NEW YORK (AP) - It was a busy week off the court for many WNBA teams with a light schedule of games.
The Liberty became the first professional sports team to have a float in the New York pride parade . They joined an NBA/WNBA float that was participating for a second straight year.
“It means a lot,” New York guard Shavonte Zellous said of having the float. “We have a platform where we can do things.”
The Wings, who have won four straight games, moved up to sixth in The Associated Press WNBA power poll this week and spent some time at the Dallas Zoo , checking out the animals and feeding a giraffe .
Dallas was missing coach Fred Williams for its game on Sunday against Connecticut. He wasn’t feeling well, but team officials say he is doing better and will be back for the Wings lone game this week on Saturday against Seattle.
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POWER POLL: Minnesota is still leading the way with Los Angeles firmly in second place. Here’s a look at this week’s WNBA poll.
1. Minnesota (11-1): The Lynx rebounded from their first loss of the season with another easy win over Washington and a gritty victory over San Antonio. They face a tough road test in Phoenix.
2. Los Angeles (9-3): The Sparks had a light week, overcoming Indiana on an emotional night when the Fever retired Tamika Catchings jersey .
3. Washington (7-5): A huge week ahead for the Mystics with home games against Seattle, New York and a road game at Los Angeles that kicks off a five-game trip.
4. Phoenix (7-5): The Mercury look to follow up a win over Seattle with a victory over No. 1 Minnesota in their lone contest this week. Brittney Griner had her first dunk of the season and ninth of her career in the victory.
5. New York (7-5): The Liberty rallied from a 21-point third quarter deficit but came up short against Connecticut. New York has three home games in July.
6. Dallas (8-8): The Wings are surging with three wins this week against bottom half of the league. They don’t play until Saturday against Seattle.
7. Connecticut (6-6): The Sun have risen back to .500, but are in tough stretch with four games in nine days with depleted roster.
8. Seattle (6-6): The Storm hope an east coast swing can solve their recent woes.
9. Indiana (6-7): The Fever put together a good first half against Los Angeles, but couldn’t sustain the momentum against one of league’s top teams.
10. Atlanta (5-6): Dream hosts Sparks and Liberty this week and need to find more consistency on offense.
11. Chicago (3-10): The Sky have Atlanta’s number this season. They need to find ways to beat other teams and Chicago has an opportunity to that against Indiana and San Antonio.
12. San Antonio (0-14): Stars gave Minnesota a game for nearly 3½ quarters. Not enough though to close out league’s best team. Moriah Jefferson is playing a better lately.
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GAME OF THE WEEK: Lynx at Mercury, Friday. There’s no shortage of star power with Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner facing Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles and the rest of Minnesota’s talented group. The Mercury will honor Taurasi as the league’s all-time leading scorer.
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STAT OF THE WEEK: Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson, Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen became the winningest quartet in league history with their 122nd win as a foursome on Sunday against San Antonio. The group passed Los Angeles’ Tamecka Dixon, Lisa Leslie, Mwadi Mabika and DeLisha Milton-Jones, who amassed 121 wins together from 1999-2004.
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PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Skylar Diggins-Smith, Wings. Diggins-Smith had a huge week to help the Wings win all three of their games and get back to .500. She averaged 20.3 points and 6.7 assists for Dallas, which beat San Antonio twice and Connecticut. She had a season-best 30 points and a franchise-record seven 3-pointers in the win at San Antonio. Other players receiving votes included Sylvia Fowles, Brittney Griner and Maya Moore.
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To find the poll online: https://collegebasketball.ap.org/ap-wnba-power-poll-week-7
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