The Sun are just one win away from clinching a spot in the postseason, and what a ride it’s been.
Connecticut started the season with five straight losses before going 9-5 in the following 13 games. It’s taken grit, grind and a whole lot of passion to get here, and it’s a change the Sun should not take for granted.
It’s been a rocky road to the playoffs for Connecticut, which currently owns a 9-10 record, to say the least. Though their record is good for second in the Eastern Conference, the Sun still rank seventh among all WNBA teams, with the top eight advancing to the postseason.
Connecticut nearly clinched a playoffs spot Saturday night, but the Washington Mystics blew a fourth-quarter lead to the Wings to keep Dallas’ postseason hopes alive. They’ll have a chance to finish it off themselves this week, though it won’t be a simple task.
There are just three games left on the Sun’s regular season schedule, making this week’s games all the more important. But Connecticut certainly won’t coast to the playoffs by any means.
First, the Sun must take on the Phoenix Mercury, who currently are ranked fifth in the WNBA with a 12-7 record, twice in the next three days. They’ll wrap up the season against the Atlanta Dream, who enter this week at 5-14.
Connecticut has the skill and the talent to make it to the postseason and succeed. But they can’t get complacent in this final week of games, or else they might not make the playoffs at all. (The numbers still lean in their favor, but there still is no guarantee.)
The odds of the Sun returning to the WNBA Finals for a second straight year are fairly low. But as 2-2- has taught us, anything is possible.
Here are some more notes from the Sun’s Week 6 action:
— Jasmine Thomas missed some time this week for the first time in a while.
The Sun captain had a quick flare-up of her Plantar fasciitis that sidelined her for Connecticut’s games against the New York Liberty and Aces on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.
She returned to action Saturday, however, posting eight points and seven assists against the Indiana Fever in the Sun’s victory.
— DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas continued to dominate for the Sun this past week.
Bonner averaged 25 points a game in Week 6, including a double-double against the Liberty on Tuesday. Thomas, meanwhile, averaged 17 points a game, though she missed Thursday’s game against Las Vegas.
— Beatrice Mompremier appeared to find her stride Thursday against the Aces.
The rookie recorded 16 rebounds (!) in Connecticut’s loss to Las Vegas. She did so in 20 minutes, too.
Thumbnail photo via Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images
