Liberty - Sun Preview
By Associated Press
Although the top spot in the Eastern Conference is set, the rest of its playoff seeds will be determined on the final day of the regular season.
In one of the two games that will sort out those positions, the second-place Connecticut Sun look to secure home-court advantage in the first round of the postseason when they host the third-place New York Liberty on Sunday.
Connecticut (20-13) is one game ahead of New York (19-14) and Atlanta. If the Sun win or the Dream lose to first-place Indiana on Sunday, Connecticut will enter the playoffs as the No. 2 seed.
However, if New York and Atlanta win, the Liberty would secure the second spot by way of the WNBA's three-way tiebreaking procedure, which awards the team with the best winning percentage in head-to-head games involving all of the tied teams.
Home court is particularly critical for the Sun, who are 6-11 on the road. They have won five in a row at home while averaging 92.8 points.
"We are trying to nail down home-court advantage and we've got one more opportunity to be able to do so," guard Kara Lawson said. "We've looked at all these games as must-win games ... so this is going to be a huge challenge for us with New York coming in."
Connecticut is looking to bounce back after an 85-74 loss at Atlanta on Tuesday. The Sun were held to 32 second-half points.
"It was not a top-flight performance," coach Mike Thibault said.
Tina Charles finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds for her 22nd double-double of the season, matching her league record set last year.
Charles has had only one double-double in three matchups against New York, finishing with 29 points and 14 rebounds in an 84-81 overtime loss Aug. 18.
The Liberty, who dropped the first two meetings with the Sun this year, have won three of four overall.
"We want to end on a good note. We have to prepare well for Connecticut," Essence Carson said after scoring 18 points in New York's 83-75 win over Indiana on Friday. "They're also a great team, No. 2 right now. We have to come in and play our game, really prepare well for them."
Cappie Pondexter is looking to end the season on a high note after a rough stretch, averaging 11.3 points over the last three games while shooting 21.1 percent. Pondexter, seventh in the league in scoring with 17.5 points per game, scored 27 in the overtime win over Connecticut after being held to a combined 27 in the first two meetings.
Dream - Fever Preview
By Associated Press
The Indiana Fever have secured the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. However, they probably don't want to face the Atlanta Dream in the first round.
Those two teams will close the regular season against each other Sunday as the Dream look to complete a four-game sweep.
Indiana's spot atop the conference is the only one that has been decided in the East, with the other three seeds to be determined Sunday.
Atlanta (19-14) is tied with New York for third place. The Dream would clinch the third spot with a loss by the Liberty earlier in the afternoon to Connecticut or a win in their own game.
If both teams win, which would mean three teams finish 20-14, Atlanta would end up as the No. 4 seed by way of the tiebreaking procedure for three teams.
A fourth-place finish might not be the worst thing for the Dream, who would face the Fever in the first round. Atlanta has won all three meetings this season.
Angel McCoughtry came up big in the last one, scoring 28 points in a 92-90 win Aug. 30. A leading MVP candidate, McCoughtry is averaging 21.3 points this season - second in the league to Phoenix's Diana Taurasi - and has scored 28 or more in three of her last five games.
Atlanta has won three in a row overall and six of seven, and could be facing an Indiana team that may be resting a lot of its starters.
After securing the top seed in their previous game, the Fever (21-12) got out to a lackluster start against New York on Friday and lost 83-75. They scored 35 first-half points and were outrebounded 30-19.
Erin Phillips did not play after spraining her ankle versus Washington in the previous game and with nothing on the line Sunday, it seems likely she and other key Indiana players could get some rest.
Phillips' injury meant additional playing time for Shannon Bobbitt, who had a career-high 16 points, seven assists and four steals. She went 4 of 4 from beyond the arc.
"I knew that I had to step up my game and play a bigger role," Bobbitt said.
McCoughtry isn't the only MVP candidate in Sunday's game.
Indiana's Tamika Catchings is having a great season as well, averaging 15.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Despite not having a win to show for it, she's been even better against Atlanta, averaging 21.3 points.
"Her effort is unmatched," Fever coach Lin Dunn said. "Whether she is scoring or rebounding or getting a big steal or a block, she makes big plays every time on the floor."
Unsurprisingly, Dream coach Marynell Meadors said her vote would go to McCoughtry, who scored 35 points in an 85-74 win over Connecticut on Tuesday.
"It's no question that she is having an MVP season," Meadors said. "She's playing her game within our offensive and defensive structure. She's really focused in on helping this team win games."
Lynx - Mercury Preview
By Associated Press
The Minnesota Lynx have wrapped up the best record in the WNBA, but they, like most of the league, have had little success in slowing down Diana Taurasi.
With both teams' playoff positions set, it's possible Taurasi and some other stars will get extra rest Sunday as the Lynx and Mercury close the regular season at US Airways Center.
Minnesota (26-7) and Phoenix (19-14) are both playoff-bound, with the Lynx having secured the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and the Mercury owning the third seed.
That means these teams could meet in the conference finals. They've split four matchups this season, with each team winning once on the road.
It hasn't mattered where the games have been played for Taurasi, who is making a good case for league MVP honors. She's averaging 24.3 points against the Lynx this season, even higher than her league-best 21.7 average.
Taurasi is coming off another impressive performance, scoring 36 points in an 85-70 loss at Seattle on Friday.
Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve thinks her team has two MVPs.
One is Seimone Augustus, who is among the league leaders with 16.2 points per game and has averaged 23.5 against the Mercury.
The other is Lindsey Whalen, who had 20 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in Thursday's 78-69 win over Chicago. Whalen became the first player in WNBA history to have at least 20 points and 10 assists without a turnover.
"MVP," Reeve said. "If you're only looking at statistics, maybe it's not so impressive to an average person that doesn't watch our team. If you watch our team, and I saw this too, Seimone is right there as well, but I just thought Whay kind of solidified herself tonight again, an exclamation point."
Whalen, who had totaled 16 points on 4-of-14 shooting in her previous two games, is averaging 14.1 points and 5.9 assists.
The Lynx have won eight of nine to secure home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, but they have looked just as comfortable on the road recently. Minnesota has won four straight away from home, holding teams to an average of 65.8 points.
The Lynx's last road loss was an 85-80 defeat at Phoenix on Aug. 9. Taurasi had 26 points and a key steal in the victory.
Penny Taylor has missed the last two games for Phoenix with back spasms. She's second on the team in scoring with 16.7 points per game, but with little to play for Sunday, the Mercury may opt to rest her in the finale.
Silver Stars - Shock Preview
By Associated Press
The San Antonio Silver Stars already know they're saddled with the toughest opening-round playoff series.
Maintaining momentum ahead of it against another lowly opponent could provide a boost.
The Silver Stars look to win for the fifth time in six games in their regular season finale Sunday night, when they attempt to continue their dominance of the Tulsa Shock.
San Antonio (17-16) has clinched a fifth consecutive trip to the playoffs, but the Silver Stars will be pitted against WNBA-leading Minnesota in the best-of-three series. They've lost six in a row to the Lynx entering Friday's playoff opener.
San Antonio is trying to enter the postseason with momentum after Saturday's 82-74 win over Washington, the last-place team in the Eastern Conference.
Now, the Silver Stars will try to take advantage of Tulsa (3-30), which has the worst record in the league and is in position to become the first team in WNBA history to lose more than 30 in a season. The Shock lost a league-record 20 straight games earlier this season, and their current slide is at five.
San Antonio has dominated Tulsa, winning all three 2011 meetings and five in a row overall by an average of 19.0 points.
Sophia Young scored 20 points while Becky Hammon accounted for 19 with five assists to lead the Silver Stars to a 72-64 win in the most recent meeting Aug. 6.
Young and Hammon are also coming off strong efforts Saturday, scoring 17 and 15 points, respectively.
"We're the veterans of this team," Young said. "Whenever things are going down, we have to be able to lead the team."
Hammon, who added 11 assists against the Mystics after signing a multi-year contract extension, is averaging 16.0 points - almost identical to her season mark - in three meetings with Tulsa. She's among the league leaders with 5.8 assists per game.
"We just take what they give us," Hammon said. "And if they want to pay me a lot of attention, then I'm going to find my teammates. We're very good when people knock down shots."
Young has posted 17.3 points per game against the Shock this year.
Tulsa is concluding a second consecutive season out of the playoffs after relocating from Detroit.
The Shock, 2-14 at home, tied a league record for futility Friday, when they lost 84-73 at Los Angeles to equal Atlanta's 30 losses from 2008.
They've shown few signs that they'll be able to avoid sole possession of that record while being outscored by an average of 15.0 points during their current skid.
Tiffany Jackson is averaging 13.8 points and 10.0 rebounds over the last four games, boosting her career highs on the season to 12.2 and 8.4, respectively. The forward had a season-high 27 points while pulling down 10 boards in the latest meeting with the Silver Stars.
Sky - Storm Preview
By Associated Press
After clinching home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs Friday, the Seattle Storm will likely have one goal in mind for their regular-season finale.
Don't get hurt.
The Storm know they'll begin the postseason at home Thursday night, leaving little but their health to worry about Sunday against the visiting Chicago Sky.
With six wins in seven games prior to Friday night's visit from Phoenix, Seattle (20-13) seems to be peaking at the right time.
There was plenty on the line against the Mercury, whom the Storm knew they'd be facing in the first round. But a win would allow Seattle to clinch the home-court edge for that series, and it did just that. Reserve Katie Smith scored a season-high 26 points and the Storm cruised to an 85-70 victory, which guaranteed Phoenix will be right back at KeyArena on Thursday.
"Our record shows that being at home is big for us," Smith said of the Storm's 14-2 mark in Seattle. "We didn't want to go to their place. It was pretty much a playoff game and this is going to be the atmosphere when we see them again."
Scenarios exist where the finale against Chicago (14-19) could give the Storm home-court advantage in potential finals matchups against Indiana or Connecticut, but they haven't decided whether they plan on playing their starters Sunday.
With Lauren Jackson still finding her footing after missing nine weeks following hip surgery, coach Brian Agler seems to be leaning toward taking it easy.
"We talked with our team about it and if we feel like getting to 21 (wins) will help us down the road then my vote would be to try to play," Agler said. "I don't know what we'll do with Lauren. We want her ready for the playoffs. We want to put ourselves in the best position. That's my philosophy."
One minor motivation factor may be getting a bit of revenge on the Sky. Chicago beat the Storm 78-69 on July 19 behind 24 points from Sylvia Fowles and 23 from Epiphanny Prince.
Sue Bird had 26 to lead Seattle.
The Sky, however, know Sunday's game will be their last. Chicago was eliminated from the playoff race last Sunday, and it's lost a season-high four straight after falling 74-67 on Saturday in Los Angeles.
NEW YORK (19 - 14) at CONNECTICUT (20 - 13)
Top Trends for this game.
CONNECTICUT is 13-5 ATS (+7.5 Units) as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 11-3 ATS (+7.7 Units) in home games revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
CONNECTICUT is 17-7 ATS (+9.3 Units) in home games when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 3 seasons.
NEW YORK is 143-111 ATS (+20.9 Units) as an underdog since 1997.
NEW YORK is 74-49 ATS (+20.1 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record since 1997.
NEW YORK is 47-26 ATS (+18.4 Units) in road games when playing against a team with a winning record after 15+ games since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
CONNECTICUT is 6-5 against the spread versus NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
CONNECTICUT is 6-6 straight up against NEW YORK over the last 3 seasons
6 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA (19 - 14) at INDIANA (21 - 12)
Top Trends for this game.
INDIANA is 15-7 ATS (+7.3 Units) as a favorite this season.
INDIANA is 12-4 ATS (+7.6 Units) in home games this season.
INDIANA is 8-2 ATS (+5.8 Units) in home games vs. division opponents this season.
INDIANA is 18-9 ATS (+8.1 Units) revenging a loss versus opponent over the last 2 seasons.
INDIANA is 11-4 ATS (+6.6 Units) after allowing 75 points or more this season.
INDIANA is 26-14 ATS (+10.6 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
INDIANA is 23-13 ATS (+8.7 Units) versus good offensive teams - scoring 77+ points/game over the last 2 seasons.
ATLANTA is 31-18 ATS (+11.2 Units) as an underdog over the last 3 seasons.
ATLANTA is 29-15 ATS (+12.5 Units) in road games after scoring 75 points or more since 1997.
Head-to-Head Series History
ATLANTA is 9-2 against the spread versus INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
ATLANTA is 6-5 straight up against INDIANA over the last 3 seasons
9 of 11 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
MINNESOTA (26 - 7) at PHOENIX (19 - 14)
Top Trends for this game.
MINNESOTA is 56-82 ATS (-34.2 Units) in road games vs. division opponents since 1997.
MINNESOTA is 5-19 ATS (-15.9 Units) in road games versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game after 15+ games since 1997.
MINNESOTA is 21-11 ATS (+8.9 Units) as an underdog over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 18-9 ATS (+8.1 Units) in August or September games over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 16-6 ATS (+9.4 Units) after a non-conference game over the last 2 seasons.
MINNESOTA is 28-17 ATS (+9.3 Units) after scoring 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 10-24 ATS (-16.4 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record over the last 2 seasons.
PHOENIX is 4-16 ATS (-13.6 Units) when playing against a team with a winning record after 15+ games over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
PHOENIX is 7-5 against the spread versus MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
PHOENIX is 7-5 straight up against MINNESOTA over the last 3 seasons
8 of 12 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO (16 - 16) at TULSA (3 - 30)
Top Trends for this game.
SAN ANTONIO is 11-4 ATS (+6.6 Units) versus poor defensive teams - allowing 77+ points/game this season.
TULSA is 19-32 ATS (-16.2 Units) after allowing 75 points or more over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
SAN ANTONIO is 7-3 against the spread versus TULSA over the last 3 seasons
SAN ANTONIO is 8-2 straight up against TULSA over the last 3 seasons
6 of 10 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO (14 - 18) at SEATTLE (20 - 13)
Top Trends for this game.
SEATTLE is 8-17 ATS (-10.7 Units) against Eastern conference opponents over the last 2 seasons.
SEATTLE is 8-17 ATS (-10.7 Units) in non-conference games over the last 2 seasons.
Head-to-Head Series History
CHICAGO is 4-1 against the spread versus SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
CHICAGO is 4-1 straight up against SEATTLE over the last 3 seasons
3 of 5 games in this series have gone OVER THE TOTAL over the last 3 seasons
NEW YORK vs. CONNECTICUT
New York is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Connecticut
New York is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Connecticut
Connecticut is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing New York
Connecticut is 8-14-1 ATS in its last 23 games when playing New York
ATLANTA vs. INDIANA
Atlanta is 1-6 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Indiana
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Atlanta's last 5 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Indiana's last 6 games at home
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing at home against Atlanta
MINNESOTA vs. PHOENIX
Minnesota is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
Minnesota is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games on the road
Phoenix is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Phoenix's last 5 games
SAN ANTONIO vs. TULSA
San Antonio is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Tulsa
San Antonio is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Tulsa
Tulsa is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing San Antonio
Tulsa is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against San Antonio
CHICAGO vs. SEATTLE
Chicago is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
Chicago is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Seattle
Seattle is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Chicago
Seattle is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games