NEW YORK (AP) — It's been a rough couple of weeks for the WNBA with injuries.
Stars A'ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Plum have all missed time for a variety of ailments. While Wilson and Clark, who were both selected as All-Star starters last week, should be back soon, Plum will be a bit longer.
Wilson has missed three games with a foot injury she suffered against Chicago. Las Vegas' Becky Hammon said that the four-time MVP could have played in Sunday's
loss to Indiana if it was a playoff game, but the coach was keeping her out looking at the bigger picture.
Clark has been working her way toward playing again after she aggravated a back injury. Clark has started practicing again and potentially will return during the current road trip that the Fever are on with games in Los Angeles, Phoenix and Las Vegas. The star guard missed the first game of the trip against Las Vegas on Sunday.
Plum is out with a lower left leg injury and is expected to be evaulated in late July right around the All-Star break. Los Angeles has struggled without her.
Last season's MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier has yet to play this year after she had offseason surgery on both her ankles. She has started practicing again for Minnesota and also should be back soon.
Minnesota remained atop the power poll this week barely edging New York. One point separated the top two teams. Golden State was third with Las Vegas fourth, The Valkyries picked up some first-place votes. Dallas was fifth. Indiana, Washington and Atlanta were next. Phoenix Toronto and Portland followed the Dream. Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle and Connecticut rounded out the poll.
Breanna Stewat of New York was the AP player of the week. She had a huge game in the Liberty's win over Minnesota last Friday. Stewart scored 36 points to go along with seven rebounds and two blocks in the victory. Other players receiving votes included Paige Bueckers of Dallas, Shakira Austin of Washington and Gabby Williams of Golden State.
Geno Auriemma and Robin Roberts will call the Dallas-New York game Tuesday night on ESPN. The pair called the first WNBA broadcast on the network 30 years earlier.
“Yeah, I was nervous the first time I did it, because I didn’t know what I was doing and now that I remember back and having to do it again, knowing what could go wrong, I’m even more nervous,” Auriemma joked on a conference call. “We just tried, just figure out, let’s watch the game and see what happens and talk about what we see.”
There will be a lot of familiarity for Auriemma as three of his former players will be in the game with Dallas having Bueckers and Azzi Fudd and the Liberty having Stewart.
Roberts has been impressed how the league has grown over the past three decades.
“To see the respect it has earned, the players are just incredible, and I’m just very grateful to see that it is getting the recognition that it’s getting right now,” she said.
New York at Minnesota, Saturday. Two of the top teams in the WNBA will meet again in Minnesota with the Lynx hosting the Liberty. Star Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier might be ready to play in that game as she's been working back from offseason ankle surgeries.
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
