Recap 14: A rolled ankle couldn't stop Arike Ogunbowale, Chelsea Gray is heating up, and everything else to know
Chennedy Carter came back from injury, too :)
Hi, it’s me, Matt Ellentuck.
I hope you’re doing ok.
Earlier in the week, I recapped what the WNBA’s players and coaches have said since protesting against police brutality and the police shooting of Jacob Blake. You can read that here.
Here’s what happened over the weekend.
Amanda Zahui B played for her uncle, who was deported from Stockholm to the Ivory Coast
Arike Ogunbowale turned her ankle and still scored 30 points
Ogunbowale is one of the best scorers in the world. We know this. But she turned her ankle so badly in the first half of the Wings’ game against the Fever on Saturday that she had to be subbed out after taking two free throws. We didn’t know if she’d return to the game.
But she did… and SHE WENT OFF FOR 30 POINTS!?
NINETEEN OF THEM came after her injury. Sheeeeesh.
Dallas needed every one of her 11 buckets on 22 shots to edge out Indiana, 82-78, in a game that could have playoff implications. We’ll remember this one if Dallas ends up snagging the 8th and final postseason spot.
Chelsea Gray is heating up
Gray had her best game of the season on Friday when she scored 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including 3-of-5 from range to beat the Sun, 80-76. Gray had only scored more than 16 points once all season.
This is the Gray the Sparks need in the playoffs if they want to compete with the Aces and Storm. She was aggressive, and let shots fly from the mid-range, and from deep. It was good to see her find her rhythm.
(As part of her Assist For Equality campaign, Gray is also helping “mobilize members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies in the November 2020 election.” She’s donating $50 for each of her assists this year, and the Sparks are matching her contributions. You can donate here.)
Chennedy Carter is back!
Carter had a slow first game back on Friday, only scoring three points. But on Sunday, she looked like the player she was before rolling her ankle, scoring 26 points against the Sparks on 11-of-19 shooting.
The Rookie of the Year race is back on, folks.
With two weeks left, the standings are nuts
The end to the 2020 regular season is going to be chaotic and unpredictable. In just a 22-game season, every team is playing for something in these final two weeks.
Here’s what the standings look like:
Storm, 13-3
Aces, 12-3
Sparks, 12-3
Lynx, 10-5
Sky, 10-6
Mercury, 9-7
Sun, 7-9
Wings, 6-10
Fever, 5-10
Mystics, 4-11
Dream, 3-13
Liberty, 2-13
Remember that the top eight teams make the playoffs, and the lower six seeds will have to play in at least one single-elimination game. The bottom four seeds will have to play in two.
Scores:
Friday:
Lynx 88, Dream 79
Sparks 80, Sun 76
Mercury 94, Mystics 72
Saturday:
Aces 80, Liberty 63
Storm 88, Sky 74
Wings 82, Fever 78
Sunday:
Sun 76, Mystics 63
Mercury 83, Lynx 79
Sparks 84, Dream 84
Additional notes:
Diamond DeShields left the bubble for personal reasons, and Azura Stevens left the bubble due to injury
The Sky traded Jantel Lavender, who is not playing this year, to the Fever for Stephanie Muvunga and 2021 second- and third-round picks
Chennedy Carter returned from an ankle injury
Emma Meesseman returned from a shoulder injury
Tiffany Mitchell returned from a wrist injury
Bria Hartley suffered on a non-contact knee injury on Friday and missed Sunday’s game
Bria Holmes (Achilles) and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (back) missed games on Friday and Sunday
Joyner Holmes (knee) missed Saturday’s game
Sue Bird, Nia Coffey, Brittney Griner, Sylvia Fowles, Sabrina Ionescu, Stella Johnson, Aerial Powers, and Morgan Tuck all missed time for the same reasons as previously reported
Matt’s power rankings:
Storm
Aces
Sparks
Lynx
Sky
Sun
Mercury
Wings
Fever
Mystics
Dream
Liberty
Matt’s MVP rankings:
Breanna Stewart
A’ja Wilson
Candace Parker
Courtney Vandersloot
Napheesa Collier
Matt’s Rookie of the Year rankings:
Crystal Dangerfield
Chennedy Carter
Satou Sabally
Julie Allemand
Ezi Magbegor
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