We’re in the final week of play before the month-long Olympic Break, with the final pre-Olympic games set for Friday, July 22 and the season resuming on Friday, August 26. While a handful of players — including a lot of Lynx — will head to Brazil to represent their countries in the Games, most will have the opportunity to rest, recover from any nagging injuries and practice before the sprint to the WNBA Playoffs begins.

As tempting as it can be to look ahead to some much-needed time away from the court, there are still games to be played this week. And with some many teams bunched up behind the top three of L.A., Minnesota and New York, these games could prove to be pivotal in the final standings. Think of it as a team being down by 15 points late in the third quarter and the coach telling the players in the huddle, “We have to close out this quarter strong, get the lead down to single digits and give ourselves a shot.”

An 8-2 run to close out that period could turn a 15-point deficit into a much more manageable nine-point deficit with a quarter to play. There are 11 games to be played before the break, with all teams except Phoenix and San Antonio having two games this week. Starting a winning streak, or extending an existing one, could pay dividends come August and September.

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1. Los Angeles Sparks

Last Week: 1
2016 Record: 20-2
OffRtg: 109.0 (1); DefRtg: 95.3 (2); NetRtg: 13.6 (1)

With a loss to Atlanta on Sunday, L.A. missed it opportunity to top the 1998 Houston Comets’ mark for the best record to start a season (20-1). The Sparks will look to get back on track this week with games against Indiana (Tuesday on ESPN 2) and Washington. Keep in mind that Minnesota is only 1.5 games back of the Sparks for the league’s top record and the top seed in the new playoff format.

2. Minnesota Lynx

Last Week: 2
2016 Record: 19-4
OffRtg: 106.5 (2); DefRtg: 94.5 (1); NetRtg: 12.0 (2)

No team will be impacted by the Olympic break as much as the Lynx, who will send its four star players — Maya Moore, Seimone Augustus, Lindsay Whalen and Sylvia Fowles — to play for Team USA in Rio. Will they returned fatigued by the schedule and travel or energized by the Olympic competition and ready to resume their push for back-to-back WNBA titles?

3. New York Liberty

Last Week: 3
2016 Record: 17-7
OffRtg: 100.8 (7); DefRtg: 96.9 (3); NetRtg: 3.9 (3)

The Liberty close the pre-break portion of their schedule with a back-to-back against Washington and Indiana on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. New York is 9-1 against fellow East teams this season; can they make it 11-1 before the break? They have not lost to an Eastern Conference team since May 24 (vs. Atlanta).

4. Atlanta Dream

Last Week: 4
2016 Record: 12-11
OffRtg: 99.0 (10); DefRtg: 101.4 (4); NetRtg: -2.4 (7)

After dropping consecutive games to New York and Indiana last week, the Dream picked up the upset win over the Sparks on Sunday to spoil L.A.’s bid for the best start ever and get the Dream back above .500 at 12-11. After taking out the top team in the West, the Dream get the second-ranked Lynx on Wednesday before closing the pre-break schedule against Dallas on Friday.

5. Chicago Sky

Last Week: 6
2016 Record: 10-12
OffRtg: 105.3 (4); DefRtg: 105.4 (10); NetRtg: -0.1 (4)

The Sky have won two straight and three of their last four games, and they look to stay hot heading into the Olympic break with Phoenix and Connecticut on the schedule this week. U.S. National Team member Elena Delle Donne picked up Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors thanks in large part to her 35-point, 11-rebound, game-winning-shot performance against Seattle on Sunday.

6. Phoenix Mercury

Last Week: 9
2016 Record: 10-13
OffRtg: 105.8 (3); DefRtg: 106.5 (11); NetRtg: -0.7 (5)

Phoenix will have the longest Olympic break of any WNBA team as they host the Sky on Tuesday in their final game before the Olympics. Can the Mercury, who are 7-5 at home as opposed to just 3-8 on the road, push their winning streak to three games before taking an extended hiatus?

7. Indiana Fever

Last Week: 5
2016 Record: 10-12
OffRtg: 100.3 (9); DefRtg: 103.0 (T-5); NetRtg: -2.6 (8)

The Fever have won three of their last four games, but face a tough task to close out their pre-Olympic schedule. The West-leading Sparks come to Indianapolis on Tuesday and then the Fever head to New York to face the East-leading Liberty on Thursday.

8. Seattle Storm

Last Week: 10
2016 Record: 8-14
OffRtg: 103.4 (5); DefRtg: 105.3 (9); NetRtg: -1.9 (6)

On the same night they honored Lauren Jackson by sending her No. 15 jersey into the KeyArena rafters, the Storm picked up their largest win of the season, a 29-point victory over the struggling Mystics. The Storm have two games to play before two current Storm stars — Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart — head to Rio with the U.S. National Team. A strong finish to the pre-Olympic schedule is needed as the Storm face the top two teams in the league — L.A. and Minnesota — as soon as the season resumes in August.

9. Washington Mystics

Last Week: 7
2016 Record: 9-13
OffRtg: 100.6 (8); DefRtg: 104.0 (8); NetRtg: -3.4 (9)

The Mystics own the league’s longest active losing streak at five games and face a pair of top teams — New York and Los Angeles — before the Olympic break. While both games will be at home, Washington has won just four of its 10 games thus far at the Verizon Center. Can the Mystics get a win over at least one of the conference leaders in order to get things back on track?

10. Dallas Wings

Last Week: 8
2016 Record: 9-14
OffRtg: 103.2 (6); DefRtg: 106.8 (12); NetRtg: -3.6 (10)

The Wings have been nearly as cold as the Mystics, with Dallas losing four straight games and seeing its defense fall to last place in the league, allowing 106.8 points per 100 possessions. The Wings nearly ended their skid with an upset win over the defending champs, but the Lynx prevailed in overtime on Sunday. Their next chance comes against a Sun team that sits at the bottom of the East at just 6-16.

11. Connecticut Sun

Last Week: 11
2016 Record: 6-16
OffRtg: 98.1 (11); DefRtg: 103.7 (7); NetRtg: -5.6 (11)

The Sun are coming off of back-to-back losses to the conference-leading Sparks and Liberty last week, but were competitive in both games, falling by six and seven points, respectively. The Sun will visit the struggling Wings on Wednesday before closing out their pre-Olympic schedule on Friday in Chicago.

12. San Antonio Stars

Last Week: 12
2016 Record: 5-17
OffRtg: 93.2 (12); DefRtg: 103.0 (T-5); NetRtg: -9.8 (12)

The Stars wrap up a four-game road trip and close out their pre-Olympic schedule with a matchup with the Storm in Seattle on Wednesday. San Antonio has lost its last two games by a combined 43 points as they continue to struggle to score the basketball. The Stars’ 72.4 points per game is more than seven points fewer than the next-lowest average.

ASSOCIATED PRESS POWER POLL

1. Los Angeles (14)
2. Minnesota
3. New York
4. Atlanta
5. Chicago
6. Indiana
7. Phoenix
8. Dallas
9. Washington
10. Seattle
11. Connecticut
12. San Antonio

Click here to view the full rankings on AP.org