Indiana's 10-game winning streak and Phoenix's five consecutive victories make the Fever and Mercury the clear cream of the crop in this week's WNBA power rankings, as compiled by ESPN.com women's basketball editor Melanie Jackson (through games played as of Wednesday):

2009 Power Rankings: Week 6
	RANK(LW)	TEAM	RECORD	COMMENT
	1 (1)	Fever	10-2	Ten consecutive wins plus two All-Star starters equals a third straight week at No. 1. The Fever host Atlanta on Friday, then the schedule really gets a test as Indiana plays three road games (at Connecticut, Washington, San Antonio) in five days before the All-Star break.
	2 (2)	Mercury	11-4	The Mercury have won five straight but suffered perhaps their biggest loss of the season Thursday as Phoenix suspended league scoring leader Diana Taurasi for two games (home against Detroit on Saturday and home against Minnesota on Wednesday). But let's take time out to recognize Cappie Pondexter's franchise-record 15 assists in Wednesday's win.
	3 (4)	Lynx	9-6	The Lynx started the week with an away victory at San Antonio on Sunday. But after losing at home to Atlanta, they'll have to put together some more road magic to avoid a losing streak with dates at Seattle (Sunday) and at Phoenix (Wednesday) coming up.
	4 (3)	Storm	8-6	The Storm, nearly unbeatable at KeyArena the past two seasons, have lost two straight in Seattle, including a defeat to Detroit on Wednesday. More worrisome is the strained left Achilles that Lauren Jackson suffered against the Shock. The Storm play at Sacramento on Friday, but Jackson didn't travel with the team and will miss the game while she rehabs the injury. Seattle has lost two straight on the road, too.
	5 (10)	Silver Stars	6-6	Win. Lose. Win. Lose. That has been San Antonio's pattern for seven straight games. That's not the type of consistency Dan Hughes is looking for. But a .500 record goes a long way right now in the league.
	6 (9)	Sun	6-6	Here's a safe bet: The home crowd will have Asjha Jones to root for in the July 25 All-Star Game.
	7 (8)	Mystics	6-6	The Mystics have lost three of four games played this month but get to play their next four games (three prior to the All-Star break) at home.
	8 (6)	Dream	7-8	The Dream put in one of their most impressive victories of the season Wednesday, winning 91-77 at Minnesota for just their second road win. Atlanta put four players in double figures, shot 53 percent from the field and hit 7 of 9 3-pointers (78 percent) as Chamique Holdsclaw tied her season high with 28 points. Trouble is, the Dream are still sub-.500.
	9 (5)	Sky	7-8	The Sky -- who along with Seattle and Indiana are the only teams with multiple All-Star starters -- get credit for ending Seattle's 15-game home winning streak, but they've lost five of their past six games. Granted, five contests in that span were on the road, but the schedule is looking up with back-to-back home games to get to the All-Star break. Still, the schedule isn't as important as a pain-free knee for Sylvia Fowles.
	10 (13)	Shock	4-7	When Katie Smith talks, her teammates listen. According to an article on the Shock's Web site, Smith said "we've beaten ourselves" in most of their losses and questioned the Shock's ability to play quality ball for 40 minutes. The result? A two-game winning streak (their first of the season), including a rare victory in Seattle.
	11 (7)	Sparks	4-8	An eight-day break is just what the Sparks needed. They've lost three of their past four games, included two straight. But if Lisa Leslie returns as expected in Los Angeles' next game (Wednesday at Seattle), this should be a totally different team in the second half of the season. A three-game road swing right out of the break could be a brutal test, though.
	12 (12)	Liberty	4-7	Either Shameka Christon, who ranks seventh in the league in scoring, earns her first All-Star nod, or the midseason showcase will be lacking a Liberty for the second straight game.
	13 (11)	Monarchs	3-11	New coach, another losing streak.