Check out the latest highlights from Taurasi, Thompson, Beard, Milton-Jones and more.
TAURASI WINS PLAYER OF WEEK AWARD
Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi was named Western Conference’s Player of the Week on August 6 – her second Player of the Week Award this season and the fifth in her career. Taurasi, fourth in the WNBA in points per game, scored 24 points in 84-79 win over San Antonio on August 2. Taurasi, also the league leader in three-point field goals, made 6-of-13 from long distance in the win. Two nights later against Seattle, Taurasi scored a game-high 28 points in a shootout 111-101 loss.
On August 7, Taurasi scored 21 points and had six assists and seven rebounds in a 96-93 win over Los Angeles. Behind Taurasi’s offensive firepower, Phoenix clinched their first playoff berth in six years and the first of her career. Phoenix is now in first place in the Western Conference.
Listen to the Diana Taurasi live Q&A on HOOPSTALK
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THOMPSON GOES FOR TWO DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Perennial All-Star Tina Thompson continues to play strong for Houston as they make a late run for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. On August 3, Thompson had a game-high 13 points and 10 rebounds to lead her team to a 66-56 win over Los Angeles. She followed up that effort with one of her best of the season against Minnesota on August 5. Scoring a game-high 26 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, Thompson showed she can still take over a game. Her 26 points – 14 of which came in the fourth quarter – propelled Houston to an 80-77 win. She finished her week strong in a 77-71 loss to New York with a 24-point, nine-rebound performance.
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BEARD, MILTON-JONES KEEP WASHINGTON WINNING
Alana Beard had a fantastic week for Washington in their push for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. In addition to scoring 61 points in three wins, Beard was named Player of the Week for the Eastern Conference on August 6. Shooting 10-of-18 from the floor, she scored a game-high 24 points in an 80-68 win over New York on August 3. Beard, third in the WNBA in steals per game, had 4 steals in the win. Delisha Milton-Jones also chipped in with a double-double – 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Against Chicago on August 5, Beard and Milton-Jones again led Washington to victory in a 71-66 win. Milton-Jones and Beard scored 20 and 18 points respectively, and Milton-Jones also notched her second double-double of the week with 10 rebounds. And in Washington’s third straight win, Beard scored 19 points to in a 77-73 win over San Antonio on August 7. The win keeps Washington one game ahead of New York for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
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THREE GAME-HIGH SCORING EFFORTS BY AUGUSTUS
Seimone Augustus, the second-leading scorer in the WNBA, continued her scoring ways this week. Augustus had a game-high 17 points in 71-66 loss to New York on August 2. Against Houston two nights later, she had another game-high scoring performance, this time with 24 points, including a perfect 12-for-12 from the free-throw line. Nichole Ohlde also contributed 12 points against Houston, but it was not enough as Minnesota lost 80-77. And on August 7, her game-high 21 points led Minnesota to a comfortable 95-74 win over Seattle.
