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CBS Sports

The Dallas Wings are one of the hottest teams in the WNBA right now. They've won four of their last five to climb back above .500, and last week ended the Las Vegas Aces' nine-game winning streak, becoming just the second team to beat them this season. 

It's no surprise that their turnaround has coincided with the return of Teaira McCowan. The veteran center missed 10 games early in the season while playing for Turkey in EuroBasket, and rejoined the Wings on June 20. With McCowan patrolling the paint, they've looked like a completely different team. 

Her numbers are solid, though not particularly impressive: 9.8 points and nine rebounds on 46.2% shooting. Her presence, though, makes all the difference. At 6-foot-7, she gives the Wings a true center who is a threat at the rim on both sides of the floor and unlocks the rest of the roster. 

Since she came back, the Wings have had the best defense in the league, allowing just 96 points per 100 possessions. And for the season they are 6-3 with McCowan in the lineup and 4-6 without her. In her 238 minutes on the court, they have a plus-13.1 net rating, which would rank second only to the Aces.

McCowan doesn't have a style that lends itself to highlights, or the name recognition of some of her teammates, but she's a true unsung hero. 

Now, on to this week's power rankings:

1.  Las Vegas Aces (17-2) – Last week No. 1

You can't keep the Aces down for long. Their historic start to the season was finally ended by the Wings, but they bounced right back with a dominant offensive display led by Kelsey Plum. She poured in a career-high 40 points to become the sixth different 40-point scorer this season – by far a WNBA record. After a bit of a slow start to the season, she's averaging 23.1 points and four assists on 60.2/50.9/97.4 shooting splits in her last 10 games. Absurd. 

2. New York Liberty (13-4) – Last week No. 2

Two more wins this week for the Liberty, though neither was all that impressive. Simply put, this team is too talented to go through as many lulls as it does. In more positive news, Breanna Stewart continues to be incredible. Her 43-point, 12-rebound, six-assist effort in their win over the Mercury was just the second time in WNBA history that a player has had at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a game. (The other was Candace Parker in 2008.)

3. Connecticut Sun (14-5) – Last week No. 3

The Sun might not be able to beat the Aces or Liberty without Brionna Jones, but every other team still needs to watch out. With Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner running the show, the Sun are still a handful. Thomas is up to 14.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and eight assists per game for the season, and creeping toward a triple-double average. She's 38 assists behind pace, so she probably isn't getting there, but the fact that it's even worth mentioning is incredible.

4. Atlanta Dream (10-8) – Last week No. 5

The Dream made light work of their three-game road trip this week, taking each contest by double digits. They've now won five in a row, which is their longest winning streak since 2018. Their recent success has largely been driven by reigning Rookie of the Year Rhyne Howard, who is averaging 24.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.2 steals on 55.8% shooting during the winning streak. 

5. Dallas Wings (10-9) – Last week No. 6

Here come the Wings. They became the second team in the league to beat the Aces this season, and have suddenly won four of their last five to get back above .500. The difference Teaira McCowan makes on this squad is remarkable. They're now 6-3 with her in the lineup and 4-6 without her, and in her 238 minutes on the court they have a plus-13.1 net rating. 

6. Washington Mystics (10-8) – Last week No. 4

More bad luck on the injury front this week for the Mystics. Natasha Cloud joined the injured list with a sprained ankle, and Elena Delle Donne's return to action on Sunday lasted 13 minutes before she re-sprained her ankle and had to leave the game. They've now lost four of six since their injury problems started in earnest with Shakira Austin going down against the Liberty. The good news: none of the issues appear to be long-term, and there's a chance they could be fully healthy not long after the All-Star break. 

7. Minnesota Lynx (9-10) – Last week No. 8

The Lynx ran their winning streak to five games this week before it came to an end on Sunday at the hands of the Aces, who they just cannot match up with. Not that any team really can, but the Lynx have more trouble than most. In three losses to Las Vegas this season, they've been outscored by 76 points; in their seven other losses, they've been outscored by a total of 59 points. 

8. Chicago Sky (8-11) – Last week No. 7

So much for the Sky's mini resurgence, which was halted by the Dream, who came to town and beat them twice this week. The two-game series was a microcosm of one of the Sky's major issues this season: finding consistent offense, especially down the stretch in games. They scored 20 fourth-quarter points combined in the two defeats and for the season are 11th in the league in fourth-quarter scoring at 17.7 points per game. They also have a league-high 79 fourth-quarter turnovers this season, compared to 71 fourth-quarter assists. 

9. Los Angeles Sparks (7-12) – Last week No. 9

Two more defeats this week for the Sparks, who have suddenly lost five in a row. They will be eagerly awaiting the All-Star break, perhaps more so than any other team, if only for the chance to reset and perhaps get healthy. They entered Sunday without Lexie Brown, Layshia Clarendon, Chiney Ogwumike and Karlie Samuelson, and then Dearica Hamby sprained her ankle in the first quarter of their loss to the Mercury.  

10. Indiana Fever (5-14) – Last week No. 10

Another rough week for the Fever, who have now dropped seven games in a row, which is the longest losing streak by any team in the league this season. Their issues down the stretch in close games burned them again on Sunday against the Wings, and for the season they are now 3-11 in single-digit contests. In their league-leading 49 clutch minutes – games within five points with less than five minutes left – they have been outscored by 32 points. 

11. Seattle Storm (4-14) – Last week No. 11

This was one of the worst weeks yet for the Storm in what has been a long season. Not only did they lose two more games to extend their winless streak to five games, Jewell Loyd went down with a sprained ankle in the process. Her status moving forward is still unclear, but if she's unavailable for their difficult road back-to-back against the Mystics and Dream this week, that would be bad news. There's simply no replacing the league's leading scorer. 

12. Phoenix Mercury (4-14) – Last week No. 12

The Mercury snapped their latest losing streak with a win over the Sparks that was highlighted by a brilliant performance from Brittney Griner, who threw down the first dunk of the season. Phoenix is still stuck in last place, but Griner's ability to bounce back from everything she went through over the past year and get back to her All-Star best is one of the best stories of the season.