WNBA Power Rankings: Why the Lynx are the hottest team in the league

The Minnesota Lynx just paid tribute to their past on a big weekend for the franchise – including retiring Maya Moore’s jersey – but right now the Lynx are in the thick of the fight for the 2024 WNBA title.

With wins at the Las Vegas Aces on Wednesday and then at home against the Aces on Friday and the Indiana Fever on Saturday, Minnesota secured a spot in the playoffs and currently has the longest winning streak in the league at six games.

The New York Liberty are still in first place, three games ahead of the third-place Lynx, but ESPN’s WNBA Power Rankings have the Lynx ranked second as the league’s best team.

What’s working for Minnesota? What’s not? Napheesa Collier, who won her second Olympic gold medal, is pushing to at least get voters thinking about the race for MVP. Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson still has a significant lead, but Collier could have moved up to No. 2 on many ballots.

Collier is averaging 21.1 points on 50.5% shooting, 10.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.2 blocked shots. She’s also in the running for Defensive Player of the Year honors. Last season was Collier’s most impressive in the WNBA – until she was even better this year. She turns 28 in September and has been the cornerstone of the franchise since the core Hall of Famer retired after winning four titles.

Many other things went well for Minnesota. Guard Kayla McBride, in her 11th year in the WNBA, is having her best season from behind the three-point line, a major strength of the Lynx. They are second in the WNBA in three-point shots per game (9.9) and first in three-point percentage (39.1).

McBride has a league-high 87 three-pointers and a career-high 42.0% shooting percentage. It’s not often in any sport that an athlete reaches so many highs at age 32, but McBride will likely finish the season with career-highs in assists and steals as well.

Guard Courtney Williams and forward Alanna Smith, both signed as free agents from the Chicago Sky, have fitted in perfectly. Williams took a step forward as a playmaker last year and also provides scoring and defense. Smith became a starter last season, her fifth in the WNBA. She has started every game this year and is averaging a career-high 11.0 points. Reeve also said Smith contributes to the Lynx’s defense, which is holding opponents to 75.6 PPG, the second-best mark in the WNBA.

Forward Bridget Carleton is also having the best season of her six-year WNBA career, starting 26 of Minnesota’s 30 games and averaging 9.1 points and 29.3 minutes – all career highs.

Minnesota’s reserve players average 17.5 points, the most among the top teams. And the Lynx have bolstered their reserves by acquiring forward Myisha Hines-Allen in a trade with the Washington Mystics on Aug. 20. After playing for the Mystics on Aug. 15 and 17, playing in back-to-back losses to the Lynx, Hines-Allen then joined Minnesota, where she has won three straight games.

The Lynx still have a lot of work to do, as they play seven of their remaining 10 regular season games on the road. They are 8-5 on the road this season, but the stage is set for another exciting fall in Lynx country.

Previous placements: Preseason | 20 May | 27 May | 3 June | 10 June | 17 June | 24 June | 1 July | 8 July | 15 July | 19 August

Previous placement: 1

This week: @ PHO (Aug 26), @ LA (Aug 28), @ SEA (Aug 30)

Connecticut ended New York’s eight-game winning streak on Saturday when the Liberty didn’t look like themselves, scoring a season-low 64 points. It was a good reminder for the Liberty that they still have work to do. But the loss could be attributed largely to the Sun getting tired of losing to New York, which had beaten Connecticut seven straight times in the regular season and played the Sun 3-1 in the 2023 WNBA semifinals.

Sabrina Ionescu missed the Liberty’s two wins over Dallas last week because of neck soreness, but returned against Connecticut. New York hopes to have Betnijah Laney-Hamilton back soon from knee surgery, as the Liberty will spend this week in the West.

Previous placement: 2

This week: @ PHO (28 August), @ DAL (30 August) vs CHI (1 September)

Collier totaled 81 points and 30 rebounds in Minnesota’s three wins last week. She’s shot 70.3% from the field in her last four games, making her the only WNBA player to ever do that despite needing at least 60 attempts.

In addition to all the things we’ve already mentioned that the Lynx do well, we should mention one more: passing. Minnesota leads the WNBA in assists with 23.4 per game, with Williams leading the way with 5.5.

Previous placement: 4

This week: @ IND (Aug 28), @ WAS (Aug 31), vs. SEA (Sept 1)

If there was ever a week where we could have featured a three-way tie for No. 1 in the Power Rankings, this was it. The Sun, who like the Lynx clinched a playoff spot on Saturday, were coming off a big win in New York that night. Earlier in the week, the Sun sold their win in Boston against Los Angeles and rallied to beat Chicago at home.

Guard Marina Mabrey has fitted in well with the Sun after transferring from the Sky on July 17. She was Connecticut’s leading scorer against her former team and New York. Currently, the Sun are the top contenders for the WNBA title, along with the Liberty and the Lynx.

Previous: 3

This week: @ DAL (August 27), vs. ATL (August 30), @ PHO (September 1)

The Aces needed some last-second magic from Wilson to win 77-75 in Chicago on Sunday. She had an uncharacteristic day, shooting 8 of 28 from the field – the most missed shots in a game in her WNBA career – but her basket just before the final buzzer on a throw-in from Chelsea Gray prevented a Sky comeback.

It was an important win for Las Vegas after they lost twice to Minnesota last week. The Aces are still trying to climb into the top four of the standings to host the first round of the playoffs.

Previous placement: 5

This week: @ATL (August 26), vs. CON (August 28), @CHI (August 30), @DAL (September 1)

The Fever played just one game last week, on Moore’s big night in Minnesota on Saturday. Indiana lost 90-80, but the Fever had some good moments, especially in the backcourt, where Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell continued their post-Olympic scoring streak. The Fever also won the rebounding battle against Minnesota by a wide margin. But Clark acknowledged after the game that they need to find ways to give Aliyah Boston more good chances in the infield.

This week is crucial for the Fever’s playoff hopes, as three of their four games are away from home.

Previous placement: 7

This week: vs WASH (August 26), vs ATL (August 28), vs NY (August 30), @ CON (September 1)

The Storm also had just one game last week, an 83-77 win at Washington. That was desperately needed after losses to Atlanta and Indiana the week before. The Storm are fourth in the WNBA standings and are trying to preserve their chance of a playoff host spot. Three home games this week could help.

Previous placement: 6

This week: against NY (26 August), against MINN (28 August), against LV (1 September)

The Mercury have alternated wins and losses since resuming play after the Olympic break. That included a loss in Atlanta on Wednesday, followed by a win there on Friday. Now the Mercury must decide whether to make it or not, having played five straight games at home. Diana Taurasi has played well since winning her sixth Olympic gold medal in Paris, scoring double figures in four of the Mercury’s last five games.

Previous placement: 8

This week: vs. IND (Aug 26), @ SEA (Aug 28), @ LV (Aug 30), @ LA (Sept 1)

The Dream are hot on Chicago’s heels, battling for 8th place in the standings and a playoff spot, half a game behind the Sky. After a win over Phoenix on Wednesday that moved Dream center Tina Charles into second place on the WNBA’s career scoring list, Atlanta lost 82-80 to the Mercury on Friday. With four of their next five games on the road, all in the West, this is a crucial period for the Dream.

Previous placement: 9

This week: against WASH (28 Aug), against IND (30 Aug), @ MIN (1 Sept)

The Sky came very close to two wins last week that would have helped them in their playoff quest, but in both cases the victories came by one basket: 82-80 in Connecticut and 77-75 at home against Las Vegas. Angel Reese has continued her rebounding dominance, becoming the first player in WNBA history to grab 20 or more rebounds in three consecutive games. But the Sky need a little more scoring from their post players.

Previous placement: 10

This week: @ SEA (August 26), @ CHI (August 28), vs CONN (August 31)

The Mystics lost to Seattle last week and beat Los Angeles. The return of center Shakira Austin and guard Brittney Sykes from injury following the Olympic break was a positive sign for Washington in a season without many positives. Austin has scored in double figures in her last three games; Sykes has done so in three of her last four games.

Previous placement: 11

This week: against LV (27 August), against MIN (30 August), against IND (1 September)

After two straight losses to New York last week, Dallas picked up its first win since the WNBA resumed play, and it did so in improbable fashion. The Wings trailed Los Angeles by 19 points in the fourth quarter on Sunday but outscored the Sparks 40-18 to win 113-110. It was one of the most entertaining games for Dallas in a down season, with Arike Ogunbowale and Natasha Howard combining for 63 points.

Previous placement: 12

This week: against NY (August 28), against ATL (September 1)

We don’t want to slam the Sparks when they’re behind, but it’s hard to lose a game when you score 110 points in regulation. In fact, no team in WNBA history had done that before Sunday, when the Sparks scored the most points ever by a losing team in a non-overtime game. Their 19-point lead early in the fourth quarter against Dallas, also a bottom-place team, wasn’t enough. One wonders what the Sparks will have to do to end their current seven-game losing streak. One bright spot for Los Angeles: rookie Rickea Jackson, who tied her season high with 25 points against the Wings.