Miles passes Clark as Lynx close on top seed
Olivia Miles became the WNBA's rookie scoring leader on Sunday, surpassing the 769 points Caitlin Clark scored for Indiana in 2024. Miles reached 770 points on a free throw with 9:31 remaining in the second quarter of Minnesota's 101-89 victory over Connecticut. Napheesa Collier led the Lynx with 23 points and Miles finished with 21 as Minnesota improved to 32-10. The Lynx need one more win, or one Golden State loss, to secure home-court advantage throughout the postseason, and they close the regular season with a home-and-home series against Indiana.[S1]
Minnesota, which had lost three straight, opened with an 11-2 run in the first 3:30. Collier scored the game's first four points and Courtney Williams, who played five seasons for the Sun, added five points during that stretch. The Lynx led 27-12 after the first quarter, with Collier contributing 10 points. Collier's layup pushed the lead to 45-26 with 3:44 left in the half, but Connecticut answered with a 15-4 run to cut the deficit to eight. Collier converted a three-point play with 25.2 seconds remaining to restore a double-digit lead. Connecticut stayed close by making 12 of its first 19 3-point attempts and trailed by only seven early in the fourth quarter, finishing 15 of 28 from beyond the arc.[S1]
Stewart climbs scoring list as Liberty roll
Breanna Stewart scored 27 points as New York routed Toronto 106-69 to remain in contention for home-court advantage in the opening playoff round. The Liberty, now 26-16, could finish anywhere from fourth to eighth in the standings with two games left, both at home against Atlanta on Monday and Wednesday. Stewart moved into eighth place on the WNBA's all-time scoring list, passing Cappie Pondexter's 6,811 points. She scored six points in the first five minutes to make the jump, after passing former Seattle teammate Sue Bird (6,803) with 24 points in Friday's 93-81 road win over first-place Minnesota. The nine-year veteran, who was MVP of the women's FIBA World Cup, has 6,833 points and next targets Candice Dupree's 6,895.[S1]
Stewart played only 22 minutes, making 10 of 14 shots and all seven of her free throws. Reserve Rebecca Allen added 14 points and hit four of New York's 16 3-pointers. Stewart scored nine points in the first quarter for a 26-19 lead and had 13 by halftime for a 45-37 advantage. She then scored 14 in the third quarter as the Liberty outscored Toronto by 11 in the period on the way to their third straight win.[S1]
Mystics handle Fever; Ogwumike reaches 8,000
Kiki Iriafen had 21 points and 14 rebounds as Washington beat Indiana 93-77 to move within one game of the fifth-place Fever. Shakira Austin added 20 points and 10 boards for the Mystics (26-16), one of three teams a game behind Indiana (27-15) with two regular-season games left. The Fever close with a home-and-home series against Minnesota, which owns the league's best record at 32-10, on Tuesday and Thursday. Sonia Citron scored 16 points and finished one assist shy of a double-double, while Georgia Amoore added 11 points with three 3-pointers. Washington led 34-19 after the first quarter, by as many as 26 points, and 51-30 at halftime before entering the fourth up 77-61 without being threatened.[S1]
Caitlin Clark scored 25 points with five assists and Kelsey Mitchell had 22 for Indiana, but the All-WNBA backcourt combined to shoot 14 of 40 from the floor, including 6 of 20 on 3-pointers. Fever All-Star center Aliyah Boston battled foul trouble and scored seven points on eight shots, and Indiana's bench did not score until Raven Johnson's jumper with 4:35 left in the third quarter. In Los Angeles, Nneka Ogwumike had 20 points, 12 rebounds and five assists as the Sparks beat Portland 105-84. Ogwumike became the fourth player in WNBA history to reach 8,000 points, joining Diana Taurasi (10,646), Tina Charles (8,396) and DeWanna Bonner (8,217). The 2016 MVP now has 8,013 points and her 18 double-doubles are a single-season career high.[S1]
Los Angeles honored native Lisa Leslie with the unveiling of a statue outside Crypto.com Arena and a halftime ceremony. Leslie, a three-time WNBA MVP, played for the Sparks from 1999 to 2007, helped the team win back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. Rae Burrell also scored 20 points, Ariel Atkins had 14 and Chance Gray added 11 for the Sparks (16-26). The Fire (16-27) have lost four straight and seven of eight. In Las Vegas, A'ja Wilson scored 30 points as the Aces beat Seattle 98-77. The four-time MVP made 16 of 18 free throws and recorded her 49th career 30-point game, second-most in history behind Diana Taurasi's 54. The Aces (29-13) have won five straight and lead Atlanta by one game for third place, with the top four teams earning home-court advantage in the best-of-three first round.[S1]
The Storm (8-35), who have lost 18 of 20, clinched the worst record this season. Rookie Flau'jae Johnson hit five 3-pointers and scored a season-high 29 points for Seattle, and Dominique Malonga scored 25 on 10-of-13 shooting. Jackie Young made 10 of 15 from the field and finished with 23 points and eight assists for Las Vegas, while Chelsea Gray scored 15.[S1]
