WNBA.com: News and Scores

Thompson helps Storm beat Mystics 96-86 in OT

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:00:01 ET

SEATTLE (AP) Tina Thompson scored 30 points, including five 3-pointers, to lead the Seattle Storm to a 96-86 overtime win over the Washington Mystics on Tuesday night.

Tanisha Wright had five of her 17 points in OT as Seattle (3-3) outscored Washington 18-8 in the extra period. Temeka Johnson added 16 points and Camille Little 15 to help the Storm snap a three-game Washington winning streak. Seattle made 23 of 24 free throws.

Crystal Langhorne scored a season-high 23 to lead Washington (4-2). Reserve Matee Ajavon had 17 points while Monique Curry and Michelle Snow had 12 apiece. Ivory Latta added nine points and six assists.

Ajavon made two free throws to give Washington an 80-78 in overtime, its first lead since midway through the second quarter.

But the Storm answered with six straight points, including a 3-pointer by Thompson just prior to the shot clock buzzer to seal the win. The loss kept Washington coach Mike Thibault one victory short of tying Van Chancellor for the most in WNBA history.

Thompson hit a 10-footer to give the Storm a 78-76 lead in the fourth quarter before Currie tied it with two free throws with 1:07 remaining to send the game into overtime.

Wright missed a 21-footer with 23.7 seconds left and a 20-footer with 1.9 remaining that could have given the Storm the victory in regulation.

Seattle led 76-66 with 5:27 remaining before the Mystics scored 10 straight to tie the game at 76-76 with 2:12 left on Ajavon's inside basket.

Thompson and Little combined for 10 points to help the Storm to a 60-47 lead midway through the third quarter before Langhorne and Latta combined for 13 during a 13-4 run to cut the advantage to 64-60 at the end of the quarter.

Seattle, still trying to find its identity playing a full season without the injured Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird, looked to veterans Thompson, Little and Wright to carry the load against Washington.

Fans even chanted ``Tina Thompson'' after the 38-year-old forward scored and was fouled on a drive to put the Storm up 74-64 with 6:37 left in the game.

Johnson scored 12 and Thompson 10 to help put the Storm up 47-40 at halftime. Johnson was 4 of 4 from the field and 3 of 3 on free throws. The Storm hit all 10 of their free-throw attempts in the first half.

McCoughtry and Taurasi Named Players of the Week

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:32:00 ET

NEW YORK, June 17, 2013 -- Angel McCoughtry of the Atlanta Dream and Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury were named the WNBA's Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played June 10 through June 16.

McCoughtry averaged 23 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, four steals and 2.5 blocks in the Dream's two wins last week to earn her second Player of the Week honor of the season, and the ninth overall of her career. The Dream's two victories, a 68-59 win over Seattle on Friday and an 88-74 triumph over Chicago on Sunday, improved Atlanta's record to 6-1 overall and 4-0 at home.

Against Seattle, McCoughtry led Atlanta in four categories, recording 23 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and five steals. Two days later, she scored 23 points and added six rebounds, three steals and a pair of assists in the defeat of Chicago. Her four blocked shots also were a career high.

Behind Taurasi's league-leading 31.5 points per game last week, Phoenix earned two victories to extend its winning streak to three games, the team's longest since July 2011. For the season, Taurasi leads the WNBA in scoring at 23 points per game, while McCoughtry ranks fifth in the league (19.4).

Taurasi's 34 points in a 97-81 victory over Los Angeles on Friday marked her 35th career 30-point game; she also added seven assists and six rebounds. In Sunday's road win over Tulsa, Taurasi was one point shy of her sixth career back-to-back 30-point effort, scoring 29 in addition to grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out nine assists. The Player of the Week honor is the 15th of Taurasi's career.

Other candidates for WNBA Players of the Week were Chicago's Elena Delle Donne, New York's Cappie Pondexter and Washington's Crystal Langhorne in the East, as well as Los Angeles' Kristi Toliver and Nneka Ogwumike, Minnesota's Lindsay Whalen and Seattle's Tina Thompson in the West.

NY's Katie Smith moves to 2nd on WNBA points list

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:17:00 ET

NEWARK, N.J., June 15, 2013 -- Katie Smith got a walking cane from her New York Liberty teammates last week as a birthday present. She's still many years away from needing it.

The oldest player in the WNBA, the 39-year-old veteran continues to put up solid numbers and help the Liberty win basketball games. She also reached a personal milestone, moving into second on the WNBA's career scoring list Friday night, passing Lisa Leslie.

"It's pretty cool. I tell most people those type of records are about consistency," Smith said. "That's what I'm proud of. You've done a good job and had a lot of productive years, not just a one-hit wonder." She had 10 points in the Liberty's 78-68 victory over the Connecticut Sun and has 6,272 in her WNBA career -- nine more than Leslie. She's still nearly 800 points behind all-time leader Tina Thompson, who announced she plans to retire at the end of this season. Throwing in the nearly 1,400 points Smith scored in the ABL, she is the most prolific scorer in women's pro basketball history.

"It's a lot of pride that you've done good work for a long period of time," Smith said. "You've been consistently at the top or near the top. I still love this game, I love competing and playing. Glad I did it, but someone will get us someday." After spending two years in the defunct ABL, Smith has played the past 15 seasons in the WNBA and is the only guard among the league's top five scorers. Lauren Jackson is fourth and Tamika Catchings fifth on the list.

"That's amazing," said teammate Cappie Pondexter, who led the Liberty with 20 points in the victory Friday. "She's second behind a great player and passed another great one. Those are historic names. Hopefully, one day I can catch up and pass all of them." Smith has said this will most likely be her final year playing professionally. She joined the Liberty this season to help provide veteran leadership, but got thrust into a starting role last week when Essence Carson's season ended because of a torn ACL.

First-year Liberty coach Bill Laimbeer coached Smith for five seasons with the Detroit Shock. She won two WNBA titles with Detroit in 2006 and 2008.

"She's an all-time professional," Laimbeer said. "She's just been that hard-nosed player that takes care of her body. She's played so many years because of that. She's gone from prolific scorer to outstanding defender and team leader. I can't say enough about her." Smith still is the first one on the court taking jumpers before the game. She spent Friday night playing "one-on-one" for a bit with teammate Kara Braxton's young son and cousin.

I t didn't take her long to pass Leslie, fittingly making a 3-pointer in the first quarter. Smith is the league's all-time leader in 3s made with nearly 900.

"I used to be more of a driver, now I'm more of a shooter," Smith said laughing.

She was thrilled it came in a victory, which is the most important thing to her.

"This was big getting this win going into this break and keeping ourselves near the top," Smith said before the Liberty have eight days off until playing San Antonio on June 23. "This is going to be a tight race all the way down to the end."

Taurasi helps Mercury beat Shock 108-103 in OT

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 20:50:01 ET

TULSA, Okla. (AP) After struggling from the field in the first half, Diana Taurasi took over for the Phoenix Mercury.

She scored 21 of her team-high 29 points in the second half and overtime to lead the Mercury to a 108-103 victory over the Tulsa Shock on Sunday.

``When the game is on the line, hopefully you can make plays,'' Taurasi said. ``We had so many people making shots. Duwanna (Bonner) hit some big 3s. Charde (Houston) kept us in the game in the first half.

``As it turned out we needed that. Tulsa came in ready. If they play like that the rest of the season, they will get a lot of wins this season. They fought for everything today.''

Tulsa fell behind early then rallied behind reserve guard Riquna Williams, who scored a career-high 28 points. Williams made six 3-pointers, including one to force overtime with 0.3 seconds remaining.

Williams fell to the ground after tying the game at 93-all.

``I never felt the floor,'' Williams said. ``I've been in the gym a lot lately. The coaches told me they wanted me to shoot 3s and that's what I've done.''

Williams said the shot to tie the game was a thrill that ranked up with the game-winning shot she had to end Maryland's home win streak during her college career at Miami.

``I tried not to get too emotional,'' she said of Sunday's game-tying score. ``We still had work to do.''

As it turned out, so did Taurasi. She scored 13 of her team's final 20 points, including eight in overtime.

``I just tried to do what I could for my team,'' Taurasi said.

Shock coach Gary Kloppenburg said he was disappointed with the loss - the fourth in overtime this season - but liked how his team competed.

``We fought and battled,'' he said. ``Diana is unbelievable. She lives for those big moments like that. She hit some big daggers that just broke our back. She's something special and she's a great, great competitor.''

Bonner finished with 23 points for the Mercury (3-3), hitting some clutch perimeter shots whenever the Shock (1-7) got close.

Candice Dupree added 20 points and 10 rebounds while Brittney Griner had 16 points and five blocked shots. Houston came off the bench to score 10 points.

Tulsa had three players set career highs offensively. Glory Johnson scored a game-high 32 points. She also had 15 rebounds.

Skylar Diggins added 22 points. Candice Wiggins added 14 for the Shock.

Tulsa's struggles in the low post continued with the absence of Tiffany Jackson-Jones (stress fracture) and Liz Cambage (ankle) as the Mercury outrebounded the Shock.

The second half had eight ties and 11 lead changes before Taurasi took over, scoring eight points in the overtime.

Taurasi said she expects big things from the Shock in the future.

``He has them playing as hard as anyone in the league,'' Taurasi said of Kloppenburg. ``Once they get Lizzie (Liz Cambage) back with the outside game they have and the inside game they will have, they are going to be tough.''

But Tulsa didn't go quietly on Sunday.

In the first half, the Shock harassed Taurasi and Bonner into 5-of-18 shooting from the field.

And when Kloppenburg went to the smaller, quicker lineup - including Goodrich and Williams - Tulsa ran at will. During one stretch in the first half, Williams hit five consecutive baskets, including a pair of 3-pointers to allow the Shock to climb back into the game after being down eight points early.

Thompson, Little carry Storm past Sun

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 20:10:01 ET

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) Tina Thompson scored 17 points, and Camille Little had 15 points, nine rebounds and five assists to lead the Seattle Storm past the Connecticut Sun 78-66 on Sunday.

Tanisha Wright added 13 points and five rebounds for the Storm (2-3).

Allison Hightower had 17 points and five rebounds for Connecticut (2-5). Tina Charles added 15 points and six rebounds, and Kara Lawson had 11 points.

Seattle led by three midway through the third quarter, then pulled away with a 10-0 run. Thompson began the run by making the second of two throws. Shekinna Stricklen, Wright and Thompson followed with 3-pointers to give the Storm a 52-39 lead with 4:14 to play.

WNBA All-Star Balloting by Boost Mobile

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 20:55:00 ET

2013 WNBA All-Star Balloting presented by Boost Mobile is now live. Vote for you favorite players now! ABC will nationally broadcast the game at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut on Sat, July 27, at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Dream beat Sky 88-74 to improve to 5-1

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 17:40:01 ET

ATLANTA (AP) Angel McCoughtry scored 23 points, and Erika de Souza had 16 points and 11 rebounds to help the Atlanta Dream beat the Chicago Sky 88-74 on Sunday.

Tiffany Hayes also had 16 points for Atlanta (5-1), and Jasmine Thomas added 13. Elena Delle Donne led Chicago (4-2) with 25 points, Allie Quigley had 14, and Sylvia Fowles finished with 10 rebounds.

The Dream led by 18 points in the first quarter, but didn't pull away until going on a 20-10 run in the fourth quarter that included nine straight points after the Sky cut it to six.

Chicago made just one of its first 11 shots, and Atlanta jumped to a 16-2 lead and led 34-18 at the end of the first quarter after making 4 of 5 shots 3-pointers. The Sky cut it to 51-47 at intermission, with Delle Donne scoring 12 of her 16 first-half points in the second quarter.

McCounghtry had 14 points at the break for the Dream, and de Souza had 10. Atlanta shot 52.9 percent (18 of 34) in the first half and hit 6 of 7 3-pointers.

Quigley scored 12 of her 14 first-half points for Chicago in the opening quarter. The Sky shot 58.8 percent (10 of 17) in the second quarter and were 11 of 11 from the foul line at intermission.

The Dream held Chicago without a basket for nearly 5 minutes and used a 9-0 run to break a tie and take a 66-57 lead at the end of the third quarter. The Sky cut it to 68-64 early in the fourth quarter.

Each team was missing a key player. Epiphanny Prince, averaging 20.7 points to lead the Sky, is playing for the Russian national team. Sancho Lyttle, the Dream's leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, is with Spain's national team.

Streaking Mystics down slumping Fever 64-60

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 16:50:01 ET

WASHINGTON (AP) Ivory Latta scored 17 points and Crystal Langhorne had all 16 of her points in the second half as the Washington Mystics won their third straight game with a 64-60 victory over the slumping Indiana Fever on Sunday.

Monique Currie scored 10 points for the Mystics (4-1), riding their longest winning streak since closing the 2010 season with six straight. Langhorne, who made all five of her field goal attempts, broke a 58-58 tie with four straight free throws in the final 23.9 seconds.

Shavonte Zellous led the short-handed Fever (1-5) with 17 points and Tamika Catchings scored 16, but the defending WNBA champions dropped their fifth straight game.

With the Mystics up 60-58, Michelle Snow blocked Karima Christmas' game-tying layup attempt. Latta added two free throws in the final seconds as Washington made 16 of 19 overall.

Indiana was up 47-43 after the third period. Neither team led by more than four points in the second half, and both shot under 40 percent from the field.

Langhorne had nine rebounds, and the Mystics held a 37-29 advantage on the glass.

The Fever played their fourth straight game without All-Star Katie Douglas, out since May 31 with a bulging disk in her lower back. Injuries have kept Jessica Davenport, Erin Phillips and Jeanette Pohlen off the court all season.

The Fever arrived in D.C. early, honored by President Barack Obama at the White House on Friday.

The Father's Day win was the 210th overall for coach Mike Thibault, whose son Eric is an assistant with Washington. The active leader in wins among WNBA coaches, Thibault, who spent the previous 10 seasons with the Connecticut Sun, is now just one behind Van Chancellor's record of 211 victories.

Ogwumike scores 16, Sparks rout Silver Stars 84-48

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 01:00:01 ET

LOS ANGELES (AP) Nneka Ogwumike scored 16 points, Candace Parker and Kristi Toliver added 13 points and six assists apiece, and the Los Angeles Sparks routed the San Antonio Silver Stars 84-48 on Saturday night.

Jantel Lavender scored 14 points in a reserve role and Ogwumike also had seven rebounds for the Sparks (3-2), who bounced back from a 16-point loss Friday night in Phoenix. Los Angeles allowed 49 second-half points in that game but held San Antonio to 20 after the break one night later.

Danielle Adams had 12 points and Shenise Johnson added 11 for the Silver Stars (2-4), who are seeking their first road victory after going winless on a three-game trip.

San Antonio played without leading rebounder Jayne Appel. The Silver Stars are also without Becky Hammon until July because of a broken finger and Sophia Young was lost for the year because of an ACL tear during the offseason.

Los Angeles blew the game open in the third quarter, outscoring San Antonio 26-8.

Parker scored nine in the third, including consecutive baskets on a 3-pointer and a runner in the paint while being fouled. She converted a finger roll for a 55-34 lead and Toliver sank a jumper to push it to 61-36 entering the fourth.

Mercury pull away for 97-81 win over Sparks

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 00:30:01 ET

PHOENIX (AP) Diana Taurasi scored 34 points, DeWanna Bonner had 23 points and 12 rebounds, and the Phoenix Mercury pulled away in the second half for a 97-81 win over the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday night.

Coming off its first win of the season, Phoenix raced past the Sparks in the second half without forward Candice Dupree (suspension) or much help from rookie center Brittney Griner.

The Mercury played well without the two star players, using big runs in the third and fourth quarters to end a five-game losing streak to Los Angeles.

Charde Houston had 15 points and Griner finished with 10 points and four blocked shots in 15 minutes after missing the previous game with a sprained left knee.

Kristi Toliver scored 18 points, Candace Parker added 15 and Nneke Ogwumike had 13 points and 10 rebounds for Los Angeles, which played without Alana Beard because of a sore hamstring.

The Mercury struggled to get in a groove with Griner early in the season, losing their first three games as they tried to find ways to get the ball into their 6-foot-8 center.

With Griner out last Saturday due to a sprained knee, Phoenix reverted to its run-and-gun style against Indiana and beat the defending WNBA champions by 15 behind Taurasi's 26 points.

Seeing the success his team had with playing fast, Phoenix coach Corey Gaines decided to stick with the up-tempo style, even with Griner back in the starting lineup.

The Mercury did run, too, putting up shots as soon as they got an open look, rarely working the shot clock down.

They had to do it without much help from Griner, though.

She opened with a bucket inside and blocked a shot, then sat down after three minutes. Griner started the second quarter and quickly went back to the bench, finishing the first half with four points and two blocks in 5:39.

Taurasi made up for her absence, scoring 15 points, while Bonner added 12.

Problem for the Mercury was that the Sparks were able to keep up by taking advantage of Griner's absence.

Slashing into the lane and snaring offensive rebounds without much resistance, Los Angeles led 50-48 at halftime. Ogwumike and Parker had 11 points each, Toliver had 10 and the Sparks scored 12 second-chance points in the half.

Phoenix started to pull away in third quarter behind its defense.

Hounding the Sparks even after Griner went back to the bench, the Mercury pressured the Sparks into difficult shots and turnovers. Phoenix was making shots at the other end as well, using an 11-2 run to build a 74-64 lead after three quarters.

The Mercury poured it on to open the fourth quarter, with Taurasi and Houston hitting 3-pointers during a 9-2 run that put them up 83-69 and the game out of reach.

Moore struggles but Lynx get past Shock 83-74

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 23:10:01 ET

TULSA, Okla. (AP) Rebekkah Brunson scored 19 points and Lindsay Whalen added 17 to help the Minnesota Lynx overcome a poor performance by Maya Moore and beat the Tulsa Shock 83-74 on Friday night.

Moore, who came in leading the WNBA with 22.3 points per game, was held to just 10 on 4-of-12 shooting. Seimone Augustus chipped in with 11 points for Minnesota, which improved to 4-1.

``For sure, we do like when we can take some pressure off Maya,'' Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said. ``It's what we do as a team.''

Glory Johnson led the Shock (1-6) with 22 points and nine rebounds, while Candace Wiggins scored 18 and played shutdown defense on Moore.

``Very rarely did Maya have a pass that led to a layup,'' Reeve said. ``Credit Tulsa's defense.''

Riquna Williams scored 16 points for Tulsa and Nicole Powell added 10.

``We had some communication breakdowns and the way they shoot you have to contest them,'' Shock coach Gary Kloppenburg said. ``We've had three- or four-minute spans when we sort of go into a funk offensively. You can't do that against this team.''

The Lynx took a 39-35 lead at the break and pushed it to 66-53 heading into the fourth quarter before holding off a late rally.

Minnesota outrebounded Tulsa 48-30. Brunson did a majority of the damage with 13, nine on the defensive side.

``Brunson, she's just a monster,'' Kloppenburg said. ``The key is keeping them off the glass and she is just so good at going around a player to the rim. Holding Maya to 10 points is nice, but they have so many weapons.''

Tulsa rookie Skylar Diggins, the third pick in this year's draft, was 1-of-6 from the field and scored her only basket with 3:47 left in the game.

McCoughtry scores 23 to lead Dream past Storm

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 22:10:01 ET

ATLANTA (AP) Angel McCoughtry scored 23 points and Jasmine Thomas added 13 to lead the Atlanta Dream over the Seattle Storm 68-59 on Friday night.

McCoughtry, last season's leading scorer in the WNBA, also had team highs with nine rebounds, seven assists and five steals to help as the Dream improve to 5-1.

Tina Thompson and Temeka Johnson scored 11 points apiece for the Storm, who dropped to 1-3.

Seattle, the league's lowest-scoring team, managed just four points in the third quarter - coming on two baskets by Johnson - and trailed by 16 before an 11-1 run pulled them to 58-52 on Camille Little's layup midway through the fourth.

But that was as close as the Storm would get. Erika De Souza stole the ball from Tanisha Wright a few minutes later and passed it upcourt to McCoughtry for a fast-break layup and a 10-point lead.

The Dream played the first of six games without forward Sancho Lyttle, their leading rebounder and second-leading scorer this season. With Lyttle playing overseas for Spain's national team, Le'Coe Willingham started in her place and went scoreless but did haul in eight rebounds.

Alex Bentley added 11 points for Atlanta, which leads the league in team defense, allowing 68.7 points per game.

The Storm used a 17-3 run in the first, ending on Shekinna Stricklen's layup, to take a 19-13 lead in the last 2 minutes of the quarter.

Seattle either led or tied for most of the second before McCoughtry stole the ball from Wright with 2.9 seconds before halftime and hit a layup at the buzzer to put Atlanta up 38-35.

The Storm, coming off a nine-point home loss last week to Tulsa in which they went 0 for 17 from 3-point range, hit seven of 19 attempts - but Thompson and Stricklen were a combined 1 for 8 from beyond the arc.

Pondexter's big 2nd half rallies Liberty past Sun

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 21:50:01 ET

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) Cappie Pondexter scored 18 of her 20 points in the second half, Katie Smith moved into second place on the WNBA's career scoring list and the New York Liberty rallied to beat the Connecticut Sun 78-68 on Friday night.

New York (4-2) trailed 47-36 midway through the third before Pondexter scored eight points in the final 4:50 of the period, including a jumper just before the end of the quarter that gave New York a 56-55 lead - its first since early in the game. She had 14 points in the third and then kept it going in the fourth, scoring four of the Liberty's first nine points as New York extended its lead to 11.

Allison Hightower scored 17 points and Kara Lawson added 16 for the Sun (2-4), who pulled to 72-68 with 1:20 left but could get no closer.

Leilani Mitchell scored 10 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter and also had nine rebounds and five assists for the Liberty.

Smith passed Lisa Leslie for second place on the league's career scoring list with a 3-pointer midway through the first quarter. She finished the game with 10 points, giving her 6,272 in her WNBA career - nine more than Leslie. She's still nearly 800 points behind all-time leader Tina Thompson, who announced she plans to retire at the end of this season.

However, if you throw in the nearly 1,400 points Smith scored in the ABL, she is the most prolific scorer in women's pro basketball history. After spending two years in the ABL, the 39-year-old Smith has played the past 15 seasons in the WNBA and is the only guard among the league's top five scorers.

Smith has said this will most likely be her final year playing professionally. She joined the Liberty this past season to help provide veteran leadership, but got thrust into a starting role last week when Essence Carson's season ended because of a torn ACL. The Liberty are still awaiting the debut of Cheryl Ford, who has been sidelined with left knee pain.

The Sun have had their own injury problems. Tan White is out for a few more weeks with a broken finger and has a full cast on her right hand. Renee Montgomery has missed the last four games with a left ankle sprain and isn't expected back any time soon.

Playing short-handed, the Sun have struggled since their opening night win over New York. Connecticut had dropped three straight games before beating Indiana by 12 on Wednesday night.

The Sun got off to a hot start, going up 13-6 midway through the first quarter behind five points from Hightower. The Liberty responded with six straight, including Smith's milestone 3-pointer that made it 13-12.

That was about the only positive in the first half for New York, which missed 24 of its first 28 shots before Kara Braxton's jumper with 4:01 left in the second quarter made it 25-18. Braxton finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds.

Pondexter missed her first seven shots before hitting a drive down the lane with 9.5 seconds left in the second quarter. She was fouled on the play, but missed the free throw.

Connecticut led 33-24 at the half after holding New York to 24-percent shooting and forcing 13 turnovers.

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Follow Doug on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dougfeinberg

Diggins Diary: Sky's Eye on Finals

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:47:00 ET

When Skylar Diggins isn't watching A&E -- who can't get enough of Storage Wars and Duck Dynasty? -- there's a good chance she's watching basketball, specifically the NBA Playoffs.

"I've always been a huge fan of the NBA, from the 90s to now," Diggins said. "I just love the game. I love watching the players and taking things from different players. I love how competitive the game is."

Although she grew up a Pacers fan (which was passed on to her from her dad), Diggins likes to watch the game from an educational standpoint, mentioning players like Kobe Bryant, Tony Parker, Steve Nash and Chris Paul that she's tried to model her game after.

"When I'm watching the game I'm a student first. I don't think I'm watching just for kicks and giggles. I try to learn something from some players."

And, since we're in the middle of the NBA Finals and Skylar is both a fellow professional basketball player and an avid NBA fan, she can offer a unique perspective on the NBA Finals.

Race to the MVP: Week Three

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:52:00 ET

Elena Delle Donne has emerged as the consensus favorite for this year's WNBA Rookie of the Year, but with her ability to rise to the occasion during crunch time moments, she's becoming a more and more viable candidate for MVP too.

The last person to pick up both Rookie and MVP honors was in 2008 by Candace Parker. But in order for Delle Donne to do that, she's going to have to outdo Candace Parker.

With decent numbers and now a sidelining injury, Brittney Griner's early season buzz has subsided. That doesn't mean she isn't able to bounce back this season, but for now she is out of the MVP discussion. Many of you agree.

From Maureen in Connecticut:

I have much love for Brit Griner. However, she is not the player that Delle Donne is. I believe that Delle Donne will score way more points than BG, she will be more effective than Griner, she will make her teamates better, and her team will be in the finals. She will flat out have the most impressive freshman year and be in the running for MVP.

Diana Taurasi returns to the MVP discussion as she has rediscovered her monster scoring ways and another player whose stock continues to rise is Ivory Latta. Several other top notch players shouldn't be slept on according to our readers:

From Caleb in South Dakota:

Danielle Robinson has to be in the Top 15. She is playing fantastic. Without Becky Hammon, San Antonio need Robinson to step up, she has met that challenge and has exceed expectations. She may not have the most points, but she runs that team like a Vet! She also does the things that don't show up in the box score. She gets deflections, causes point guards trouble, makes the hustles plays. I think Robinson should be ranked higher than Griner. You have to look at how they are benefiting their team. Griner is helping, but Robinson is the leader.

Here are this week's rankings.

1. Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks (2-1):

What makes Candace Parker such a great player is even in her average games she still puts up impressive numbers. In the team's last game against Tulsa, even though she was outscored by several of her teammates and only logged 4 points in the second half, Candace Parker still put up a double-double for the game against the Shock with 17 points and 13 rebounds. But in order for her to stay in front of the pack, she is going to have to do more to break free from many of the league's viable MVP candidates inching behind her.

2. Elena Delle Donne,Chicago Sky (4-1):

Delle Donne's meteoric run in the WNBA this season is too tough to ignore. She is not only emerging as one of the league's best perimeter shooters, but also one of the best clutch ones, helping the Chicago Sky remain as one of the top teams in the league. Most importantly, she makes players around her better. With star scorer Epiphanny Prince out for the next few weeks due to obligations for the Eurobasket Tournament, Delle Donne has comfortably taken over leadership for the team. While it may be difficult for a rookie to rack up MVP honors, don't let her inexperience fool you. She is the real deal.

3. ANGEL McCOUGHTRY, ATLANTA DREAM (4-1):

Angel McCoughtry remains in the top list of MVP candidates considering there is little doubt she is the spark behind the Atlanta Dream's superb 4-1 record to start the season. Against the New York Liberty on June 7, McCoughtry lead her team to victory with a monster double-double of 15 points and 10 assists. Numbers like these show perhaps a new maturity and a willingness to trust teammates which could lead to increased MVP consideration.

4. TINA CHARLES, CONNECTICUT SUN (2-3):

Tina Charles had a juggernaut game this week that propels her a few spots higher on the rankings. She bounced back from three straight losses to lead her team with a huge road win against the defending WNBA champs Indiana Fever. That in and of itself is no easy feat and Charles did it with a monster stat line of 30 points (one point shy of her career high) 10 rebounds and three blocks. All this on 13-17 shooting for the field - tying a franchise record

5. MAYA MOORE, MINNESOTA LYNX (3-1):

Maya Moore has solid this season averaging 22.3 points, six rebounds and three assists per game. But her stats are getting obscured due to other teammates, namely Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson and Lindsday Whalen having phenomenal seasons too. Moore hasn't exactly outshone her teammates in scoring, rebounds or assists and in order to be a viable MVP candidate, she'll need to show she can take over games and be the player that can carry her team on her back.

6. CAPPIE PONDEXTER, NEW YORK LIBERTY (3-1):

Cappie Pondexter is having a stellar season, and it's been exciting to see how she explodes when her back is against the wall. Down against the Atlanta Dream and only logging seven points in the first three quarters, Cappie scored 10 in the fourth quarter on 4-for-6 shooting to help lead her team to victory. With teammate Essence Carson out for the season with a torn ACL, she will likely take on even more of the team's scoring load. Expect to see more big performances from her in the games to come.

7. SYLVIA FOWLES, CONNECTICUT SUN (4-1):

Sylvia Fowles is putting up nasty stats for the season averaging a double-double of 13.4 points and 14.8 rebounds per game this season. That by default brings her into the MVP discussion. But when you have an Elena Delle Donne on your team getting the spotlight, it's easy for Fowles' performances to get buried. Still, Fowles is having a superb season and her numbers deserve recognition.

8. IVORY LATTA, WASHINGTON MYSTICS (3-1):

This is no fluke, Ivory Latta and the Washington Mystics are viable competitors. Latta has helped lead the way averaging 20.5 points, 4.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game this season. She also is coming off a heck of a win against the ferocious Minnesota Lynx where she finished strong with 24 points, five assists and two steals. Under new coach Mike Thibault, it's exciting to see Latta things turn around so dramatically for the franchise.

9. DIANA TAURASI, PHOENIX MERCURY (1-3):

Don't sleep on Diana Taurasi. After a sluggish start for the season, Taurasi has gone back to her monster ways averaging 23.5 points and 3.5 assists for the past two games. But it's hard to ignore the Phoenix Mercury's disappointing season thus far with a 1-3 record. But with Taurasi getting it together, perhaps her big games will motivate the rest of her teammates to step it up too.

10. KRISTI TOLlVER, LOS ANGELES SPARKS (2-1):

Toliver continues to be one of the Sparks' most reliable offensive weapons draining buckets with ease. Many of her fans have sent dozens of emails asking why she hasn't been in the MVP discussion before. This week she enters after putting up 21 points against the Tulsa Shock. But it's hard for her to go any higher on the list considering she only put up three points against the much tougher San Antonio Silver Stars the game before. Compared to last season, she's been inconsistent with her jumpers and will need to warm those hands up a bit if she wants to move any higher in the rankings.

Knocking on the Door:

11. Lindsey Harding, Los Angeles Sparks

12. Seimone Augustus, Minnesota Lynx

13. Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever

14. Glory Johnson, Tulsa Shock

15. Danielle Robinson, San Antonio Silver Stars