Weekly WNBA takeaways: Caitlin Clark returned just in time

What a week it was in the WNBA.

Not only did Caitlin Clark make a triumphant return from injury, but both of the WNBA's unbeaten teams were knocked off. 

Clark also made more history, dazzling WNBA fans with seven three-pointers and 32 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists. Nobody has ever had a stat line like that in the history of the league.

Clark was the major storyline from this past weekend, but here are some key takeaways from across the WNBA this past week.

Caitlin Clark's return came at the perfect time 

The WNBA needed Clark back on the court, suffering a 55 percent drop in TV ratings during her absence. 

After missing five games, Clark didn't skip a beat. She was in MVP form. At one point, she made three treys in under 45 seconds and was flat-out unstoppable. Not only did she make 50% of her 3s, she also made 55% from the field, on top of nine assists.

The second-year pro also did that against the defending WNBA champions, as well as the last unbeaten team. 

So this wasn't a fluke. Indiana is for real, and Clark still holds the title of most exciting player. Maybe most valuable, too. 

Either way, though, the league office had to be doing backflips after Clark stole the show in the sports world on Saturday. 

Lynx, Fever are human

After each team started 9-0, the Lynx and Liberty felt like a step above the rest of the WNBA. 

While one loss doesn't change that, it did bring them back to Earth. Both teams have been winning games by an average of double-digits. 

Minnesota (10-1) lost a road game to Seattle. New York (9-1) was humbled by the Fever in a 14-point loss. 

New York and Minnesota are still the favorites to reach the WNBA Finals again, yet this week was a reminder that other contenders such as Indiana, Atlanta and Phoenix aren't that far behind.

Atlanta is WNBA's most underrated team 

Speaking of Atlanta, not enough people are talking about the Dream, winners of their last three games (by an average of 20) and seven of their past eight.

Suddenly, the Dream (8-3) has the WNBA's third-best record. They also have the best scoring defense in the league, as well as the second-best offense, at least in terms of points per game.

On Sunday, Allisha Gray poured in 32 points in a win over the Mystics. Atlanta canned 18 three-pointers, and with Brittney Griner leading the way, Atlanta has been elite on defense.

Rhyne Howard and Gray have combined for an average of 5.4 three-pointers per game on 16.5 attempts (32.7%).

Brionna Jones and Griner are each averaging double figures. They are each shooting better than 53 percent on 2-point attempts and have been dominant in the paint, making it nearly impossible for teams to defend the inside-out attack. 

Atlanta ranks third in 2-point offense and defense (field-goal percentage). The Dream also ranks fourth in three-point makes per game (9.4), and first in three-point field goals allowed (5.8). 

That's an average advantage of 10.8 points just on three-point shot attempts. Indiana may have captured the headlines this weekend, but perhaps no team in the WNBA is hotter than Atlanta right now.