The Summitt WNBA Power Rankings, June 13 edition

3. Los Angeles Sparks

Late execution is why the Sparks beat the Mercury last Saturday night, and their defensive efficiency keeps creeping up, from eleventh entering the month to ninth now. And there’s no such thing as an easy stretch in a WNBA schedule, but here’s what Los Angeles is up against between now and the end of June: Dallas, San Antonio, Phoenix, at Indiana, at Connecticut, at Atlanta. No back-to-backs, either. Put it another way: it’s a stretch the Sparks have to dominate if a top-two seed is in their future.