Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images
Friday’s WNBA slate includes four games, headlined by a match-up between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky with major playoff implications.
Friday evening marks another busy day of WNBA game play, as the regular season enters its last few weeks. Thursday was a rare game-less day for the league, but 8 teams are back in action today.
Here’s what’s coming up:
The Indiana Fever (15-16) vs the Chicago Sky (11-19) at 7:30pm ET
The Fever are riding high off a Wednesday night win over the Sun, and will look to continue their strong post-Olympic play against the Sky. Caitlin Clark and the Fever are 2-1 against the Sky this season, but Chicago has lost 7 of their last 9 games, and have struggled since trading sharpshooter Marina Mabrey.
Containing Kelsey Mitchell will be key for Chicago — Mitchell has scored 20+ points in five consecutive games, the longest streak in franchise history. For the Sky, Angel Reese has been a bright spot. Chennedy Carter missed last game with an illness, but assuming she’s back in the lineup, Chicago’s offense should look better.
The Minnesota Lynx (23-8) vs the Dallas Wings (8-22) at 7:30PM ET
The Lynx have been the league’s best team since the break — they’ve won 7 consecutive games and now have the #2 seed, sitting just 2.5 games behind the Liberty for the best record in the league.
Dallas is coming off two consecutive victories — over the Sparks and the Aces — and while they’re likely out of playoff contention, they’ve looked like a different team with Satou Sabally back in the lineup. It will take a solid 40-minute performance for Dallas to slow down Minnesota.
We’ll see if they can get it done — with Napheesa Collier playing at an MVP level, no one’s beaten the Lynx since July 14th.
The Atlanta Dream (10-20) vs the Las Vegas Aces (18-12) at 10pm ET
The Dream are just a game behind the Sky for the final playoff spot, but they’ve dropped three straight games. The Sky have been in free-fall — losers of 7 of their last 9 games — but the Dream haven’t been able to take advantage their struggles and grab the #8 seed.
Meanwhile, the Aces will look to bounce back from a loss against the Wings on Tuesday night. A’ja Wilson has been playing out of her mind — she exploded for 42 points against Dallas — but the Aces rebounding and defense haven’t resembled those of last year’s title team.
The New York Liberty (26-6) vs the Seattle Storm (19-11) at 10pm ET
The Liberty will travel to Seattle and hope to respond to an uncharacteristic loss against the Los Angeles Sparks. The Liberty was without Jonquel Jones in that one, who was out sick, but should be back at full strength today presuming Jones has made a recovery.
Meanwhile, Seattle pulled out a close win over the Dream thanks to a go-ahead three-pointer by Jewell Loyd. Seattle has been inconsistent this season, but has enough talent to become a contender if all the pieces come together. If the standings hold, this game could be a preview of the WNBA Semi-Finals.
Updated WNBA Standings
New York Liberty (26-6)
Minnesota Lynx (23-8)
Connecticut Sun (22-8)
Seattle Storm (19-11)
Las Vegas Aces (18-12)
Phoenix Mercury (16-16)
Indiana Fever (15-16)
Chicago Sky (11-19)
Atlanta Dream (10-20)
Washington Mystics (9-22)
Dallas Wings (8-22)
Los Angeles Sparks (7-24)
How to watch tonight’s WNBA games
All of Friday’s games will all be on ION and on WNBA League Pass.
