Who Ran The WNBA This Week: Week 11
Who Ran The WNBA This Week: Kayla McBride Makes History, Minnesota Clinches & Washington Keeps Rolling
We’re officially getting to the point of the WNBA season where every game feels a little more important. The All-Star break is behind us, the trade deadline has passed and the playoff picture is beginning to take shape as teams either make their move or watch their postseason hopes slowly disappear.
That was especially clear during Week 11. Minnesota became the first team to officially secure a postseason spot, while Seattle became the first team mathematically eliminated. Everywhere in between, the standings remain crowded. According to the WNBA’s official Week 11 Power Rankings, only three games separate Las Vegas in third from Dallas in eighth, meaning there is still plenty to be decided over the final stretch.
There was plenty of history being made on the court too. Kayla McBride turned in one of the greatest shooting performances the league has ever seen, Kelsey Mitchell continued a scoring streak nobody has matched in a single season and the Washington Mystics just keep finding ways to win. Add in a handful of nail-biters and an expansion franchise finally getting its identity, and Week 11 gave us plenty to talk about.
Teams & Players To Highlight This Week
Minnesota Lynx
Minnesota remains the team everybody else is chasing. Even though the Sparks snapped the Lynx’s 10-game winning streak, Minnesota responded by beating Las Vegas and Dallas to improve to a league-best 27-7. More importantly, the Lynx became the first team to clinch a spot in the 2026 WNBA Playoffs.
The league’s Week 11 rankings kept Minnesota firmly at No. 1, with the Lynx having won 12 of their last 13 games entering the new week. Between Napheesa Collier, Olivia Miles and one of the hottest shooters on Earth in Kayla McBride, Minnesota looks every bit like a team built to play deep into the fall.
Washington Mystics
At some point, we have to stop calling Washington’s run surprising. The Mystics climbed all the way from No. 7 to No. 3 in the official Power Rankings after another undefeated week, and their Sunday win over Phoenix matched the longest single-season winning streak in franchise history. Washington is also a league-best 14-6 in clutch games, defined as games within five points during the final five minutes.
Shakira Austin was right in the middle of it. She dropped 27 points and 13 rebounds in Washington’s comeback win over Dallas before posting 21 points and 11 boards against Atlanta two nights later. The Mystics are getting contributions from up and down the roster, but Austin’s play inside has become one of the biggest reasons they continue climbing the standings.
Kayla McBride
There are hot shooting nights, and then there’s whatever Kayla McBride did to Dallas. McBride erupted for a career-high 43 points on Aug. 9, shooting an absurd 16-of-21 from the field and 10-of-14 from 3-point range. Those 10 made triples established a new WNBA single-game record, making McBride the first player in league history to reach double-digit made threes in one game.
And somehow, there was another layer to the performance. McBride became the first player in WNBA history to score at least 40 points without multiple free-throw attempts, doing all of her damage from the field essentially.
Kelsey Mitchell
Kelsey Mitchell’s scoring consistency has officially entered the WNBA record book. After scoring 27 points against Chicago, Mitchell extended her streak of consecutive 20-point games to 16, breaking A’ja Wilson’s previous single-season record of 1 set in 2024.
Wilson still holds the overall record across multiple seasons at 20 straight, so Mitchell suddenly has another piece of history within reach. More importantly for Indiana, her scoring has helped keep the Fever firmly in the middle of the playoff race at 20-12.
STORYLINES OF THE WEEK
The Playoff Picture Is Starting To Get Real
We officially have teams on opposite ends of the postseason spectrum. The Minnesota Lynx became the first team to clinch a playoff berth, while the Seattle Storm became the first team eliminated from postseason contention. Seattle’s 0-3 week extended its losing streak to 11 games, matching a franchise record, while Minnesota continues to sit comfortably atop the standings.
Everybody else? It could get messy. Golden State sits second, while Las Vegas, Indiana, Washington, Atlanta, New York and Dallas are all packed tightly behind them. With seeding and home court positioning still up for grabs, the final portion of the schedule should have very few meaningless games.
Say Hello To The Cleveland Sirens
Cleveland’s WNBA franchise officially has a name. The expansion team will be called the Cleveland Sirens when it begins play in 2028, giving Cleveland a fresh identity rather than bringing back the old Rockers name. The branding is tied heavily to Lake Erie, with the franchise wanting something unique to the city while still representing the strength and Cleveland’s connection to the water.
Cleveland’s arrival will mark the WNBA’s return to the city more than two decades after the original Cleveland Rockers folded following the 2003 season.
BEST GAMES OF THE LAST WEEK
Mercury 106, Sky 101 — August 3
Phoenix got an immediate glimpse of what its newest star could bring. Kelsey Plum scored 20 points in just 20 minutes off the bench in her Mercury debut, while Kahleah Copper exploded for 31 points and Alyssa Thomas recorded another triple-double as Phoenix escaped Chicago with a high-scoring win.
Liberty 92, Storm 86 — August 5
New York beat Seattle for the second time in three days, but the Storm made the Liberty work for it. Breanna Stewart led New York with 28 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists, while all five Liberty starters reached double figures. Seattle got a monster 31-point, 10-rebound double-double from Dominique Malonga, but New York had just enough to finish the job.
Mystics 96, Wings 92 — August 5
Washington erased a 20-point deficit and continued its winning streak behind another big night from Shakira Austin. Austin left six Mystics in double figures with 27 points and 13 rebounds, while Dallas got monster performances from Jessica Shepard with 22 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists and Alanna Smith with 21 points and 11 boards in the loss.
Aces 86, Fever 84 (OT) — August 6
Chelsea Gray provided one of the coldest finishes of the season. Gray buried a 3-pointer to force overtime and then hit another buzzer-beating triple to win the game in OT. A’ja Wilson finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds, Jackie Young added 22 points and nine assists, while Indiana got 28 from Kelsey Mitchell, 21 and 12 from Aliyah Boston and 20 points with eight assists from Caitlin Clark.
Sparks 89, Lynx 82 — August 6
Minnesota finally lost. The Sparks ended the Lynx’s 10-game winning streak, using a balanced effort led by Rae Burrell’s 17 points. Dearica Hamby added 16 points and nine rebounds, while Nneka Ogwumike finished with 16 points and seven boards. Minnesota received 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists from Olivia Miles and 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists from Napheesa Collier, but it wasn’t enough to keep the streak alive.
Sun 75, Mercury 72 — August 7
Connecticut’s bench came through in a close one. Kennedy Burke scored 15 points and Aaliyah Edwards added 14, while Kelsey Plum led Phoenix with 25. The defining play came at the end when Brittney Griner blocked Plum’s potential game-tying 3-pointer, allowing Connecticut to escape with the victory.
Mystics 79, Dream 74 — August 7
The Mystics kept their streak alive with another balanced performance. Five Washington players scored in double figures, led by Shakira Austin’s 21-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Kiki Iriafen scored 15 and Sonia Citron added 14. Atlanta got 26 points from Allisha Gray and 19 from Rhyne Howard, but Washington made the plays it needed late.
Fever 90, Sky 86 — August 8
Indiana bounced back from its overtime heartbreak against Lax Vegas by winning another tight battle against Chicago. Caitlin Clark posted 26 points and 11 assists, Kelsey Mitchell scored 27, and Aliyah Boston added 13 points and 11 rebounds. Natasha Cloud and Rachel Banham led Chicago with 17 apiece, while Kamilla Cardoso finished just shy of a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds.
GAMES TO LOOK FORWARD TO THIS UPCOMING WEEK
Liberty vs. Fever — August 11
This one could have real playoff-seeding implications. Indiana enters the week fifth in the Power Rankings while New York has climbed back to sixth after a perfect 3-0 week. It also gives us another chance to see whether Kelsey Mitchell can push her record-setting 20-point streak to 17 games.
Mystics vs. Aces — August 11 & August 13
Washington gets perhaps its biggest test of this winning streak with back-to-back games in Las Vegas. The Mystics have climbed to third in the rankings, one spot ahead of the Aces, making this mini-series a chance for both teams to create some separation in the standings.
Sparks vs. Liberty — August 13
The Sparks proved they can knock off anybody by ending Minnesota’s 10-game streak, while New York has suddenly won seven of its last eight. This could be another good measuring stick game for a Los Angeles team trying to hang around the playoff race.
Lynx vs. Aces — August 15
Yes, again. Minnesota and Las Vegas just met, but there is way too much talent between these two teams for us not to circle the rematch. The Lynx won 98-87 on August 8, and now the Aces get another shot at the league leaders on their home floor.
Fever vs. Dream — August 16
Two teams separated by very little in the standings meet Sunday in what could become a huge tiebreaker game. Atlanta currently leads the season series 2-1. She can secure the head-to-head tiebreaker with another victory. At the same time, Indiana has a chance to tighten its grip on a postseason spot and potentially move even further up the standings.
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