What's Trending: Lynx, Sparks Head Into Historic Meeting

Jack Maloney

What’s Trending brings you the the top 10 things you need to know, listen to and/or watch in the past and upcoming week. It’s your one-stop shop for all things W, from which teams/players are on a roll to what the league’s superstars are up to off the court.

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Here’s What’s Trending on June 13, 2016:

#StreakWatch: Minnesota And Los Angeles Still Undefeated

First it was the Minnesota Lynx making history by becoming the first team in WNBA history to reach 11-0 by beating the Indiana Fever on Tuesday night.

Then, the Sparks tied that mark with a win of their own over the Phoenix Mercury on Friday.

Finally, the Lynx upped the ante by setting a new record at 12-0 thanks to yesterday’s win over the Storm.

Tomorrow, however, only one streak will remain, as the Lynx and Sparks square off in a historic matchup on NBATV at 3:30 PM EST.

#OrlandoUnited: WNBA Teams Show Support For Victims In Orlando

From Shavonte Zellous’ courageous piece in the Players Tribune, to Breanna Stewart writing the names of the Orlando victims on her shoes, to various teams across the league celebrating pride nights, the people affected by the tragedy in Orlando were in the hearts and minds of everyone across the league.

#GoSparks: Nneka Ogwumike Sets WNBA Record For Consecutive Made Shots

Nneka Ogwumike etched her name in the record books this week, as she knocked down a remarkable 23 straight field goals over three games, setting a new WNBA record for consecutive made shots.

#WorkingOvertime: Multiple Triple-Overtime Games Highlight Wild Week Of W Action

On Tuesday night, the Washington Mystics took down the Connecticut Sun, 109-106 in a thrilling triple overtime affair.

It was the first 3OT game in the WNBA since 2014, but we didn’t have to wait quite that long for the next one. The Dallas Wings came back from a 16-point fourth quarter deficit to force overtime, then need two more extra frames to outlast the Phoenix Mercury.

That wasn’t the only free basketball this week, however. The Atlanta Dream defeated the Chicago Sky in OT on Friday, and the New York Liberty got their fourth win in a row by knocking off the Indiana Fever in an extra frame on Sunday afternoon.

#20@20: Announcement Of Top 20 Players In League History To Come Tuesday

In honor of the historic 20th season, the league will be unveiling the 20 greatest players in WNBA history tomorrow morning on SportsCenter at 10:00 AM EST.

The announcement comes on June 21, because that was the date of the first ever WNBA game, between the New York Liberty and Los Angeles Sparks, back in 1997.

#GoLiberty: Tina Charles Leads New York Through Excellent Week

After a shaky start to the season, the New York Liberty are heating up. Winners of four in a row, they now sport an 8-4 record, tied with Atlanta for the third-best record in the league.

Leading the way, as always, has been Tina Charles. The 2012 MVP looks on a mission to add another of one of those awards to her trophy case. After tying her career-high with 32 points on Thursday, and averaging 28.6 points over three games this week, Charles now leads the league in scoring at 22 points per game.

Charles wasn’t the only Liberty player to make headlines this week. Say hello to the newest member of the 5,000-point club: Swin Cash.

The legendary Cash, who announced she will be retiring at the end of the season, also became just the second player in league history to reach 5,000 points, 2,000 rebounds, and 1,000 assists.

#HappyFather’sDay

Sunday was Father’s Day, and many WNBA players shared awesome photos of them and their dads.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BG1vmykqkdY/

#TogetherWeRise: Breanna Stewart Scores New Career-High In Midst Of Fantastic Week

In just a few short months, Breanna Stewart has made it abundantly clear why she was the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s WNBA Draft. 13 games into her rookie season, Stewart is ninth in the league in scoring, at 16.7 points per game, third in the league in rebounding, at 9.7 boards per game, and fourth in the league in blocks, sending away 1.9 shots per game.

This past week was no different, as Stewart averaged 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks over three games, including a monster 19-point, 15-rebound effort against the Stars, and a career-high 29-point outing against the Wings.

Breanna Stewart’s Career-High 29 Points

 

#24Forever: Tamika Showing No Signs Of Slowing Down

This may be Tamika Catchings’ final season, but she looked as strong as ever this past week. Twice she scored 23 points, including a ridiculous stat-stuffing performance in the Fever’s win over the Stars on Friday, in which she went 8-11 from the field, and also grabbed 3 rebounds, handed out 4 assists, swiped 5 steals, and blocked 2 shots.

Tamika’s Stellar Effort Against The Stars

 

#TheNewHomeTeam: Skylar Diggins Returns To Wings’ Starting Lineup

Skylar Diggins’ return has been a long time coming, and it finally started in earnest this week, as she returned to the starting lineup Tuesday against the Liberty. It was just her third game of the season, and she showed the normal signs of rust as she got readjusted to the pace of the game. By Saturday night, however, amidst her third game back in the starting lineup, she was back in business.

She lead a brilliant 16-point fourth quarter comeback to force overtime against the Mercury on the road, then stayed in the game as the Wings won a triple overtime thriller behind her 27 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.

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