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Breanna Stewart, Chennedy Carter among standouts at WNBA midway point

Data: WNBA; Table: Axios Visuals

The WNBA season has reached its midway point, with every team either 10 or 11 games through this year's shortened, 22-game campaign.

First half superlatives:

  • MVP — Breanna Stewart (SEA): The 2018 MVP missed all of last season (Achilles), but she's back, scoring at will and leading the league's best team.
  • ROY — Chennedy Carter (ATL): The No. 4 pick is a walking bucket (seventh in scoring at 17 ppg). But she'll miss two weeks with an ankle injury, meaning No. 16 pick Crystal Dangerfield (MIN) could slide in and become the lowest draft pick to ever win (previous low: No. 7 pick Tracy Reid in 1998).
  • Best team — Seattle Storm: Despite being without coach Dan Hughes (opted out for health reasons), the 2018 champs have won eight straight games behind Stewart and legendary PG Sue Bird.
  • Most disappointing team — Washington Mystics: The defending champs began the year 3-0, but have since dropped seven straight. They desperately miss reigning MVP Elena Delle Donne, who opted out for health reasons.
  • Biggest bummer — Sabrina Ionescu's injury: The most hyped rookie in WNBA history delivered a 33-7-7 masterpiece in just her second game. One game later, she badly sprained her ankle, likely ending her season.

Tonight's games (all times ET):

  • 7pm: Fever at Sun (CBSSN)
  • 9pm: Aces at Sky (ESPN2)
  • 10pm: Liberty at Storm

Go deeper: WNBA power rankings (ESPN)

Go deeper

Axios
Updated Oct 12, 2020 - Sports

Los Angeles Lakers win 17th NBA title

The Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James and Anthony Davis after winning the NBA Championship. Photo: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

The Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James and Anthony Davis led the team to a Game 6 106-93 triumph over the Miami Heat in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, to win a record-tying 17th NBA championship Sunday night.

The big picture: James' fourth championship — and his fourth NBA Finals MVP award — capped off a highly unusual season that was disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. The game was the 260th of James' playoff career. This season was also notable for a sports walkout begun by NBA players over the police shooting of Jacob Blake and James leading a campaign to increase the number of poll workers in Black electoral districts.

Fadel Allassan
51 mins ago - World

Putin foe Navalny to be detained for 30 days after returning to Moscow

Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny. Photo: Oleg Nikishin/Epsilon/Getty Images

Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has been ordered to remain in pre-trial detention for 30 days, following his arrest upon returning to Russia on Sunday for the first time since a failed assassination attempt last year.

Why it matters: The detention of Navalny, an anti-corruption activist and the most prominent domestic critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has already set off a chorus of condemnations from leaders in Europe and the U.S.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Axios
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Biden picks Warren allies to lead SEC, CFPB

Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

President-elect Joe Biden has selected FTC commissioner Rohit Chopra to be the next director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Obama-era Wall Street regulator Gary Gensler to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Why it matters: Both picks are progressive allies of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and viewed as likely to take aggressive steps to regulate big business.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow