ESPN Updates WNBA Power Rankings After Another Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese Loss

With the WNBA season three-quarters of the way complete, rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are stealing the spotlight.

Their rivalry started when Reese’s LSU team knocked out Clark’s Iowa squad in the 2023 women’s college national championship game. Since then, it has heated up even more as both players make their mark in the pros.

This weekend, Clark and Reese continued to make waves with their standout performances, though both of their teams came up short.

On Saturday, Clark and the Indiana Fever faced off against the top team in the Western Conference, the Minnesota Lynx. Clark put up an impressive 23 points on 8-of-18 shooting, but the Fever fell 90-80, recording their 16th loss of the season.

The very next day, Reese and the Chicago Sky took on the two-time defending WNBA champion, the Las Vegas Aces, Reese was dominant, notching a double-double with 22 rebounds. Despite her incredible effort, the Sky lost 77-75, adding another defeat to their season tally, bringing their total to 18 losses.

Even with their teams struggling, Clark and Reese’s performances are a bright spot this season. As they continue to shine, more eyes will be on them in the race for Rookie of the Year.

In terms of individual stats, Clark and Reese are leading in key categories. While Aces center and two-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson tops the league in scoring, Clark leads in assists with 8.3 per game, and Reese is the top rebounder, grabbing 12.9 per game.

One team that continues to impress is the New York Liberty. Star players Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart have been leading the charge, holding the top spot in the Eastern Conference with a 25-5 record.

On the other hand, Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces are underperforming and trending downward, but they still sit in third place in the West with an 18-11 record.

Here's the WNBA power rankings by ESPN:

1. New York Liberty
2. Minnesota Lynx
3. Connecticut Sun
4. Las Vegas Aces
5. Indiana Fever
6. Seattle Storm
7. Phoenix Mercury
8. Atlanta Dream
9. Chicago Sky
10. Washington Mystics
11. Dallas Wings
12. Los Angeles Sparks

The WNBA's last regular season game will be played on September 19, and the playoffs will begin on September 22.