WNBA playoff picture still jumbled as Chicago, Atlanta, Washington vying for 8th seed
AP Basketball Writer
The WNBA playoff picture is still jumbled with the final postseason spot coming down to three teams — Chicago, Atlanta and Washington.
All three teams will play each other at least once over the last nine days of the season. The Mystics face both the Sky and Dream this week, including a home-and-home set against Atlanta. Chicago visits Atlanta next Tuesday.
The Sky have a one-game advantage over the Dream and a two-game lead over the Mystics, though they lost star rookie Angel Reese for the season with a wrist injury.
The reward for securing the eighth seed is most likely a trip to New York to face the Liberty. New York has a three-game lead on second-place Minnesota with five games to play. The two teams will meet Sunday in New York.
Making the playoffs also has other implications for Chicago and Atlanta. The Dallas Wings have the option to swap first round picks with Chicago from an earlier trade. Atlanta traded its first round pick to Washington.
The eighth spot isn’t the only seed still up for grabs. The rest of the playoff picture is slowly starting to come into focus. The Lynx have a one-game lead over Connecticut for the No. 2 seed. Las Vegas has a one-game advantage over Seattle for the fourth spot.
Caitlin Clark has helped Indiana rise to the No. 6 seed. The Fever trail Seattle by 1 1/2 games for the fifth seed and lead Phoenix by two games.
AP WNBA poll
New York remains in the top spot in this week’s AP WNBA power poll with Minnesota right behind them. Las Vegas flipped places with Connecticut to move up to third. Indiana, Seattle and Phoenix stayed in fifth, sixth and seventh. Chicago and Washington were next with Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles rounding out the poll.
Caitlin corner
Clark had another strong week, averaging 25 points, 10 assists and 7.7 rebounds to help the Fever win two of their three games. The star rookie helped Indiana rally from a double-digit deficit in the third quarter. Indiana hosts a pair of games against Las Vegas and one against Dallas this week.
Rookie impact
Leonie Fiebich has routinely been on the court to close out games for the New York Liberty. The 6-foot-4 rookie from Germany provides length on the defensive end and a solid all-around offensive game. She averaged 6 points, 4.5 rebounds and three steals in New York’s close wins over Seattle and Las Vegas last week.
Player of the week
Napheesa Collier had another impressive pair of games to earn AP Player of the Week honors as the Lynx star averaged 22.5 points, 11 rebounds and 1.5 blocks to help Minnesota win both its games and remain in the hunt for the No. 1 seed. Indiana’s Aliyah Boston and Las Vegas’ Kelsey Plum also received votes.
Game of the week
Washington vs. Atlanta, Friday and Sunday. The teams will play a home-and-home set on Friday and Sunday with the first game in Atlanta. They split the first two meetings this season with each winning on the road.
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