Cheryl Ford, left, and Asjha Jones will battle underneath the boards again on Friday in Detroit. Ray Amati/NBAE/Getty Images

Featured matchup: Connecticut (4-4) at Detroit (6-0)

A rematch of last year's Eastern Conference Finals, this game is another in a long run of tough games for the unbeaten defending champion Shock. They won in Connecticut last weekend, host Indiana on Saturday, then leave on a four-game road trip next week to Los Angeles, Seattle, Phoenix and Sacramento.

"This stretch of games is going to be very trying for us," says coach Bill Laimbeer, "but we're just going to win as many as we can."

"We have a lot of great games coming up," agrees Shock guard Katie Smith, who scored a game-high 23 in last weekend's win over the Sun. "It's gonna be a battle every night."

Connecticut appeared to be on the comeback trail after some early season struggles, but fell to a struggling Minnesota squad on Wednesday. Against the Shock, they are hoping to avoid getting down early, an issue they've faced several times already this season. Why the habit of falling behind?

"I don't know," says Sun forward Nykesha Sales. "(But) we've been in this situation before. Once we figure out how not to get down so much, we will really be a tough team to play. It happens a lot, so we never count ourselves out because we always come back. We've always fought in the second half."

Key among the second-half contributors has been power forward Asjha Jones, who will face a formidable matchup against the Shock in the form of All-Star Cheryl Ford.

Los Angeles (4-2) at Washington (1-8)

Just two days after earning their first victory of the season, the Mystics host the Sparks who, despite their second-place standing in the West, have been going through a bit of turmoil themselves. With the retirement of Chamique Holdsclaw earlier in the week and Temeka Johnson still out of commission, L.A. benefited from the insertion of LaToya Thomas (16 points) into the starting lineup in their win Wednesday over Houston. Taj McWilliams-Franklin has been as powerful as ever in the paint and Marta Fernandez has brought over her own style of scoring and distribution from Spain.

In the Mystics' win on Wednesday, Monique Currie scored a career high 25, while Alana Beard contributing 19 points and six assists of her own. Based on Wednesday's success, it will be interesting to see whether or not Currie will see increased minutes and shots as the Mystics and interim coach Tree Rollins try to dig themselves out of their early season hole.

Phoenix (6-5) at Indiana (8-1)

It's been said over and over again, but you never know which Mercury team will show up on a given day: the one that has beaten Seattle, San Antonio and Sacramento all on the road or the one that has lost to the previously winless Lynx and Mystics in the span of nine days. Diana Taurasi looks to have gotten back on track, averaging 25.3 points a game over her last three, but Cappie Pondexter has struggled from the floor of late.

If it weren't for the Shock, Indiana would be the talk of the league right now. The Fever are off to their best start ever and have been remarkably consistent. They are leading the league with the fewest average points allowed and have the WNBA's largest points differential, outscoring their opponents by nearly 13 points a night. Tamika Catchings is currently atop the fan All-Star voting returns and is the current favorite to earn her first MVP.

New York (6-2) at Chicago (4-5)

After being handed their first two losses of the season last weekend, the Liberty bounced back with a solid win Tuesday against the Mystics. Despite not starting after breaking a team rule, Shameka Christon came out of her shell, scoring 16 points and snaring six rebounds. Posts Janel McCarville (11 points) and Barbara Farris (10 points) also had their best games of the season backing up rookie Jessica Davenport.

Chicago has had an up and down start to its season, but they are only one game from tying their win total from 2006. Rookie Armintie Price had her best game as a pro, posting 17 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday's loss to Seattle. Second-year star Candice Dupree continues her ascent up the league's totem pole and sits eighth in the league in scoring and rebounding and is third in blocks.

Houston (0-8) at Seattle (4-4)

The Comets came close to pulling off a sizable upset on Wednesday night in Los Angeles, and it would take a similar effort tonight in Seattle. Tina Thompson and Michelle Snow have been their solid All-Star selves throughout, but they need someone else to step up and pitch in on the scoring front.

On the other hand, the Storm were humiliated in Indiana on Wednesday, falling by 28 after scoring four points in the second quarter. Rookie Katie Gearlds is getting more playing time for the Storm, but what they really need is for starters Betty Lennox and Iziane Castro Marques to score like they had been earlier in the season.