WNBA Power Rankings: Why the Lynx Are the Hottest Team in the League

The Minnesota Lynx honored their past — including retiring Maya Moore’s jersey — with a big weekend for the team. But for now, the Lynx are in the midst of chasing the 2024 WNBA title.

With wins over the Las Vegas Aces on Wednesday and then at home to the Aces on Friday and the Indiana Fever on Saturday, Minnesota has secured its playoff spot and has the longest current winning streak in the league at six games.

The New York Liberty are still in first place and have a three-game lead over the third-place Lynx in the standings. But in ESPN’s WNBA Power Rankings, the Lynx are the second-hottest team in the league.

What’s working in Minnesota? What’s not? Fresh off her second Olympic gold medal, Napheesa Collier is looking to get voters to at least consider the MVP race. Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson still has a big lead, but Collier may have moved into second place in many of the votes.

Collier is averaging 21.1 points on 50.5 percent shooting, along with 10.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.2 blocked shots. She is also in contention for Defensive Player of the Year. Last season was Collier’s most impressive in the WNBA — until this year, when she was even better. She turns 28 in September and has been a cornerstone of the team since the Hall of Fame’s core players retired after winning four titles.

Much else has gone right for Minnesota. Point guard Kayla McBride, in her 11th year in the WNBA, is having her best season from behind the arc, a major strength for the Lynx. The team ranks second in the WNBA in three-point shots per game (9.9) and first in three-point shooting percentage (39.1).

McBride hit a league-best 87 three-pointers and shot 42.0 percent from distance, both career highs. It’s not often in any sport that an athlete reaches that many peaks at age 32, but McBride also seems likely to finish the season with career-best averages in assists and steals.

Guard Courtney Williams and forward Alanna Smith, both signed as free agents from the Chicago Sky, have settled in well. 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 started every game this year and is averaging a career-high 11.0 points. Reeve said Smith contributes to the Lynx defense, which is holding opponents to 75.6 points per game, the second-best average in the WNBA.

Forward Bridget Carlton is also having the best season of her six-year career in the WNBA. She has started 26 of Minnesota’s 30 games and is averaging 9.1 points and 29.3 minutes, career highs.

Minnesota’s bench is averaging 17.5 points, the highest among the majors. The Lynx helped bolster their depth by acquiring forward Misha Hines-Allen in an Aug. 20 trade from the Washington Mystics. After playing for the Mystics in back-to-back losses to the Lynx from Aug. 15-17, Hines-Allen joined Minnesota on a three-game winning streak.

The Lynx still have a lot of work to do, with seven of their remaining 10 regular season games on the road. They have eight wins and five losses on the road this season. But things are set for what could be another entertaining fall at Lynx Stadium.

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Previous arrangement: 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 good and scored a season-low 64 points. It was a good reminder for the Liberty that they still have work to do. But you can mostly attribute the loss to the Suns being tired of losing to New York, which had beaten Connecticut seven straight in regular-season games and won 3-1 over the Suns in the 2023 WNBA semifinals.

Sabrina Ionescu missed the Liberty’s two wins over Dallas last week with neck soreness, but returned against Connecticut. New York hopes to have Petnija Lani Hamilton back soon after knee surgery, as the Liberty spend the week out West.

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Tense finish between Sun and Liberty leads to several technical errors

Three technical fouls were called in the last minute as The Sun ended Liberty’s eight-match winning streak.

Previous arrangement: 2

this week: @ PHO (Aug 28), @ DAL (Aug 30), vs CHI (Sept 1)

Collier had 81 points and 30 rebounds in Minnesota’s three wins last week. In her past four games, she’s shot 70.3 percent from the field, the only WNBA player ever to do that with at least 60 attempts.

In addition to all the things we’ve mentioned about the Lynx’s great play, there’s one more thing to mention: their passing. Minnesota leads the WNBA in assists with 23.4 per game, and Williams leads the way with 5.5.

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Nafisa Collier leads Lynx to victory over Fever and qualification to the playoffs

31 points, 5 rebounds from Napheesa Collier lead Lynx to win over Fever.

Previous arrangement: 4

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

If there was ever a week where we could tie for first place in the power rankings three times, this would be it. The Suns, who represented the Lynx in the playoffs on Saturday, won big that night in New York. Earlier in the week, the Suns sold out Boston in Los Angeles and rallied to beat Chicago at home.

Goalie Marina Mabry has settled in well with the Suns after being traded from the Sky on July 17, leading Connecticut in scoring against her former team and New York. At this point, the Suns are in a strong competition with the Liberty and Lynx for the WNBA title.

former: 3

this week: @ DAL (Aug 27), vs ATL (Aug 30), @ PHO (Sep 1)

The Aces needed some last-minute magic from Wilson to beat Chicago 77-75 on Sunday. She shot 8-of-28 from the field, an unusual number in her WNBA career, but Wilson’s basket before the buzzer off a pass from Chelsea Gray staved off the Sky’s attack.

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

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A’ja Wilson dominates Sky with 20 points, 18 rebounds

A’ja Wilson had 20 points and 18 rebounds for the Aces, securing the win with a last-minute shot against the Sky.

Previous arrangement: 5

this week: @ ATL (Aug 26), vs CON (Aug 28), @ CHI (Aug 30), @ DAL (Sept 1)

The Fever team played just one game last week, at Moore’s Big Day in Minnesota on Saturday. Indiana lost 90-80, but the Fever team had some good moments. Especially on the back end, where Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell continued their post-Olympic scoring streak. The Fever team also won decisively in the rebounding battle against Minnesota. But Clark admitted after the game that they need to find ways to give Boston’s Aliyah more good opportunities inside.

This week is very important for the Fever’s hopes of qualifying for the playoffs, as they play three of their four matches away from home.

Previous arrangement: 7

this week: vs. Washington (Aug. 26), vs. Atlanta (Aug. 28), vs. New York (Aug. 30), at Const (Sept. 1)

The Storm also played just one game last week, an 83-77 win over Washington. That win was much-needed after losses to Atlanta and Indiana the previous week. The Storm are fourth in the WNBA standings and are trying to keep a chance at hosting games in the playoffs. Three home games this week could help.

Previous arrangement: 6

this week: vs. New York (Aug. 26), vs. Minnesota (Aug. 28), vs. LVD (Sept. 1)

The Mercury have alternated wins and losses since resuming play after the Olympic hiatus. That included a loss Wednesday in Atlanta, followed by a win there Friday. Now it’s call it quits for the Mercury after five straight home games. Diana Taurasi has played well since winning her sixth Olympic gold medal in Paris, scoring in double figures in four of the Mercury’s last five games.

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Griner, Taurasi combine for 40 points in away win

Brittney Griner scored 22 points and Diana Taurasi had 18 as the Mercury beat the Dream on the road.

Previous arrangement: 8

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

The Atlanta Dream are looking to finish eighth in the standings and advance to the playoffs, a half-game behind the Sky. After beating Phoenix on Wednesday, in which Dream player Tina Charles moved into second place on the NBA’s all-time 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 stretch for the Dream.

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Tina Charles moves into second place on WNBA all-time scoring list

Tina Charles passes Tina Thompson for second place on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list, behind only Diana Taurasi.

Previous arrangement: 9

this week: vs WASH (Aug 28), vs IND (Aug 30), @ MIN (Sept 1)

The Sky came close last week to two wins that would have helped them advance to the playoffs. But both times, the wins came by a basket: 82-80 against Connecticut and 77-75 at home against Las Vegas. Angel Reyes continued her dominance at the plate, becoming the first player in WNBA history to record three straight games of 20 or more rebounds. But the Sky needs more scoring from their players.

Previous arrangement: 10

this week: @ SEA (Aug 26), @ CHI (Aug 28), vs CONN (Aug 31)

The Mystics lost to Seattle and beat Los Angeles last week. The return of center Shakira Austin and center Brittney Sykes from injury after the Olympics was a positive sign for Washington in a season that hasn’t had many positives. Austin has scored 10-plus points in her last three games; Sykes has done the same in three of her last four.

Previous arrangement: 11

this week: vs LV (Aug 27), vs MIN (Aug 30), vs IND (Sep 1)

After back-to-back losses to New York last week, Dallas notched its first win since the WNBA restarted, and it did so in unexpected fashion. The Wings trailed Los Angeles by 19 points heading into the fourth quarter on Sunday, then outscored the Sparks 40-18 in the period to win 113-110. It turned out to be one of Dallas’ most entertaining games of a dismal season, with Eric Ogunbowale and Natasha Howard scoring 63 points.

Previous arrangement: 12

this week: vs. New York (August 28), vs. Atlanta (September 1)

We don’t want to criticize the Sparks when they’re down, but it’s hard to lose a game when you score 110 points in regulation. In fact, no team in WNBA history had ever done that before Sunday, when the Sparks scored the most points ever by a losing team in a non-overtime game. A 19-point lead early in the fourth quarter against Dallas, also bottom of the league, wasn’t enough. It makes you wonder what the Sparks must do to end their current seven-game losing streak. One bright spot for Los Angeles: rookie Rekia Jackson, who set a season-high 25 points against the Wings.