Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images
Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever host the Dream, Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty face A’ja Wilson and the Aces, and two more games to tune into.
NEW YORK — We’ve got a WNBA Finals rematch in at Barclay’s Center today, as the first-place New York Liberty host the streaking Las Vegas Aces. At the same time, Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever look to bounce back from their first loss in weeks as they face the Atlanta Dream. With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, today’s four-game slate holds significant seeding implications, particularly for the Minnesota Lynx, who recently secured the #2 seed.
Before we dive into today’s jam-packed schedule, let’s take a look at last night’s lone game result: the Seattle Storm blew out the Phoenix Mercury, 90-66. The Storm were led by Jewell Loyd (20 points) and Skylar Diggins-Smith (12 points, 11 assists). Jordan Horston added 16 points off the bench.
With the loss, the Mercury fall two games below .500 and accrue their second-consecutive double-figure loss. It’s their fifth defeat in six games.
Phoenix’s Sophie Cunningham seemed to insinuate that an attitude problem was permeating within the Mercury locker room.
“We need to learn how to be great teammates,” Cunningham said. “At the end of the day, we get to play basketball for a living, so that’s a blessing. Maybe changing our perspectives to start to be a little more grateful would be a good start.”
Considering the amount of talent on this Mercury roster, it’s remarkable they have had more on-court success.
Today’s WNBA games
The Minnesota Lynx (25-9) vs the Washington Mystics (11-23) at 3pm ET
The Lynx have been the hottest team in the league since the Olympic break. They’ve won 9 of their last 10 games, and Napheesa Collier — locally deemed MVPHEE — has been stellar. Collier is averaging 22 points on 54.7% shooting since the break — it’s the highest percentage by any player among the top 14 scorers.
But the Mystics have been pretty darn good of late, too. The same team that began the year 0-12 has won five of their last six games, and it’s been a well-rounded team effort. In that span, four Washington players have averaged in the double-figures: Brittney Sykes (13.8 points), Emily Engstler (11.8 points), Ariel Atkins (11.3 points), and Shakira Austin (10 points).
The Atlanta Dream (12-22) vs the Indiana Fever (18-17) at 4pm ET
The Fever will look to bounce back from a loss to the Lynx on Friday night as the host the Atlanta Dream this afternoon. Despite that performance — in which they were outscored by 17 points in the third quarter — Caitlin Clark and the Fever have looked like legitimate contenders since the Olympic break.
Atlanta is still not out of the playoff hunt, but they haven’t been able to consistently string together wins and oust the Chicago Sky for the final playoff spot. The pieces are there — Rhyne Howard has found a rhythm, Tina Charles has turned back the clock — but is it enough to pull out a win? They’ll face a good test with the Fever, who have had Gainbridge Fieldhouse rocking all season, and particularly as of late.
The Las Vegas Aces (22-12) vs the New York Liberty (28-6) at 4pm ET
The Aces and Liberty will face off in a Finals rematch, and a Las Vegas win could go a long way in showcasing that the team has made an important late-season leap. After starting the year 6-6, the Aces have won four straight games, most recently a comeback win on the road against the Connecticut Sun on Friday. Things are trending upwards: A’ja Wilson is in the midst of a historically-dominant MVP season, and Kelsey Plum is fresh off of one of the best games of her year.
The Liberty won both matchups between the two teams this season, but Las Vegas defeated New York for the championship in the Finals last year. A’ja Wilson appeared to have tweaked her leg on Friday, but she did not appear on the injury report and should be good to go. A win would go a long way for the Liberty, too, who have split their last six games and haven’t looked quite as dominant as their earlier-season selves.
The Dallas Wings (9-25) vs the Chicago Sky (12-22) at 6pm ET
The Sky will be without Angel Reese tonight, who is out for the rest of the season with a wrist injury. Reese has been Chicago’s most impactful player this season, so without her, this final stretch looks exceedingly difficult for Chicago. With just six games left to play, every game matters for the Sky if they are to hold onto the WNBA’s final playoff spot (though doing so could have negative draft implications).
Updated WNBA Standings
Here’s where everything stands with less than two weeks left to play:
New York Liberty (28-6)
Minnesota Lynx (25-9)
Connecticut Sun (24-10)
Las Vegas Aces (22-12)
Seattle Storm (21-14)
Indiana Fever (18-17)
Phoenix Mercury (17-19)
Chicago Sky (12-22)
Atlanta Dream (12-22)
Washington Mystics (11-23)
Dallas Wings (9-25)
Los Angeles Sparks (7-27)
