The Las Vegas Aces are streaking, but the Minnesota Lynx are looking at their throne after beating the New York Liberty in the 2024 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup. The New York Liberty have the best record in the WNBA after a shaky week from the Connecticut Sun, which caused them to drop a few spots in this week’s power rankings. The top teams are shuffling, but no team has yet to set themselves apart.
WNBA Week 6 Power Rankings
These Power Rankings reflect where each WNBA team stands after week 6 of the 2024 season. Teams are ranked 1-12 and are grouped by tiers.
Past Rankings: Preseason, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5
Tier 1 – (Contenders)
- Las Vegas Aces (10-6) | Previous Rank: 1 – The Las Vegas Aces as we know them are back. Chelsea Gray returned to the team after missing 12 games and played a total of 60 minutes in her first three games back. The Aces won Gray’s first three games back and won her minutes by a whopping 31 points. Since Gray’s return, the Aces are now on a 4-0 win streak after beating the Mystics on Saturday, the longest in the league. It’s also worth noting that two of the four teams they faced during their four-game win streak are two of the league’s better teams in the Seattle Storm and Connecticut Sun. While the Aces have been a top five offense all season, the defense has been lacking for the defending champs at 102.6, which is ninth in the WNBA. However, with Gray back in the rotation, the Aces defensive rating over their last four games is 98.5, which would be top 5 in the league. The Aces are back and will only get better. That should worry the other teams and those who exaggerated their struggles without Chelsea Gray or minimized what her impact is to this team. They look like the best team in the league again and that is why they will hold on to the top spot in this week’s power rankings.
- Minnesota Lynx (13-4) | Previous Rank: 3 – After coming off an exhilarating win in the Commissioner’s Cup to defeat the New York Liberty on Tuesday, the Lynx returned to regular season action and lost to a Dallas Wings team that was desperate for a win. The Wings were due after losing 11 straight games and falling to the very bottom of the league standings and the Lynx were coming off an emotional win in the Commissioner’s Cup and had to travel to Dallas for that game. The Lynx have also already beaten the Wings this season so it would be misguided to put too much stock in that loss. The Wings loss does count towards the standings, while the Commissioner’s Cup win does not, however, for purposes of these rankings, the Commissioner’s Cup win is more meaningful. That was the second time the Lynx played the Liberty this season and beat them. Breanna Stewart said the Lynx controlled the entire game the first time the two teams matched up earlier this season. The Lynx also controlled the second half of the Commissioner’s Cup. Minnesota’s pesky number one defense causes a lot of problems for the Liberty and disrupts many of their actions. The Lynx have looked like the better team in their two matchups this season with the Liberty and that is why the Lynx move up to the second spot in this week’s rankings.
- New York Liberty (15-3) | Previous Rank: 4 – The Liberty haven’t played a game since the Commissioner’s Cup and since that game doesn’t count towards the league standings, their league best record in the WNBA remains intact. Nonetheless, they move up one spot in this week’s rankings without having played a game that counts towards the standings. The Liberty have the best offensive rating in the league at 108.9. They’re defensive rating of 96.3 is fourth best and they have an overall net rating of 12.5, which is the best in the WNBA. Liberty fans would argue that this makes them the best team in the WNBA, and that is a reasonable argument, but the Minnesota Lynx, the team ranked immediately above them at number two, has beaten them twice this season. And while the Liberty did beat the Las Vegas Aces in Las Vegas, it was without Chelsea Gray, and for purposes of these rankings, that is important context. The Liberty and Aces do not face each other again until August 17, after the Olympic break, but the Liberty will see the Lynx again soon on July 2. As the season unfolds, other factors can cause shifts in the rankings; it’s not limited to head-to-head matchups, but for now the New York Liberty land at number three in this week’s power rankings.
- Seattle Storm (11-6) | Previous Rank: 5 – The Storm move up one spot and one tier this week. The Storm won their last two games against the Connecticut Sun and Indiana Fever, respectively. It was an underwhelming start initially when they faced the Sun, but the Storm eventually took advantage of the game and the Sun’s inability to score the ball. As usual with the Storm, their win against the Fever was decisive. Many of their wins this season have come against sub .500 teams, but beating the Sun on Sunday adds to a list of more talented teams they have also beaten, such as the Mercury and Aces. The key to this team is consistency from Jewell Loyd, who has struggled more than usual this season. When her shot is falling, the Storm are a very hard team to beat. However, when it’s not, the seasoned veteran will need to find other ways to impact the game. Seattle is still a team trying to figure things out with its new pieces in Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith, but they looked good in their last two games and beat a team at top of the standings. That’s worthy of moving up one spot in the rankings to number four and back into the Contenders tier.
- Connecticut Sun (14-4) | Previous Rank: 2 – The Connecticut Sun fall three sports in this week’s power rankings. The Sun are 1-4 in their last four games and needed overtime for their one win, which was against the Washington Mystics, who are tied with the Los Angeles Sparks for the worst record in the league at 4-14. The Sun’s top two defense is what has carried them to so many wins this year, but offensive struggles have been a consistent theme for the Sun all season. The Sun are too good to continue losing at this rate, but after going 12-1 to start the season, losing three out of four games in the span of a week, is concerning. As a result, the Sun drop three spots to number five in this week’s power rankings.
Tier 2 – (Good to Very Good)
- Phoenix Mercury (9-8) | Previous Rank: 6 – The Phoenix Mercury continue to be a peculiar team. They split their last two games between the Lynx and Sparks. There’s no shame in losing to the Lynx, but the game wasn’t very competitive. The Lynx are currently the best defensive team in the WNBA, but before the Mercury can be taken seriously as a contender, they need to show they can beat the league’s top teams and/or at a minimum hang with them. The Mercury will remain at number six in this week’s power rankings, coincidentally where they also stand in the standings.
- Atlanta Dream (7-9) | Previous Rank: 8 – The Dream went 1-2 since last week’s rankings and are two games below .500. Their one win was impressive against the Connecticut Sun, in particular because it was against the Sun, but also because it was their first win without Rhyne Howard so far this season. Howard rolled her ankle a few games ago in the Dream’s loss to the Lynx and currently, there is no timetable for her return. Tina Charles led the team in plus minus (+7) and stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and 4 steals. Allisha Gray led the team in scoring with 17 points and five rebounds. Jordin Canada added to the party with nine points, six assists, three rebounds and three steals. The Dream will need this continued level of play from those three while Howard is out to stay afloat in the standings and playoff race. They move up two spots this week to number seven.
Tier 3 – (Potentially Good)
- Chicago Sky (6-10) | Previous Rank: 9 – The Chicago Sky went 1-1 in their last two games against the Fever and Aces. The reigning champs were too much for the Sky, but the Sky played a thriller, before their loss to the Aces, against the Indiana Fever that resulted in a 1-point win. The win was crucial for the Sky because it prevented the Indiana Fever from owning the head-to-head tiebreaker between the two teams. Angel Reese was brilliant in that game with 25 points (8-12 on field goals) and 16 rebounds, becoming the first rookie since A’ja Wilson with at least 25 points and 15 rebounds in a game. Angel Reese is currently on a 9-game double-double streak. Kamilla Cardoso also had a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) against the Fever. Plus, Chennedy Carter chipped in with 23 points in the Sky’s victory. Going .500 for the week will move the Sky up one spot to number eight in this week’s power rankings.
- Indiana Fever (7-12) | Previous Rank: 7 – After a four-game win streak, the Indiana Fever have lost their last two games to the Chicago Sky and Seattle Storm, and their next two games will be on the road against the Mercury and Aces. The Fever looked competitive against the Sky but against the Storm, they looked like they were playing a better team, which is what they will be up against when they face Phoenix and Vegas. Obviously, the goal is to win, but the Fever just need to make sure they keep pace with the Atlanta Dream and Chicago Sky so they can remain in the playoff picture. The important thing is their process looks much better than it did earlier in the season, which has resulted in them looking like a better team on the court. They will continue to grow and gel as a team, however, going 0-2 drops them two spots in this week’s rankings.
- Dallas Wings (4-13) | Previous Rank: 10 – The Dallas Wings snapped their 11-game win streak against the Minnesota Lynx earlier this week. The Wings got production from the usual suspects. Teaira McCowan had a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Arike Ogunbowale led all scorers with 23 points, plus nine assists and four rebounds. Monique Billings chipped in with 14 points, and in her first game back, Odyssey Sims contributed 18 points, four assists, two rebounds and three steals to help the Wings secure the win against the Commissioner’s Cup champs. With Satou Sabally (shoulder) not expected to return until after the Olympic break in August, this is the kind of all-around production the Wings need to win games and potentially make a late playoff push when Sabally returns. Ending their losing streak will keep the Wings from falling to Tier 4, but they remain at number 10 in this week’s rankings.
Tier 4 – (Rebuilders)
- Los Angeles Sparks (4-14) | Previous Rank: 11 – The Sparks are on a 7-game losing streak, the longest in the league, but have a chance at ending their losing streak when the Mystics play them in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Both the Sparks and Mystics are routinely competitive in games so it should be a good matchup, but Dearica Hamby will be the best player on the floor when they matchup and will need to play like it for the Sparks to get a win and break their losing streak. Hamby, was recently named as an injury replacement for her teammate Cameron Brink, to Team USA’s 3X3 squad for the Paris Olympics. Since the Mystics have a worse record than the Sparks, the Sparks will keep their number 11 spot this week in the rankings.
- Washington Mystics (4-15) | Previous Rank: 12 – The Washing ton Mystics have the worst record in the league, but they did show signs of life when they beat the Dallas Wings twice last week and they were competitive in their two most recent losses to the Connecticut Sun (in overtime) and Las Vegas Aces. Injuries continue to be the primary reason why the Mystics have such a bad record this season, but they continue to fight in games, which often makes for an entertaining watch. With the WNBA’s worst record, the Mystics will remain at number 12 this week.