The big story of the week in the WNBA is the Los Angeles Sparks, who went 4-0 to move from out of the Western Conference Playoffs to sitting third and even starting to put a bit of a scare into the Storm. I don’t think this surprised anyone, given the additions the Sparks made midseason (a healthy Lisa Leslie and Candace Parker, who may not quite be herself yet but is still the odds-on favorite to win Player of the Week) and their friendly schedule over the second half of the season. Still, I didn’t quite expect L.A. to ascend the Western Conference standings quite this quickly, and for that the Sparks can thank Minnesota (six straight losses) and San Antonio (five losses in the last six games) for that.
Don’t look now, but Sacramento isn’t out of the playoff picture, having moved within two games of the Lynx and Silver Stars. With two games left against Minnesota and one against San Antonio, the Monarchs almost manage to have control of their own destiny, improbable given how poorly Sacramento started.
To the stats …
OFFENSIVE/DEFENSIVE RATINGS
Team ORtg Team DRtg
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Phoenix 109.2 Indiana 93.7
Minnesota 103.8 Los Angeles 95.6
Atlanta 101.0 Connecticut 96.5
Seattle 100.7 New York 97.8
Indiana 100.7 Atlanta 98.0
San Antonio 100.5 Seattle 98.1
Connecticut 100.3 Washington 98.4
AVERAGE 100.2 Detroit 100.2
Chicago 100.1 AVERAGE 100.2
Sacramento 98.7 Sacramento 102.1
Detroit 98.0 San Antonio 103.7
New York 97.0 Chicago 105.3
Washington 96.5 Minnesota 105.3
Los Angeles 94.4 Phoenix 106.3
So here we see how the Sparks have done it – defense, defense and more defense. L.A. shaved more than a point per 100 possessions off of its Defensive Rating last week, moving into second place in the WNBA behind Indiana. The Sparks haven’t always been pretty in their wins – witness scoring four points over the last 2:10 of their overtime win Friday in San Antonio – but tough defense has carried L.A. through. Sacramento’s Defensive Rating is also showing signs of progress, while the Silver Stars head the other way in the rankings.
One interesting note from the rankings: The Storm and the Atlanta Dream, which visits KeyArena next Saturday, are now virtually indistinguishable statistically based on their Offensive and Defensive Ratings and point differential.
EXPECTED WINS STANDINGS
Team Exp. W Team Exp. W
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Phoenix 19.9 Indiana 22.1
Seattle 19.2 Connecticut 20.5
Los Angeles 17.1 Atlanta 19.3
Minnesota 14.8 New York 16.3
San Antonio 14.6 Washington 16.0
Sacramento 13.6 Detroit 15.3
Chicago 12.6
Besides the Sparks, the week’s other theme was a familiar one – parity. Nothing reinforced the situation more than the league’s worst team, at least in terms of record (Sacramento) beating its best (Indiana). In fact, the Monarchs won consecutive games while the Fever lost two straight for the first time since starting 0-2. That has brought everyone closer together.
A pair of overtime games on Friday night gave the WNBA 18 for the season, which surpassed last year’s total of 17 with three weeks to go and one fewer team.
WARP LEADERS
Player Tm Win% WARP
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Nicky Anosike MIN .739 6.5
Tamika Catchings IND .718 6.3
Lauren Jackson SEA .729 6.3
Diana Taurasi PHO .736 6.2
Becky Hammon SAS .697 5.9
Janel McCarville NYL .684 5.0
Shameka Christon NYL .625 4.5
Jia Perkins CHI .641 4.3
Sancho Lyttle ATL .650 4.1
Cappie Pondexter PHO .602 4.1
While Nicky Anosike maintains the league’s top WARP total even with her team struggling, the lead spot is very much up for grabs. One good game could put any of Tamika Catchings, Lauren Jackson or Diana Taurasi first in the league, as we saw early in the week with Jackson’s 36-point effort at Detroit.
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