot in the West. But then just when they were up, Renee Montgomery (pictured) and the Lynx dropped their next two road games against Washington (81-75) and San Antonio (84-82, 2OT) to move back behind the Silver Stars in the postseason push. One wonders whether they'd be in as precarious a predicament if they hadn't lost Seimone Augustus to a torn left ACL. "That was devastating," Lynx coach Jennifer Gillom said. Next three: 9/5 vs. Seattle; 9/9 vs. Detroit; 9/11 at Los Angeles

New York Liberty

The Liberty has four games left to make a run for the postseason, and the path ain't easy. Their 65-58 loss to the Storm on Tuesday dropped them 21/2 games behind Detroit and Washington for the last two playoff spots in the East. New York led by a point at halftime, but were ultimately done in by a 10-of-31 shooting effort. All-Star Shameka Christon (pictured) epitomized the squad's struggles, sinking just one of her nine three-point attempts. "That's Shameka's game," Liberty interim coach Anne Donovan reasoned. "We are confident that she is going to knock the next one down, so that's not an issue for me." Next three: 9/4 at Connecticut; 9/8 vs. Indiana; 9/10 at Detroit

Sacramento Monarchs

The Monarchs season of losing got worse on Monday with the announcement that guard Kara Lawson would miss the rest of the season with tendinitis in her right quadriceps muscle. But to the team's credit, it continues to fight. After allowing 16 threes in a 100-95 loss to Minnesota last Friday, the Monarchs showed impressive resolve and determination in much-needed victories at Indiana (79-78) and against Connecticut (90-70). "We're going to play until the end of the season," the Monarchs Rebekkah Brunson declared after Sacramento's win in Indianapolis. "We have a lot of pride in our locker room." Next three: 9/4 vs. Atlanta; 9/10 vs. San Antonio; 9/13 vs. Minnesota