NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Liberty return home after a disappointing road trip that saw them drop three of their four games.
Help is on the way, though, as Leonie Fiebich will return from playing in the EuroBasket tournament for Germany. That will give New York back one of its two missing starters. Jonquel Jones is still recovering from a sprained ankle and is out for a few more weeks.
The team has really missed the two starters as its defense has struggled lately, giving up at least 89 points in three of the four road contests — including all three defeats.
The schedule also gets kinder to the Liberty with an eight-game homestand for most of July. With the All-Star break thrown in, New York doesn't leave Barclays Center until a game at Dallas on July 28. The Liberty will welcome Caitlin Clark and the Fever twice over that span as well as rival Las Vegas.
Hey now, you're an All-Star
The WNBA All-Star starters were announced this week led by captains Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier. The pair will draft their teams next week after the reserves are revealed this weekend. Both are first-time captains. Clark, by virtue of receiving the most fan votes, will have the first pick in the draft. Other starters included Nneka Ogwumike, A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Aliyah Boston and Satou Sabally in the front court. Sabrina Ionescu, Allisha Gray and rookie Paige Bueckers got the nod in the backcourt.
Power poll rankings
Minnesota still is the No. 1 team with Phoenix and Atlanta behind the Lynx. New York, Golden State and Las Vegas were next. Seattle dropped three spots to seventh. Indiana and Washington followed the Storm. Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles and Connecticut rounded out the poll.
Expanded footprint
The WNBA announced three new teams will be joining the league with Cleveland set to begin play in 2028, Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia in 2030. That will give the league 18 teams — the most it's ever had since it first started play in 1997.
Player of the week
Angel Reese of Chicago averaged 19.7 points, 17 rebounds and five assists to help the Sky win two of their three games last week. Other players receiving votes were Napheesa Collier of Minnesota, Kelsey Mitchell of Indiana and A'ja Wilson of Las Vegas.
Game of the week
Seattle at New York, Sunday. The Storm play a three-game East Coast trip stopping in Atlanta, New York and Connecticut. They dropped two of their last three games and will try and get back on the winning track.
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Doug Feinberg, The Associated Press
