Top 3 Games to Watch — August 19–25
Last week, we told you that we like to share the spotlight and limit each team to just one game of the week. Then the Sun decided to play the two teams right behind them in the standings in the span of three days (with a 3,000-mile flight in between). Congratulations, Connecticut, you broke the system.
We begin with the results from last week’s games:
- Seattle Storm 59, Washington Mystics 88
- Los Angeles Sparks 81, Chicago Sky 91
- Dallas Wings 68, Connecticut Sun 78
Her Hoop Stats Games to Watch
Las Vegas Aces (18–9) at Connecticut Sun (19–8)
Friday, August 23, at 7:30 PM ET — NBA TV, NESN+, NBA TV Canada
These two teams split their first two meetings, so this one will determine who will hold the tiebreaker. It could very well come to that, as only one game separates them in the standings, and with both teams trailing the Mystics, the tiebreaker could determine the two-seed and the all-important double-bye. A’ja Wilson is back, so this may be our first chance to see these teams face off at full strength. When they first met early in the season, Liz Cambage was still being worked into the Aces rotation and came off the bench to play 14 minutes. Wilson missed the second game on August 11th due to an ankle injury.
Points will be at a premium in a battle of the two stingiest defenses by points allowed per possession. Both teams lock down opponents by preventing second chances — the Aces and the Sun are the only two teams that rebound over 70% of their opponents’ misses. Each teams’ defensive rebounding is fueled by an MVP candidate: Connecticut’s Jonquel Jones leads the WNBA with 10.3 rebounds per game, while Las Vegas’ Cambage (8.3) is fourth.
Washington Mystics (20–7) at Chicago Sky (15–11)
Friday, August 23, at 8 PM ET — League Pass, The U Too, Monumental
The Sky already have a blowout win over the Sun on their résumé and have defeated both the Aces and the Sparks in the last two weeks. A victory here would cement their status as a team capable of playing with anyone. Wintrust Arena has been kind to the Sky — they are 5–1 at home since Jul 11. Washington presents the toughest test yet, however, coming in with three more road wins (10) than anyone else in the league.
The only currency accepted for admission to this contest will be dimes. Featured will be the current league leader in assists, the Mystics franchise leader in assists, the 2019 Mystics leader in assists per game and a player coming off of a career-high in assists. And those are four different players. Chicago’s Courtney Vandersloot leads the WNBA with 8.8 assists per game. Natasha Cloud (5.6 assists per game) recently became the Mystics’ all-time assists leader with 571, but trails teammate Kristi Toliver (6.0) in assists per game this season. Washington’s Emma Meesseman finished Friday’s game against the Lynx with eight assists, the highest total in her six-year career. Toliver and Cloud also rank second and fourth, respectively, in assists per game in the league.
Connecticut Sun (19–8) at Los Angeles Sparks (15–10)
Sunday, August 25, at 5 PM ET — NBA TV, Spectrum SportsNet, NESN+, NBA TV Canada
A gauntlet of a weekend for the Sun concludes in Los Angeles with a pivotal matchup against the Sparks. For Connecticut, winning at the Staples Center will be a tall order. Not only will they be playing on a 43-hour turnaround that includes a cross-country flight, but the Sparks have the second-best home record in the league at 9–2. The Sun might need to steal this game to stay within striking distance of the Mystics at the top.
The Sparks frontcourt is coming off of arguably its worst performance of the season heading into this matchup with a Sun team that has two All-Stars in the frontcourt (Jones and Alyssa Thomas). For LA, Candace Parker and Chiney Ogwumike scored just five points each in a loss to the Sky last Friday, combining to shoot 4-for-15. Nneka Ogwumike fared a little better, putting in 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, but showed visible frustration after picking up her fourth, fifth and sixth fouls in the fourth quarter. It was just her fifth foul-out in eight seasons, and it came in fewer minutes (24) than her previous four. The Sparks will need their bigs to stay on the court and score efficiently to get a win in this one.
If you like this content, please support our work at Her Hoop Stats by subscribing for just $20 a year. All stats are compiled from stats.wnba.com and represent games played through August 19, 2019.
