DraftKings and FanDuel Price Differences
Top 5 FanDuel
PLAYER | POS | TEAM | FanDuel Price | % of Budget | DraftKings Price | % of Budget | Difference |
Alex Bentley | G | ATL | 5100 | 12.8% | 8100 | 16.2% | -3.5% |
Brittney Griner | F | PHO | 7900 | 19.8% | 11500 | 23.0% | -3.3% |
Chelsea Gray | G | LA | 6600 | 16.5% | 9700 | 19.4% | -2.9% |
Renee Montgomery | G | ATL | 5300 | 13.3% | 8000 | 16.0% | -2.8% |
Elena Delle Donne | F | WAS | 8000 | 20.0% | 11300 | 22.6% | -2.6% |
Top 5 DraftKings
PLAYER | POS | TEAM | FanDuel Price | % of Budget | DraftKings Price | % of Budget | Difference |
Alana Beard | G | LA | 4600 | 11.5% | 3600 | 7.2% | 4.3% |
Alexis Jones | G | LA | 3900 | 9.8% | 3200 | 6.4% | 3.4% |
Brooke McCarty-Williams | G | DAL | 4200 | 10.5% | 3600 | 7.2% | 3.3% |
Camille Little | F | PHO | 4800 | 12.0% | 4400 | 8.8% | 3.2% |
Han Xu | F | NY | 4400 | 11.0% | 4000 | 8.0% | 3.0% |
2019 Team Stats
2019 Advanced Team Offense Stats
2019 Team Defense Stats
2019 Opposition Scoring
Data from WNBA.com
New York Liberty at Atlanta Dream
Injuries
Note: All return dates are just estimates
New York
Name | Pos | Injury | Status | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|
Asia Durr | G | Groin | OUT | 9/8/2019 |
Kiah Stokes | C | Personal | OUT | 5/2/2020 |
Atlanta
Name | Pos | Injury | Status | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tiffany Hayes | G | Knee | OUT | 9/8/2019 |
Jessica Breland | F | Illness | OUT | 9/8/2019 |
Angel McCoughtry | F | Knee | OUT | 9/9/2019 |
Kristy Wallace | G | Knee | OUT | 5/1/2020 |
2019 Player Stats
New York
PLAYER | G | GS | MPG | PPG | OREB | DREB | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TO | PF |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
32 | 32 | 31.1 | 17.2 | 2.0 | 5.5 | 7.4 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 39.0 | 19.0 | 80.9 | 2.6 | 2.8 | |
DraftKings and FanDuel Price Differences
Top 5 FanDuel
PLAYER | POS | TEAM | FanDuel Price | % of Budget | DraftKings Price | % of Budget | Difference |
Alex Bentley | G | ATL | 5100 | 12.8% | 8100 | 16.2% | -3.5% |
Brittney Griner | F | PHO | 7900 | 19.8% | 11500 | 23.0% | -3.3% |
Chelsea Gray | G | LA | 6600 | 16.5% | 9700 | 19.4% | -2.9% |
Renee Montgomery | G | ATL | 5300 | 13.3% | 8000 | 16.0% | -2.8% |
Elena Delle Donne | F | WAS | 8000 | 20.0% | 11300 | 22.6% | -2.6% |
Top 5 DraftKings
PLAYER | POS | TEAM | FanDuel Price | % of Budget | DraftKings Price | % of Budget | Difference |
Alana Beard | G | LA | 4600 | 11.5% | 3600 | 7.2% | 4.3% |
Alexis Jones | G | LA | 3900 | 9.8% | 3200 | 6.4% | 3.4% |
Brooke McCarty-Williams | G | DAL | 4200 | 10.5% | 3600 | 7.2% | 3.3% |
Camille Little | F | PHO | 4800 | 12.0% | 4400 | 8.8% | 3.2% |
Han Xu | F | NY | 4400 | 11.0% | 4000 | 8.0% | 3.0% |
2019 Team Stats
2019 Advanced Team Offense Stats
2019 Team Defense Stats
2019 Opposition Scoring
Data from WNBA.com
New York Liberty at Atlanta Dream
Injuries
Note: All return dates are just estimates
New York
Name | Pos | Injury | Status | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|
Asia Durr | G | Groin | OUT | 9/8/2019 |
Kiah Stokes | C | Personal | OUT | 5/2/2020 |
Atlanta
Name | Pos | Injury | Status | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tiffany Hayes | G | Knee | OUT | 9/8/2019 |
Jessica Breland | F | Illness | OUT | 9/8/2019 |
Angel McCoughtry | F | Knee | OUT | 9/9/2019 |
Kristy Wallace | G | Knee | OUT | 5/1/2020 |
2019 Player Stats
New York
PLAYER | G | GS | MPG | PPG | OREB | DREB | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TO | PF |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
32 | 32 | 31.1 | 17.2 | 2.0 | 5.5 | 7.4 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 39.0 | 19.0 | 80.9 | 2.6 | 2.8 | |
33 | 33 | 29.8 | 14.0 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 39.7 | 36.2 | 86.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | |
23 | 17 | 22.6 | 9.9 | 0.8 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 37.1 | 33.3 | 80.0 | 2.1 | 2.3 | |
19 | 15 | 25.3 | 9.3 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 47.1 | 29.4 | 81.8 | 1.1 | 1.8 | |
23 | 22 | 23.2 | 8.4 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 6.1 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 47.8 | 32.3 | 85.2 | 1.3 | 3.3 | |
18 | 0 | 18.3 | 7.7 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 46.7 | 41.9 | 78.9 | 1.2 | 1.5 | |
23 | 2 | 17.0 | 7.3 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 42.9 | 44.6 | 81.3 | 0.7 | 2.1 | |
32 | 17 | 19.8 | 5.4 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 40.4 | 33.3 | 76.5 | 2.4 | 2.0 | |
33 | 10 | 15.7 | 5.3 | 1.8 | 3.4 | 5.2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 46.9 | 66.7 | 57.6 | 1.2 | 3.4 | |
30 | 16 | 19.7 | 4.6 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 2.8 | 4.1 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 41.5 | 35.3 | 80.6 | 1.8 | 2.0 | |
27 | 1 | 13.1 | 3.8 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 56.6 | 33.3 | 65.2 | 0.8 | 1.6 | |
17 | 0 | 7.9 | 3.2 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 41.4 | 50.0 | 50.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 |
Atlanta
PLAYER | G | GS | MPG | PPG | OREB | DREB | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TO | PF |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
29 | 29 | 28.2 | 14.7 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 39.3 | 30.8 | 76.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 | |
33 | 26 | 25.8 | 10.2 | 0.7 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 36.1 | 26.7 | 71.1 | 2.1 | 1.7 | |
33 | 33 | 27.8 | 9.6 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 37.2 | 32.4 | 83.7 | 1.9 | 1.5 | |
31 | 31 | 28.4 | 9.3 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 6.4 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 45.4 | 0.0 | 73.6 | 1.3 | 2.3 | |
28 | 4 | 21.8 | 8.7 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 30.4 | 23.4 | 87.1 | 1.5 | 2.0 | |
32 | 32 | 23.2 | 7.4 | 1.3 | 5.8 | 7.1 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 37.3 | 23.7 | 87.1 | 1.1 | 2.0 | |
28 | 2 | 19.3 | 5.6 | 2.2 | 4.9 | 7.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 39.3 | 100 | 77.6 | 1.6 | 2.3 | |
27 | 6 | 14.0 | 5.1 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 34.1 | 38.6 | 52.5 | 0.7 | 1.8 | |
30 | 1 | 11.2 | 3.3 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 36.9 | 34.8 | 72.7 | 1.0 | 2.0 | |
30 | 1 | 15.1 | 3.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 32.6 | 25.0 | 87.5 | 1.0 | 0.7 | |
9 | 0 | 8.3 | 2.8 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 3.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 64.3 | 0.0 | 53.8 | 0.4 | 2.2 | |
0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
The Skinny
With the two worst records in the WNBA, both teams are out of the playoff hunt, so no reason to fear any starters will sit for rest ahead of the postseason. It's safe to expect big minutes and big-time production from the Liberty's star forward Tina Charles, who's averaging a healthy 17.2 points and 7.4 boards this season, accompanied by eight double-doubles. Amanda Zahui B has been in a scoring slump as of late, going for just 6.9 points over her last seven games, including a donut over 15 minutes Friday. She's one of the best two-way players in the game, however, and her 6.1 rebounds and 2.4 combined blocks/steals per contest should make up for any continued scoring deficiencies. With Asia Durr still dealing with a groin injury, the Liberty may shut her down Sunday, and Bria Hartley can be expected to play her usual role. Marine Johannes comes into Sunday's game on a recent three-game tear, averaging 19.7 points, 5.3 assists and 3.7 rebounds in that span. She's worth a look while in the midst of a hot streak.
The biggest story for the Dream in a lost season is the health of Angel McCoughtry. McCoughtry has missed all season rehabbing from a torn ACL suffered last season, and she will not play in Sunday's season finale as she had hoped. The Liberty give up an WNBA-worst 85.4 points per contest, so that defensive inefficiency could be exploited by a Dream squad that has scored the fewest points per game this season with just 71.3. Alex Bentley could see more extended action in the event Tiffany Hayes (knee) is out again. In her two recent tilts without Hayes, Bentley has averaged 13.0 points, 5.5 assists and 1.0 steals. Elizabeth Williams put together a solid season and has averaged 17.5 points and eight boards over her last two contests, highlighted by an eight-block performance Thursday. Her two-way play gives her a safe floor Sunday.
Connecticut Sun at Indiana Fever
Injuries
Note: All return dates are just estimates
Connecticut
Name | Pos | Injury | Status | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|
Theresa Plaisance | F | Back | GTD | 9/8/2019 |
Layshia Clarendon | G | Ankle | OUT | 9/8/2019 |
Indiana
Name | Pos | Injury | Status | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|
Victoria Vivians | G | Knee | SUSP-INJ | 4/1/2020 |
Shenise Johnson | G | Knee | OUT | 5/1/2020 |
2019 Player Stats
Connecticut
PLAYER | G | GS | MPG | PPG | OREB | DREB | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TO | PF |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
33 | 33 | 29.4 | 14.7 | 3.3 | 6.5 | 9.8 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 45.0 | 29.6 | 82.0 | 2.0 | 2.8 | |
33 | 33 | 29.3 | 13.4 | 1.4 | 4.2 | 5.6 | 3.8 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 43.8 | 48.5 | 79.5 | 1.7 | 1.4 | |
33 | 33 | 30.6 | 11.9 | 2.5 | 5.4 | 7.8 | 3.2 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 50.9 | 0.0 | 49.6 | 2.1 | 2.8 | |
33 | 33 | 30.1 | 11.3 | 0.6 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 5.2 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 39.3 | 36.7 | 80.0 | 2.7 | 1.8 | |
33 | 33 | 24.0 | 9.0 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 40.7 | 38.3 | 81.5 | 0.8 | 2.3 | |
9 | 0 | 15.3 | 6.2 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 41.9 | 100 | 85.7 | 0.9 | 0.8 | |
33 | 0 | 15.2 | 6.2 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 40.3 | 32.3 | 64.8 | 0.9 | 1.1 | |
32 | 0 | 10.2 | 3.6 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 39.4 | 38.5 | 60.0 | 0.8 | 1.3 | |
28 | 0 | 12.0 | 3.6 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 32.1 | 30.4 | 63.6 | 0.9 | 1.1 | |
19 | 0 | 9.6 | 3.5 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 40.7 | 44.4 | 52.6 | 0.7 | 1.2 | |
26 | 0 | 7.6 | 3.1 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 49.2 | 0.0 | 64.5 | 0.7 | 1.3 | |
9 | 0 | 7.1 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 34.8 | 33.3 | 100 | 0.1 | 1.3 |
Indiana
PLAYER | G | GS | MPG | PPG | OREB | DREB | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TO | PF |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
33 | 19 | 25.0 | 13.3 | 0.1 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 2.7 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 37.9 | 35.9 | 81.0 | 1.5 | 1.6 | |
33 | 33 | 30.5 | 11.9 | 0.8 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 47.0 | 0.0 | 83.9 | 1.5 | 0.9 | |
33 | 15 | 21.9 | 10.1 | 3.2 | 5.7 | 8.9 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 52.0 | 0.0 | 70.1 | 1.3 | 3.2 | |
33 | 33 | 24.8 | 10.0 | 0.1 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 4.9 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 43.0 | 37.3 | 86.7 | 2.8 | 2.2 | |
33 | 14 | 25.1 | 9.8 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 2.8 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 38.5 | 30.0 | 89.2 | 1.7 | 2.5 | |
29 | 18 | 21.5 | 9.1 | 1.6 | 3.5 | 5.1 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 50.8 | 42.9 | 93.3 | 1.0 | 2.5 | |
33 | 27 | 26.1 | 5.7 | 1.0 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 36.5 | 31.3 | 56.7 | 1.3 | 1.7 | |
17 | 0 | 12.9 | 4.9 | 0.6 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 33.3 | 24.2 | 93.8 | 0.7 | 1.0 | |
30 | 6 | 13.0 | 4.1 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 37.0 | 31.4 | 72.1 | 0.6 | 0.9 | |
10 | 0 | 5.5 | 2.9 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 40.7 | 55.6 | 50.0 | 0.9 | 0.3 | |
22 | 0 | 8.7 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 52.4 | 0.0 | 66.7 | 0.4 | 1.8 | |
14 | 0 | 7.2 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 13.6 | 0.0 | 100 | 0.2 | 0.9 | |
0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
The Skinny
Connecticut has propelled to the top of the standings, thanks in large part to the outstanding play of Jonquel Jones, who has nearly averaged a double-double this season with 14.7 points and a league-leading 9.8 rebounds per contest to to go along with 3.3 combined blocks/steals. Jones may not see much action Sunday, as the Sun are locked into the No. 2 seed and will not play again until the conference semifinals regardless of the outcome of this game. If Brionna Jones draws the start at center, she could provide substantial value, as she's averaged 14.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per-36 minutes this season. Look for the Sun to limit all of their starters, particularly Alyssa Thomas and Courtney Williams. As a result, Bria Holmes may see an increased run.
The Fever finds itself on the outside of the playoffs looking in. Indiana has gotten a lot out of center Teaira McCowan over the last couple of weeks, as she is on an incredible hot streak with five straight double-doubles, including averages of 19.2 points, 14.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in that span. Long-time veteran Candice Dupree should see her usual workload, and because of her scoring abilities, the veteran forward could be in line for a bump in points with Connecticut resting its starters. Erica Wheeler has been an erratic scorer, especially as of late, but she typically finishes with solid stat lines thanks to her work on the boards and ability to facilitate.
Chicago Sky at Washington Mystics
Injuries
Note: All return dates are just estimates
Chicago
Name | Pos | Injury | Status | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jantel Lavender | C | Foot | OUT | 11/15/2019 |
Washington
Name | Pos | Injury | Status | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tianna Hawkins | F | Rest | OUT | 9/8/2019 |
Kiara Leslie | G | Knee | OUT | 9/8/2019 |
Kristi Toliver | G | Knee | OUT | 9/10/2019 |
2019 Player Stats
Chicago
PLAYER | G | GS | MPG | PPG | OREB | DREB | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TO | PF |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
33 | 33 | 30.1 | 16.2 | 0.9 | 4.8 | 5.6 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 39.9 | 32.5 | 83.5 | 2.2 | 2.7 | |
33 | 33 | 28.8 | 13.8 | 0.4 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 49.0 | 43.3 | 87.0 | 1.4 | 1.8 | |
32 | 32 | 30.1 | 11.5 | 0.6 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 9.2 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 45.6 | 29.5 | 85.0 | 2.9 | 1.5 | |
23 | 22 | 26.9 | 10.0 | 2.0 | 4.9 | 6.9 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 49.0 | 22.2 | 90.5 | 1.4 | 1.5 | |
33 | 33 | 25.1 | 9.4 | 1.2 | 4.4 | 5.6 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 51.5 | 36.1 | 91.5 | 1.9 | 3.6 | |
33 | 0 | 19.7 | 8.9 | 1.8 | 4.0 | 5.8 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 46.1 | 27.8 | 83.9 | 1.3 | 2.4 | |
20 | 10 | 17.9 | 6.9 | 1.4 | 2.9 | 4.3 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 50.9 | 40.6 | 72.2 | 0.7 | 1.8 | |
33 | 0 | 14.8 | 6.5 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 37.8 | 31.3 | 76.1 | 1.3 | 1.5 | |
32 | 2 | 15.8 | 5.5 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 40.2 | 15.0 | 72.5 | 1.7 | 1.3 | |
19 | 0 | 7.3 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 28.1 | 28.0 | 80.0 | 0.2 | 0.7 | |
2 | 0 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 100 | 0.5 | 0.5 | |
12 | 0 | 5.6 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 35.3 | 12.5 | 50.0 | 0.4 | 0.6 |
Washington
PLAYER | G | GS | MPG | PPG | OREB | DREB | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TO | PF |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
30 | 30 | 29.2 | 19.4 | 1.4 | 6.7 | 8.1 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 50.8 | 42.9 | 97.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | |
22 | 5 | 23.4 | 13.2 | 1.2 | 3.1 | 4.3 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 57.6 | 43.9 | 90.5 | 0.9 | 1.7 | |
23 | 23 | 29.5 | 13.0 | 0.5 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 6.0 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 49.4 | 36.0 | 85.7 | 2.0 | 1.3 | |
29 | 7 | 19.7 | 11.5 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 3.2 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 43.9 | 36.8 | 86.3 | 1.4 | 1.6 | |
32 | 32 | 24.7 | 10.4 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 41.4 | 35.9 | 81.1 | 1.1 | 2.3 | |
30 | 1 | 15.3 | 9.1 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 4.0 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 50.2 | 34.5 | 92.5 | 1.1 | 2.5 | |
33 | 33 | 32.3 | 9.0 | 0.1 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 5.6 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 39.7 | 32.3 | 67.2 | 1.9 | 2.1 | |
33 | 1 | 17.0 | 6.8 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 43.6 | 31.3 | 93.0 | 1.0 | 1.2 | |
33 | 33 | 23.9 | 6.2 | 1.2 | 4.2 | 5.4 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 50.6 | 0.0 | 89.2 | 0.9 | 2.2 | |
26 | 0 | 7.5 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 36.4 | 33.3 | 58.3 | 0.8 | 1.1 | |
14 | 0 | 4.8 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 41.2 | 42.9 | 100 | 0.4 | 0.2 | |
14 | 0 | 4.3 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 60.0 | 50.0 | 100 | 0.2 | 0.4 | |
0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
The Skinny
Washington has a double-bye and the No. 1 seed already locked up, so there's not much to play for here. The Mystics cruised to a 25-8 record through the first 33 games of the season behind a league-leading +11.9 point differential. It wouldn't be surprising to see most of the starters rested in a meaningless contest. Washington could give its reserves some big minutes, particularly Shatori Walker-Kimbrough Aerial Powers -- who has averaged 15.7 points over her last nine games -- could provide a scoring punch Sunday. Emma Meesseman, who has started just five games this season, enters Sunday having started three straight, boasting averages of 19.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.7 blocks in that time. Another productive day can be expected if she's in the starting five Sunday.
Chicago is tied with the Las Vegas Aces at 20-13 in the standings, but the Aces hold the tie-breaker. The Sky need a win Sunday and an Aces loss to slide into the No. 4 seed and earn a first-round bye. There's a lot on the line. The Sky's leading scorer, Diamond DeShields (16.2 PPG) should provide her usual dose of scoring, and WNBA assist-leader Courtney Vandersloot (9.0 APG) should be motivated to get the most out of teammates in a crucial game that will have deep playoff ramifications. Cheyenne Parker has filled in well for Jantel Lavender (foot) with 12.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.0 combined blocks/steals in 10 games since Lavender last took the court.
Seattle Storm at Dallas Wings
Injuries
Note: All return dates are just estimates
Seattle
Name | Pos | Injury | Status | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|
Breanna Stewart | F | Achilles | SUSP-INJ | 2/1/2020 |
Sue Bird | G | Knee | OUT | 5/1/2020 |
Ramu Tokashiki | F | Personal | SUSP | 5/1/2020 |
Dallas
Name | Pos | Injury | Status | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|
Kayla Thornton | F | Ankle | OUT | 9/8/2019 |
Moriah Jefferson | G | Not Injury Related | OUT | 9/8/2019 |
Imani McGee-Stafford | C | Ankle | OUT | 9/8/2019 |
Skylar Diggins-Smith | G | Personal | OUT | 9/10/2019 |
Azura Stevens | F | Foot | OUT | 2/27/2020 |
Tayler Hill | G | Knee | OUT | 5/2/2020 |
2019 Player Stats
Seattle
PLAYER | G | GS | MPG | PPG | OREB | DREB | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TO | PF |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
33 | 33 | 31.5 | 17.9 | 2.7 | 5.5 | 8.2 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 43.7 | 30.7 | 80.4 | 2.9 | 3.0 | |
26 | 20 | 25.5 | 12.2 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 38.5 | 31.6 | 92.5 | 2.0 | 1.2 | |
29 | 28 | 29.0 | 9.9 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 5.2 | 2.3 | 0.2 | 38.6 | 19.0 | 76.8 | 2.7 | 1.6 | |
30 | 29 | 28.6 | 9.7 | 1.2 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 48.7 | 48.5 | 81.8 | 1.5 | 2.0 | |
33 | 29 | 25.8 | 7.5 | 2.4 | 3.7 | 6.2 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 51.5 | 0.0 | 64.1 | 0.9 | 2.5 | |
32 | 13 | 20.6 | 7.3 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 36.5 | 33.9 | 100 | 1.6 | 1.5 | |
30 | 4 | 14.0 | 5.7 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 40.6 | 35.0 | 100 | 1.2 | 1.3 | |
33 | 4 | 16.9 | 5.4 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 40.0 | 32.1 | 75.0 | 1.2 | 1.0 | |
30 | 4 | 13.8 | 4.1 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 38.6 | 20.0 | 80.6 | 1.1 | 1.4 | |
29 | 0 | 6.0 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 40.0 | 0.0 | 20.0 | 0.3 | 0.6 | |
16 | 1 | 6.4 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 10.0 | 0.0 | 66.7 | 0.6 | 0.8 | |
0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Dallas
PLAYER | G | GS | MPG | PPG | OREB | DREB | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TO | PF |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
32 | 27 | 32.0 | 18.9 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 3.2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 38.9 | 35.2 | 81.3 | 2.1 | 2.6 | |
33 | 28 | 30.5 | 10.8 | 1.3 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 46.2 | 38.1 | 84.8 | 1.5 | 2.6 | |
27 | 25 | 30.4 | 10.4 | 1.8 | 3.5 | 5.3 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 34.3 | 27.2 | 93.1 | 1.6 | 2.2 | |
30 | 28 | 25.3 | 8.5 | 2.3 | 3.5 | 5.8 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 45.8 | 0.0 | 71.6 | 1.5 | 2.5 | |
27 | 18 | 24.2 | 7.5 | 1.0 | 4.2 | 5.2 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 37.0 | 35.4 | 59.1 | 1.0 | 1.6 | |
32 | 15 | 19.3 | 5.9 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 32.7 | 30.6 | 87.1 | 2.2 | 2.4 | |
9 | 1 | 16.0 | 4.8 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 3.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 35.8 | 11.1 | 80.0 | 1.0 | 1.3 | |
29 | 6 | 11.9 | 3.9 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 3.8 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 46.8 | 25.0 | 64.3 | 1.2 | 2.0 | |
4 | 2 | 12.3 | 3.3 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 30.8 | 16.7 | 80.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | |
9 | 0 | 13.8 | 3.3 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 4.0 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 32.3 | 0.0 | 66.7 | 0.6 | 2.4 | |
24 | 0 | 9.0 | 2.9 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 52.1 | 12.5 | 90.0 | 0.4 | 0.9 | |
33 | 3 | 13.2 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 28.7 | 34.7 | 91.7 | 0.8 | 1.2 | |
3 | 0 | 9.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 33.3 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | |
0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
The Skinny
This game will feature two of the best scorers in the WNBA, with Natasha Howard (17.9 PPG) and Arike Ogunbowale (18.9 PPG) squaring off. The Wings are out of the playoffs, but the Storm are still jockeying for playoff seeding and could move from the No. 7 seed to the No. 6 with a win and a Minnesota loss. Jordin Canada looks to be healthy heading into Sunday, and her shoulder injury hasn't stopped her from averaging 13.0 points and 7.0 rebounds over her last three games. Jewell Loyd has upped her scoring average to 13.3 in that same span.
The Storm give up a stingy 74.7 points per game this season, and with playoff implications on the line, the strong defensive play should continue. Ogunbowale will likely still make a strong play in this contest, but her price, coupled with the opposition, means you may want to look elsewhere for value. Allisha Gray has averaged a respectable 15.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals in her last eight contests. Kayla Thornton (ankle) is a question mark for Sunday, but Isabelle Harrison and Glory Johnson make great plays if Thornton is out of the lineup. Kaela Davis has seen extended action as a result of the injury, but she hasn't done enough to warrant consideration in daily lineups.
Las Vegas Aces at Phoenix Mercury
Injuries
Note: All return dates are just estimates
Las Vegas
Name | Pos | Injury | Status | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|
Carolyn Swords | C | Concussion | OUT | 9/8/2019 |
Lindsay Allen | G | Knee | OUT | 5/1/2020 |
Tamera Young | G | Wrist | GTD | 9/8/2019 |
Phoenix
Name | Pos | Injury | Status | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|
Diana Taurasi | G | Hamstring | GTD | 9/8/2019 |
Alanna Smith | F | Ankle | OUT | 9/9/2019 |
2019 Player Stats
Las Vegas
PLAYER | G | GS | MPG | PPG | OREB | DREB | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TO | PF |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
25 | 24 | 28.5 | 16.4 | 1.7 | 5.0 | 6.7 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 46.9 | 0.0 | 77.9 | 2.1 | 1.9 | |
31 | 29 | 25.3 | 15.8 | 1.9 | 6.2 | 8.1 | 2.1 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 49.9 | 16.7 | 75.3 | 2.3 | 2.7 | |
33 | 33 | 29.2 | 13.5 | 0.7 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 42.7 | 43.0 | 90.4 | 1.8 | 1.4 | |
33 | 9 | 24.7 | 10.9 | 2.2 | 5.4 | 7.5 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 48.7 | 33.3 | 72.0 | 1.7 | 2.1 | |
33 | 30 | 25.4 | 8.6 | 0.5 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 36.8 | 36.6 | 86.5 | 1.6 | 2.2 | |
33 | 33 | 22.7 | 6.5 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 31.4 | 30.2 | 80.8 | 1.6 | 1.4 | |
33 | 3 | 18.1 | 5.3 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 38.6 | 31.3 | 62.7 | 1.4 | 1.7 | |
2 | 0 | 10.0 | 5.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 50.0 | 40.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | |
32 | 0 | 11.8 | 3.4 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 44.0 | 45.0 | 81.8 | 0.9 | 1.3 | |
32 | 0 | 11.7 | 3.3 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 35.2 | 34.1 | 60.0 | 0.8 | 1.1 | |
29 | 4 | 8.9 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 43.8 | 0.0 | 84.6 | 0.6 | 0.9 | |
24 | 0 | 6.6 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 20.0 | 0.0 | 44.4 | 0.3 | 0.9 |
Phoenix
PLAYER | G | GS | MPG | PPG | OREB | DREB | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TO | PF |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
30 | 30 | 32.9 | 20.6 | 1.7 | 5.6 | 7.3 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 56.0 | 33.3 | 80.8 | 2.5 | 2.7 | |
33 | 33 | 33.1 | 17.3 | 1.0 | 6.6 | 7.6 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 37.9 | 28.0 | 91.2 | 1.5 | 1.6 | |
31 | 26 | 30.5 | 12.9 | 0.5 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 44.3 | 44.0 | 84.4 | 1.7 | 2.4 | |
31 | 25 | 26.6 | 6.3 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 37.9 | 37.2 | 82.9 | 1.7 | 2.1 | |
28 | 14 | 20.7 | 6.3 | 0.3 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 33.5 | 33.8 | 86.7 | 2.0 | 1.3 | |
22 | 13 | 18.8 | 5.8 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 35.2 | 34.2 | 78.8 | 0.8 | 1.0 | |
6 | 6 | 21.5 | 4.3 | 0.2 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 5.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 10.3 | 4.2 | 94.4 | 2.2 | 2.5 | |
28 | 11 | 15.5 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 4.0 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 54.0 | 0.0 | 73.1 | 0.6 | 1.7 | |
28 | 0 | 14.8 | 3.9 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 43.8 | 35.0 | 79.3 | 0.9 | 1.6 | |
19 | 2 | 12.7 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 42.6 | 25.0 | 62.5 | 0.6 | 1.4 | |
31 | 5 | 12.2 | 3.1 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 34.6 | 30.4 | 90.6 | 0.6 | 1.6 | |
18 | 0 | 7.4 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 19.5 | 11.1 | 50.0 | 0.4 | 1.0 |
The Skinny
This game will feature a Mercury team already locked into the No. 8 seed facing a team they could see in the first round of the playoffs in the Aces. The Aces need a win to keep the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye, but a loss coupled with a Sky win would drop them to No. 5 where they would face Phoenix. The Mercury are led by the WNBA's leading scorer, Brittney Griner (20.6 PPG) who has been a valuable contributor on both ends of the court this season (2.7 combined blocks/steals). The Mercury feature arguably the best scoring frontcourt in the league, with Griner and fifth-leading scorer, forward DeWanna Bonner (17.3 PPG). Even though Phoenix can't move up in the standings, the fact that they may have to face Las Vegas again could be motivation to play starters. Yvonne Turner and Essence Carson could see an uptick in minutes if Diana Taurasi (hamstring) is held out.
The Aces will be in the playoffs for the first time since relocating to Las Vegas after missing the postseason last year. They earn a first-round bye with a win, so the starters should see their typical minutes. The powerful play of second-year centers A'ja Wilson (16.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.3 combined blocks/steals) and Liz Cambage (15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.1 combined blocks/steals) has made Las Vegas the third-highest scoring team in the WNBA this season with a healthy 81.7 points per game. Expect both to be high-caliber options Sunday. Kayla McBride's inconsistent play as of late makes her a risky option, while Dearica Hamby's solid effort on the boards provides her a much safer outlook.
Minnesota Lynx at Los Angeles Sparks
Injuries
Note: All return dates are just estimates
Minnesota
Name | Pos | Injury | Status | Return |
---|---|---|---|---|
Karima Christmas-Kelly | G | Knee | OUT | 5/1/2020 |
Maya Moore | F | Personal | OUT | 5/1/2020 |
Cecilia Zandalasini | G | Ankle | OUT | 5/1/2020 |
Kelsey Griffin | F | Toe | SUSP | 5/1/2020 |
Jessica Shepard | C | Knee | OUT | 5/1/2020 |
Los Angeles
There are no players on the injury report for Los Angeles on Sunday.
2019 Player Stats
Minnesota
PLAYER | G | GS | MPG | PPG | OREB | DREB | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TO | PF |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
33 | 33 | 31.9 | 14.6 | 0.7 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 5.5 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 42.0 | 27.0 | 79.1 | 3.2 | 2.0 | |
33 | 33 | 29.4 | 13.7 | 2.7 | 6.2 | 8.9 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 1.4 | 59.1 | 0.0 | 71.6 | 2.0 | 2.6 | |
33 | 33 | 33.2 | 13.0 | 1.7 | 4.7 | 6.4 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 48.5 | 35.8 | 79.0 | 1.9 | 2.9 | |
33 | 25 | 27.2 | 10.2 | 0.6 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 43.7 | 22.0 | 87.9 | 2.1 | 1.8 | |
25 | 25 | 25.5 | 9.3 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 44.8 | 41.2 | 73.1 | 1.8 | 2.9 | |
32 | 0 | 18.2 | 7.5 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 40.1 | 38.5 | 77.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | |
17 | 0 | 15.5 | 5.5 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 53.3 | 20.0 | 72.2 | 1.9 | 2.4 | |
32 | 9 | 17.4 | 5.4 | 0.6 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 37.0 | 32.6 | 87.1 | 1.3 | 1.2 | |
6 | 0 | 18.7 | 4.8 | 1.5 | 4.2 | 5.7 | 3.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 37.9 | 14.3 | 75.0 | 2.5 | 1.5 | |
11 | 7 | 12.8 | 3.9 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 31.7 | 16.7 | 75.0 | 1.1 | 0.5 | |
6 | 0 | 12.0 | 2.7 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 27.8 | 27.3 | 60.0 | 0.7 | 1.3 | |
4 | 0 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 50.0 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | |
0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Los Angeles
PLAYER | G | GS | MPG | PPG | OREB | DREB | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TO | PF |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
31 | 31 | 28.0 | 16.2 | 2.3 | 6.7 | 9.0 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 50.4 | 33.8 | 82.8 | 1.8 | 2.9 | |
33 | 33 | 32.8 | 14.5 | 0.4 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 5.9 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 41.2 | 38.5 | 91.7 | 3.2 | 1.5 | |
22 | 13 | 26.0 | 12.2 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 38.3 | 38.8 | 87.8 | 1.3 | 2.6 | |
21 | 21 | 26.1 | 11.2 | 1.0 | 5.3 | 6.3 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 41.6 | 27.6 | 78.8 | 2.4 | 1.9 | |
31 | 14 | 21.9 | 9.6 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 5.7 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 49.2 | 25.0 | 80.6 | 1.3 | 3.4 | |
15 | 1 | 12.0 | 7.8 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 3.9 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 49.0 | 31.3 | 76.9 | 1.2 | 1.5 | |
33 | 32 | 25.3 | 6.2 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 37.3 | 34.7 | 85.4 | 0.9 | 2.7 | |
27 | 0 | 13.4 | 5.3 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 48.6 | 0.0 | 78.3 | 1.0 | 1.7 | |
31 | 16 | 20.5 | 4.7 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 38.5 | 37.8 | 100 | 1.0 | 0.9 | |
19 | 1 | 12.4 | 4.2 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 40.0 | 33.3 | 80.0 | 1.3 | 1.4 | |
30 | 0 | 11.6 | 3.9 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 33.1 | 25.3 | 87.5 | 0.8 | 0.7 | |
15 | 3 | 14.9 | 3.5 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 44.9 | 20.0 | 77.8 | 0.6 | 1.3 |
The Skinny
The Sparks have had a strong season, spearheaded by All-Star forward Nneka Ogwumike, who's averaged 16.2 points and 9.0 boards per tilt this season. After winning their 13th straight home game Thursday, the Sparks locked up the No. 3 seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs. There won't be much to play for Sunday, and the Sparks could elect to limit N. Ogwumike -- as they did Thursday -- or completely shut her down. Maria Vadeeva has averaged 11.0 points and 8.0 rebounds over her last two contests, while seeing 16 minutes per game in that span. She and Chiney Ogwumike make interesting frontcourt plays Sunday with N. Ogwumike highly unlikely to see a full workload. Reserve center Kalani Brown has averaged 5.3 points and 3.6 rebounds in just 13.4 minutes per game this season and might provide some value if she sees a boost in minutes.
The Lynx are currently the No. 6 seed but could lose that position and drop to No. 7 with a loss and a Seattle Storm win. Minnesota should be full go in this one. The team is led by the smart play of Odyssey Sims -- who has gotten teammates involved regularly this season as one of the top facilitators in the WNBA (5.5 APG) –- and Sylvia Fowles (13.7 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.4 combined blocks/steals). Napheesa Collier has been solid all season, but her play over the last five games has been dominant, with 18.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.8 combined blocks/steals and 3.0 assists. All three remain strong plays against a Sparks team that will be resting or limiting its best players.