RANKS: Valkyries been WNBA’s top team since June 7, move into Top 5

Veronica Burton (22) and Kayla Thornton (5) are averaging 10.5 and 15.0 points per game, respectively, for the Valkyries. PHOTO CREDIT: Golden State Valkyries

By W.G. RAMIREZ

Since June 7, the best team in the WNBA has been the Golden State Valkyries. No other team has seven wins, with four behind the expansion squad with six wins.

Coach Natalie Nakase has her team finely tuned on defense, as the Valkyries rank No. 1 in allowing 72.8 points per game during their 7-2 run heading into Thursday's action, when play resumes after the Commissioner's Cup break.

"I think we are naturally from one to 12, we are naturally defenders," Nakase said after the team's 84-57 win over Seattle on Sunday. "And like I said, our killer mentality as an identity is really showing out. ... We want to be a number one defense, so I'm hoping this pushes us a little closer."

Golden State, which moved into the Top 5 this week, will embark on a critical road trip, it's longest of the season thus far, as it visits Minnesota, Atlanta, Indianapolis and Las Vegas over eight days beginning Saturday.

"I want to come off as humble as possible, but at the same time, I know what these players have done for three months - they work their asses off," Nakase said after the team's 84-57 win over Seattle on Sunday. "They work extremely hard. So, it's so funny, I was talking to my coaches after today, like, 'Man, we're lucky.' Because every time we go through a walkthrough or we go through a practice, they are loud. They're screaming, they're communicating.

"Even film session, they are locked in, they ask questions. ... I'm grateful just to be their head coach because I have all coachable players."

Here are this week's rankings:

1. Lynx (14-2) - (LW: 1) Minnesota went 2-1 last week and then lost the Commissioner's Cup championship to the Indiana Fever. In the team's three losses this season, the Lynx's offense has been non-existent, averaging 69.0 points per game, well below its 85.3 average. The good news is the Lynx continue a homestand that includes games against Washington, Golden State and Chicago. The bad news is those games are on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively. By weekend's end, they will have played five games in eight days.

2. Mercury (12-5) - (LW: 2) After splitting two games last week, they remain No. 2. The Aces came to town and brought an abrupt end to Phoenix's six-game win streak on Sunday. It's not something the Mercury should hang their heads about, considering Las Vegas still has the best player on the planet, but it could be alarming considering how bad the Aces have been compared to their standards.

3. Dream (11-6) - (LW: 5) Atlanta went to Dallas and got caught by an improving Wings team that found a defensive edge and held the high-scoring Dream to 55 points. The Dream had a chance to respond but lost in overtime to the Lynx on Friday. Oddly, however, they leapfrog New York to No. 3 despite going 1-2, as their lone win came Sunday against the Liberty, 90-81. They only have one game this week, at home against No. 6 Seattle.

4. Liberty (11-5) - (LW: 4) The defending champs dropped two of three and desperately need Jonquel Jones. They've now lost four of five and five of seven since mid-June. They're mired in a 1-4 road skid, so it's probably good that New York won't play on the road until July 28. They'll head into the All-Star Break with five home games, and come out of it with three more in Brooklyn.

5. Valkyries (9-7) - (LW: 6) Golden State took two of three last week and probably should have beaten the Liberty on June 25. The 3-point loss was just their second during a nine-game stretch, and as noted above, they will have their mettle tested over the next couple of weeks with four tough road games.

6. Storm (10-7) - (LW: 3) Seattle dropped two of three, including a home game to No. 8 Indiana. The only win was a 16-point rout of Connecticut, but knowing coach Noelle Quinn, she challenged her troops for allowing the worst team in the league to score 10 points more than its season average.

7. Aces (8-8) - (LW: 7) The strangest team in the league remains Las Vegas. This team is hit or miss. Last week it was on point, winning two of three. The Aces smacked Connecticut, but then lost to the Mystics at home on the second of back-to-back nights before going to Phoenix and shocking the second-best team in the league. Four road games in the Eastern time zone over eight days will tell us a lot about this team.

8. Fever (8-8) - (LW: 8) Is Indiana a more cohesive team without Caitlin Clark? The Fever have a better record with her on the court this season, that's factual. But they sure look like a complete unit when she's in street clothes, as we saw in Tuesday's 74-59 win over No. 1 Minnesota. Since its 2-1 start, the Fever have lost seven of 13 and rank eighth with a scoring defense that's allowing 81.2 points per game. They do have five straight at home, so how they respond with or without Clark will tell us more.

9. Mystics (8-9) - (LW: 9) Washington hangs tough at No. 9 but could move upward if it pulls off another upset of the top-ranked Lynx. The Mystics beat Minnesota on June 24 in D.C., and the rematch is Thursday in the Twin Cities. It's the only game for the Mystics this week, which is a good thing with off-court distractions surrounding Aaliyah Edwards and if she's headed elsewhere.

10. Wings (5-13) - (LW: 11) Speaking of Edwards, could we see the former UConn star reunite with former Huskies teammate and rookie sensation Paige Bueckers? Someone has to step in for NaLyssa Smith, right? Or, is Li Yueru enough? Yueru averaged 2.8 points and 1.6 rebounds in 8.7 minutes per game in nine games for Seattle. But since arriving in Dallas, her numbers are up to 6.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 23.9 minutes per contest.

11. Sky (5-11) - (LW: 12) Chicago was one of the handful of teams that turned in a winning record last week, with victories over the 12th-ranked Sparks, both in Chitown and Los Angeles. Could we see an acquisition before the deadline to bolster the offense? Don't be surprised. The Sky will enjoy a week off since the win in L.A., and are the final game in that brutal eight-game stretch for the Lynx.

12. Sparks (5-12) - (LW: 10) Los Angeles dips two spots, as this continues to be the second-most confusing team, behind the Aces. Since May 27, the Sparks have allowed the league's second-most points with 89.3 points per game on 45.4% shooting. If they could find a way to hold leads, they could have a winning record. Los Angeles has held leads at halftime in nine games and has won just four of them.

13. Sun (2-15) - (LW: 13) Connecticut remains a mess, as it lost all three games. The Sun continue to have the worst scoring offense and defense in the WNBA, and need Marina Mabrey back in the lineup. Without her on the floor, the Sun are missing 15.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.