New York and Minnesota still leading the way, both unbeaten heading into Commissioner's Cup play
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx picked up right where they left off last season when reaching the WNBA Finals.
Both teams have gone undefeated through their first seven games this year with the Lynx set to host Phoenix on Tuesday night in a Commissioner's Cup matchup.
The Liberty and Lynx faced off last season in the in-season tournament final with Minnesota coming away with the victory. New York got revenge, winning the WNBA championship for the first time in franchise history.
The two teams are each 7-0 this season, marking the latest that more than one franchise had been undefeated this long into the season since both the Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks started 2016 winning their first 11 games.
New York has dominated its opponents so far, averaging 91.9 points a game, and winning by nearly 23 points a contest. That includes a 48-point victory over Connecticut, the second-largest margin of victory in WNBA history.
Minnesota has been finding ways to win close contests. Before beating Golden State by 11 on Sunday, the Lynx had won their previous four games by a total of 18 points.
The Lynx and Liberty won't play in the regular season for a few more months with their four matchups coming in the span of a few weeks — the first of which is on July 30.
Power poll rankings
New York led the way as the No. 1 team in the power poll again this week. Minnesota was right behind in second. The national voting panel chose Phoenix third and Atlanta fourth. The Dream moved up three places. Las Vegas, Seattle and Indiana were the next three. Washington, Golden State and Chicago followed. Los Angeles, Dallas and Connecticut rounded out the poll.
Commissioner's Cup
The WNBA will play its annual in-season tournament over the next few weeks. Each team will play the other teams in their conference one time during that window. The West will have six games with the addition of expansion team Golden State. The East will play five. The teams with the best record in each conference will face off in the title game. The winning team receives a $500,000 cash prize pool to divvy up as well as each player on that squad will get $5,000 in cryptocurrency from Bitcoin.
Player of the week
Allisha Gray of Atlanta earned Player of the Week honors for the second time in her career. The Dream guard, who also won the award in June 2023, averaged 26.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4 assists to help Atlanta win both its games last week on the road over Los Angeles and Seattle. Other players receiving consideration included A'ja Wilson of Las Vegas, Napheesa Collier of Minnesota and Sabrina Ionescu of New York.
Game of the week
Indiana at Chicago, Saturday. Caitlin Clark may still be sidelined with a quad strain for this rematch between the Fever and Sky. The game will be broadcast on CBS in primetime, the first for the network in WNBA history.
___
AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman join Australia SailGP team as co-owners
Hugh Jackman, left, and Ryan Reynolds pose for a photo on Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman become co-owners of the Australia SailGP team on Thursday. The 'Deadpool & Wolverine' stars joined driver and CEO Tom Slingsby in leading the team's rebrand after several successful seasons, winning three championships in its four seasons. The team will be called the BONDS Flying Roos, with the Australian underwear company BONDS as its title partner. 'We're incredibly excited to set sail together in this new adventure,' Reynolds and Jackman said in a joint statement released through SailGP. 'Hugh brings a deep love for and pride in his home country, as well as being an avid fan of sailing. He will also be bringing his overly clingy emotional support human along for the ride. Apologies in advance to Australia. No comment on whether we're writing this in our BONDS. No further questions.' It's the latest sports venture for Reynolds, a Vancouver native who, along with fellow Hollywood actor Rob McElhenney, is a co-owner of Wrexham, one of the world's oldest soccer clubs. Reynolds and McElhenney were also part of an investment group that acquired Colombian club La Equidad earlier this year. The BONDS Flying Roos SailGP Team is expected to make its debut at the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix starting June 7. Slingsby, an Olympic gold medalist, said in a release that Jackman and Reynolds bring 'unmatched star power, a love for storytelling, and a sharp sense of (humour) that fits perfectly with our team.' 'With BONDS joining as our Title Partner and the launch of the BONDS Flying Roos,' Slingsby added, 'we're building something distinctly Australian; a team driven by spirit, resilience, and national pride.' ___ The Associated Press
National Post
2 hours ago
- National Post
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman buy Australian sailing team
Article content Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman are now in the sailing game. Article content The Deadpool and Wolverine stars and best pals are now co-owners of the Bonds Flying Roos, the Australian sailing team that competes in SailGP. Article content Founded in 2019 by American billionaire and Oracle founder Larry Ellison and world champion yachtsman New Zealander Russell Coutts, SailGP is an international sailing competition that sees 12 national teams competing in races around the world using technologically advanced catamarans. The team will compete at the New York Grand Prix this weekend. Article content Article content The announcement of Reynolds and Jackman coming aboard as co-owners coincides with Australian underwear brand Bonds signing on as a team sponsor, which of course was the source of a joke in a statement released by Reynolds and Jackman. Article content 'We're incredibly excited to set sail together in this new adventure,' Reynolds and Jackman said in a joint statement. 'Hugh brings a deep love for and pride in his home country as well as being an avid fan of sailing. He will also be bringing his overly clingy emotional support human along for the ride. Apologies in advance to Australia. No comment on whether we're writing this in our Bonds. No further questions.' Article content Article content Article content The investment in the sailing team is just another move into the sports franchise game by Reynolds. The Vancouver native's sports holdings include the Welsh soccer team Wrexham AFC with his friend Rob McElhenney. Reynolds and McElhenney also invested in the Mexican soccer team Club Necaxa and Colombian club La Equidad, as well as the Alpine Formula One team. Article content Article content
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Jury deliberations begin in Harvey Weinstein's sex crimes retrial
Harvey Weinstein appears in state court in Manhattan for his retrial on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in New York. (Curtis Means/Pool Photo via AP) Warning: This story contains graphic details. NEW YORK — Jurors started deliberating Thursday in Harvey Weinstein 's New York sex crimes retrial, tasked with deciding — again — a case that encapsulated the #MeToo movement. The seven-woman, five-man jury is considering two counts of criminal sex act and one count of rape, each relating to a different accuser and a different date. In this case, the criminal sex act charge is the higher-degree felony. Weinstein, 73, has pleaded not guilty. Nearly eight years ago, a series of sexual misconduct allegations against the Oscar-winning movie producer propelled the #MeToo movement. Some of those accusations later generated criminal charges and convictions in New York and California. The New York conviction from 2020 was subsequently overturned, leading to the retrial before a new jury and a different judge. Jurors heard more than five weeks of testimony, including lengthy and sometimes fiery questioning of Weinstein's three accusers in the case. Jessica Mann said he raped her in 2013, when she was trying to build an acting career. Miriam Haley accused him of forcibly performing oral sex on her in 2006, when she was looking for work in entertainment production. Kaja Sokola, who wasn't involved in Weinstein's first trial, told jurors that he forced oral sex on her, too, during 2006. At the time, she was a teenage fashion model trying to break into acting. 'They all had dreams of pursuing careers in the defendant's world, the entertainment industry,' prosecutor Nicole Blumberg told jurors in her closing argument Tuesday. She contended that Weinstein let the women think he was interested in their careers when what actually interested him were their bodies, and 'he was going to have their bodies and touch their bodies whether they wanted him to or not.' Weinstein chose not to testify. His defense called other witnesses, including some former friends of Sokola's and Mann's. Weinstein's attorneys argued that all three accusers consented to Weinstein's advances because they wanted help with their Hollywood aims. All three stayed on friendly terms with him afterward, a point the defense emphasized. 'It's transactional, folks. Yes, he wants to fool around with them, and yes, they want something from him,' defense lawyer Arthur Aidala said in his summation Tuesday. The Associated Press generally does not identify people without their permission if they say they have been sexually assaulted. Sokola, Mann and Haley have agreed to be named. Jennifer Peltz And Cedar Attanasio, The Associated Press Resources for sexual assault survivors in Canada If you or someone you know is struggling with sexual assault or trauma, the following resources are available to support people in crisis:
