With the WNBA All-Star game set to take place next week, only four more days of league action remains before the break.
But leading up to the weekend of WNBA festivities, many teams have been on hot streaks, had MVP-like performances from multiple players, and look to come out of the break even stronger.
Here is the latest from the past week of WNBA action.
Chicago Sky are on the upwards swing
Despite losing head coach James Wade to the Toronto Raptors, the Chicago Sky have won three of their last four games including back-to-back wins over the Los Angeles Sparks.
Forward Alanna Smith has been making a huge impact for the Sky, averaging 10.2 points and a team-leading 6.7 rebounds per game including an 18-point performance in the June 30 match against the Sparks.
Marina Mabrey has also adjusted well to her new role moving from a bench player in Dallas to a starter in Chicago, averaging 15.8 points per game and scoring 13 or more points in her last four outings.
With the Eastern Conference full of talent, the Sky sit fifth in their division, but overall are eighth in the WNBA, good enough for the final playoff position, and are just two wins out from catching the fifth place team in the standings.
Las Vegas vs. everybody
The storyline since the beginning of the season has been the same: Can anybody catch the Las Vegas Aces? They did suffer a loss to the Dallas Wings, snapping their nine-game win streak, but they also defeated the Connecticut Sun and New York Liberty in that span.
To no one's surprise, A'ja Wilson leads the team in points, rebounds and blocks as the 2022 MVP and defensive player of the year is playing at the same high level she has showcased since joining the Aces.
The 'Point Gawd' Chelsea Gray may lead the team averaging 6.2 assists per game, but has also been a key contributor on the scoring end shooting 50.5 per cent from the field and 45 per cent from three-point range.
Las Vegas' rotational depth has also shined, as Jackie Young continues to improve on all sides of the ball, putting forth a 28-point, seven rebound, five assist night in a win over the Wings, and is averaging 19.3 points per game this season.
When you add into the mix Kelsey Plum, Candace Parker, and Alysha Clark, just to name a few, the Aces look like they can run back a championship with ease.
Lynx keep rolling before All-Star break
We've seen it before that a team that starts a season with a losing record - like the Lynx starting 0-6 - can turn their season around and make a playoff run.
The Lynx have won six of their last seven games, though that number includes two wins against the Seattle Storm and one against the Phoenix Mercury, the bottom two teams in the league.
But they have also managed three wins over the Sparks this season, and a win over the Fever, and are only getting better since the return of Diamond Miller who scored 18 and 19 points against Seattle and 10 and 25 points against Phoenix.
Napheesa Collier also went off for 32 points against the Fever, and added a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double in the win over Phoenix on Friday night. The power forward is averaging 22 points per game this season and is leading the team in points, rebounds, steals and blocks. The Lynx take on Las Vegas, Dallas and Atlanta next, but have momentum on their side rolling into the matches.
Alyssa Thomas in MVP form
Connecitcut's only two losses in their last seven games have been to top-seeded Las Vegas and New York Liberty, but in that span Alyssa Thomas has been putting up double-double numbers - including a triple-double performance - and making an MVP case for herself.
Thomas is near averaging a triple-double, posting an average of 14.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game for the Sun as they have locked down first in the Eastern Conference with a 13-5 record.
Of course, Connecticut's record is a full team effort as Thomas and DeWanna Bonner both tipped in 16 points in a win over Seattle, and all five of the Sun's starters added at least 14 points in the victory.
Tallying three triple-doubles in the span of a week to end June, Thomas made WNBA history recording back-to-back triple-doubles, and became the first player in WNBA history to reach five career triple-doubles, but was not named a WNBA All-Star starter despite her superhuman performance.
But the snub will only fuel Thomas and her teammates to continue to win as they face the Washington Mystics next.
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