WNBA awards: Alyssa Thomas and Brittney Griner named WNBA Players of the Week

Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas and Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner have been named WNBA Players of the Week for games played from July 3 to 9, the league announced on Monday.

Both the Sun and Mercury played twice in that span, posting a combined 4-0 record.

Thomas earned the award for the Eastern Conference for the second time in three weeks. She has now alternated with Jonquel Jones to give a Sun player the honor in each of the last four weeks. In wins at San Antonio and against Washington, Thomas averaged 16 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 steals, and five assists. Her streak of scoring in double figures has now hit 11 consecutive games.

Though Thomas has been an impact player since entering the league in 2014 out of Maryland, her numbers have jumped in 2017. She is averaging nearly three points more per game than last year and her assist numbers have more than doubled. She’s also averaging a career high in rebounds and steals per game, as well as field goal percentage.

Griner dominant for Phoenix

Out of the Western Conference, Griner took home player of the week honors for the first time in nearly two years, thanks to a dominant performance on Sunday against the Liberty. She scored 31 points in the 81-69 win on 13-17 shooting. She also had 13 rebounds and six blocks.

Through 16 games, Griner is leading the league in scoring (22.4 points per game) and blocks (2.8). She has also accounted for four of the WNBA’s 10 30-plus point scoring games this season.

Courtney Vandersloot (Chicago), Skylar Diggins-Smith (Dallas), Tina Charles (New York), and Breanna Stewart (Seattle) were all considered for player of the week as well.