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<\/a><\/p>\nThe Sparks can still earn the No. 8 seed. Getty Images<\/p>\n
During the third quarter on Sunday afternoon in LA, murmurs of concern had to be circulating through crypto.com Arena. The Los Angeles Sparks\u2019 seven-point halftime lead over the Dallas Wings had withered away, with a 3-pointer from Myisha Hines-Allen midway through the third giving Dallas their first lead since the game\u2019s early moments. LA responded, only for the Wings to again claw back the advantage on an Amy Okonkwo triple as the frame\u2019s final seconds almost expired.<\/p>\n
However, enough time remained for Julie Allemand to sink a 30-foot 3 of her own to give the Sparks a lead entering the fourth. From there, LA reeled off a 16-0 run and raced toward the 91-77 win, keeping their playoff prospects alive.<\/p>\n
It was appropriate that Allemand sunk the momentum-swinging shot; she finished the afternoon with a career-high 21 points, while also registering four assists and five steals. Rae Burrell also was a wrecking ball for the Sparks, hustling her way to 13 fourth-quarter points.<\/p>\n
LA needs to bottle up that late-game energy and unleash it from the jump on Tuesday, when they play the Phoenix Mercury in the Valley in another must-win game.<\/p>\n
2. The Fever clinched a playoff berth for the second-straight season<\/p>\n
Natasha Howard. Getty Images<\/p>\n Caitlin Clark is done, but the Indiana Fever are not. Indiana ran away from the Washington Mystics in Baltimore on Sunday afternoon, cruising to a 94-65 win that sealed their spot in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs.<\/p>\n Amongst a rotating, injury-ravaged roster, the Fever have relied on their three starting stalwarts, all of whom have played in every game this season: Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston and Natasha Howard. The trio all did their part on Sunday, with Howard assuming the leading role with 17 points. Boston tallied a 12-point and 11-rebound double-double, along with five assists. Mitchell chipped in 10 points.<\/p>\n It\u2019s interesting that, despite the avalanche of adversity that has required Indy to continually adapt, their offensive rating has remained fairly constant; it was 106.1 in the 23 games before the All-Star break and is at 106.4 in the 20 games since. However, within that surface-level consistency is a lot of variably. As is understandable for a team that has experienced much uncertainty, the Fever have struggled to maintain game-to-game consistency. Stretches of high-scoring games are followed by low-scoring ones. Sometimes they shoot a lot of 3s, while other times they do not shoot enough.<\/p>\n From one perspective, this \u201cfind a way to win\u201d mentality is a feature, admirable evidence of how the team has persevered. However, a more consistent identity would inspire greater confidence in the Fever\u2019s ability to score an upset in the first round of the playoffs.<\/p>\n 3. The Aces maintain the No. 2 seed advantage<\/p>\n A\u2019ja Wilson. NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n It was another milestone-making victory for the Las Vegas Aces.<\/p>\n Their 80-66 home win over the Chicago Sky was their 14th in a row, giving them the longest winning streak in franchise history and matching the 2021 Connecticut Sun for the fourth-longest in WNBA history. A\u2019ja Wilson also earned her 13th 30-point game of the season, the most in a single-season in league history. Wilson finished with 11 rebounds, four steals and three blocks as well, while Jackie Young almost had her own double-double with 20 points and nine assists.<\/p>\n In the immediate, that the Aces kept pace with the Atlanta Dream is more important than those all-time achievements. Las Vegas is back in the No. 2 seed, owning the tiebreaker over Atlanta. The Dream can, at least temporarily, reclaim the No. 2 spot on Monday night with a win over the Connecticut Sun (7:30 p.m. ET, League Pass). Allisha Gray, who has missed Atlanta\u2019s last two wins with a left knee issue, has been upgraded to questionable. The Sun, however, will be without their sparkplug spoiler Le\u00efla Lacan<\/a> due to personal reasons.<\/p>\n Atlanta has not lost to non-playoff team since late June. To have a chance of permanently claiming the No. 2 seed, they must continue that taking-care-of-business consistency in the first of their final two games against Connecticut.<\/p>\n Connecticut Sun (11-31) vs. Atlanta Dream (28-14)<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n