WNBA Recap: Saturday’s top 7 performers ranked, including Sabrina Ionescu, Kamilla Cardoso and more

Saturday’s WNBA triple-header yielded a slew of standout performances, so much so that we scrapped the Top 5 Performers format here at SB Nation and instead ranked a Top 7. That list includes several All-Stars — Sabrina Ionescu, A’ja Wilson, and Napheesa Collier, among others — as well as up-and-coming players like Kamilla Cardoso.

First, the game results from Saturday’s play:

The Lynx defeated the Mystics 99-83 to improve to 19-8, good for third-best in the league.
The Sky beat the Sparks to 79-67 to improve to 11-15, building upon their lead for the 8th seed.
The Liberty beat the Aces 79-67 to improve to 23-4, the best record in the league.

Here are the Saturday’s top 7 WNBA performers, ranked:

7. Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty

The Liberty became the first team in the WNBA to clinch a playoff spot on Saturday, and they wouldn’t have done it without Sabrina Ionescu, who’s in the midst of a career year and has come out strong in both games since the Olympic break.

Ionescu was a game-high plus-minus of +14 in the Liberty’s win over the Aces, and posted a team-high 23 points (9-21 FG) along with 6 rebounds and 3 assists. The Liberty’s win streak has extended to six.

“It’s nice to see we’ve been able to pick up where we left off,” said Ionescu postgame.

6. Jonquel Jones, New York Liberty

Jonquel Jones has also been critical to the Liberty’s success, and she flirted with a triple-double in this one. The former MVP was huge in the Liberty’s 79-67 win over the Aces, finishing with 10 points (4-9 FG), 17 rebounds (7 offensive), and 7 assists.

Jones — the third-leading scorer on the Liberty this season — was relatively quiet offensively in this, but rebounding has an enormous impact on her teammates, Sabrina Ionescu said postgame.

“We shoot the ball with confidence knowing that JJ’s down there if we do miss,” Ionescu said. “She cleans that up almost every single time.”

5. Lindsay Allen, Chicago Sky

Lindsay Allen helped saved the day in the Sky’s 94-90 win over the Sparks, finishing with a season-high 16 points (on an efficient 7-11 shooting), alongside 6 assists and 4 rebounds.

Chicago trailed by 10 heading into the fourth quarter, and Allen was instrumental in securing the win down the stretch, hitting two jump shots in the closing minutes to help the Sky complete the comeback.

“We just wanna continue to become who we’re supposed to be as a team,” Allen said postgame. “Continue to do just keep with our standards, the non-negotiables we want to be. Just continue to ramp up as we get closer to the playoffs and try to become a playoff team and then make noise there.”

The win gives the Sky a 2.5 game lead for the last spot in the postseason with 14 games left to play.

4. A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

A’ja Wilson continues to tear up the league, though the Aces haven’t been their usual dominant selves. After falling to New York, Las Vegas slid down to fifth in the WNBA standings.

Wilson was effective in the loss — posting 24 points (8-15 FG), 11 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks — but said postgame she felt the Aces need to have a more focused mindset heading into games.

“Our want-to factor wasn’t there for 40 minutes — that doesn’t matter if we had a break or we didn’t,” Wilson. “We can’t have that.”

3. Stefanie Dolson, Washington Mystics

The Mystics continue to struggle, but Stefanie Dolson is having one heck of a season. In Saturday’s loss to the Lynx, Dolson shot 8-8 from the field, including 6-6 from three. That tied a WNBA record for most threes made without a miss.

However, her team-high 23 points were not enough to overcome another massive night by the Lynx and Napheesa Collier. Still, Mystics coach Eric Thibault noted postgame how critical Dolson has been for Washington, per the team.

“She makes our offense click in a lot of ways, Stef,” Mystics coach Eric Thibault said after the loss. “She’s always done that as a connector, passing the ball. But when she’s aggressive shooting the ball, it’s a game-changer.”

2. Kamilla Cardoso, Chicago Sky

The Sky’s #3 pick enjoyed arguably her best game of the season in Saturday’s win over the Sparks. Cardoso finished with 15 points (6-9 FG), 14 rebounds, and 3 assists in 28 minutes of play, and was particularly crucial in the fourth quarter as the Sun battled down for double-digits.

Postgame, she noted that the Olympic break was good for her recovery, and that she continues to gain confidence from those around her.

“Just listening to my coaches and my teammates,” Cardoso said. “They show me love and support.”

Sky teammate Lindsay Allen praised Cardoso’s two-way effort in the comeback win against the Sparks:

“It’s all about her being active,” she said. “Her length is something that we rely on a lot, so when she’s active, when she’s defending hard, when she’s running hard, she’s posting up hard every possession— it really makes a difference for us.”

1. Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx

With A’ja Wilson having such a historically dominant season, the MVP race may be over. But Lynx star Napheesa Collier is keeping the door cracked open. On Saturday, in a 99-83 win over the Mystics, exploded for 30 points on 13-16 shooting. Her 13 made field goals ties a career-high, per Lynx PR.

“Phee was spectacular,” Thibault said postgame, while noting the Mystics defense left a little to be desired. “She made tough shots. She made shots over contests.”