Tiffany Hayes of the Atlanta Dream and Candace Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks today were named the WNBA’s Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played July 30-Aug. 5.
Hayes was selected Player of the Week for the third time this season and the third time in her seven-year career. Behind Hayes, Atlanta went 2-1 last week as the second-place Dream (18-10) improved to 10-1 in its last 11 games. She ranked first in the Eastern Conference in scoring (21.7 ppg) while connecting on 53.3 percent of her shots from the field (24-of-45), including 10-of-21 (47.6) from three-point range. Hayes also averaged 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists for the week.
The 5-10 guard opened her week with 18 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals in an 86-71 loss to the visiting Washington Mystics on July 31. Three days later, she posted 19 points, six rebounds and three assists in an 89-74 home win over the Chicago Sky. Hayes capped her week by making a career-high six three-pointers and scoring a season-high 28 points in an 86-66 road win over the Minnesota Lynx on Aug. 5.
Parker earned Player of the Week honors for the second time this season. With 24 career awards, she ranks second in WNBA history behind Tina Charles (29).
The two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player led the third-place Sparks to a 2-0 mark as Los Angeles ended the week with a 17-11 record. She ranked seventh in the Western Conference in scoring (18.5 ppg), tied for first in rebounds (12.0 rpg) and finished third in assists (6.0 apg).
Parker opened the week by registering game highs of 23 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks to go with four assists and two steals as Los Angeles defeated the visiting Lynx 79-57 on Aug. 2. The 6-3 forward/center then recorded a near triple-double, finishing with 14 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists as the Sparks topped the visiting Phoenix Mercury 78-75 on Aug. 5.
Other candidates for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Chicago’s Courtney Vandersloot, the Connecticut Sun’s Jasmine Thomas, the Dallas Wings’ Liz Cambage, the Indiana Fever’sCandice Dupree, the Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson, Phoenix’s Brittney Griner and the Seattle Storm’s Jewell Loyd.
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