Losses can fuel fire.

And that’s what players on the Kansas City Current alluded to in their postgame press conference on Saturday. The Current lost in the NWSL championship 2-0 to the Portland Thorns.

“I don’t think anyone will sleep on this team anymore,” said Lo’eau LaBonta, alluding to the fact that not many put Kansas City in the championship game at the beginning of the season.

The Current went from last place in the league last season to the championship game this season. In the midst of that, the team rattled off a 13-game unbeaten streak. And that was without blockbuster off-season acquisitions Sam Mewis and Lynn Williams.

It’s been a long road, particularly for players like LaBonta who have been a part of the league for seven years. LaBonta, and teammate Desiree Scott, have traveled with Kansas City as the team traveled from there, to Utah, and back again.

On Saturday, LaBonta was adamant that Scott wasn’t allowed to leave during free agency. Nor was she allowed to cry.

Not Lo'eau doing the angry whisper at Desi Scott to not cry doing this press conference, and then also telling her she's not allowed to leave during free agency. Two players who have lived through it all. #nwsl

— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) October 30, 2022

“It hurts because Kansas City showed up for sure and we played for them,” LaBonta added, noting that the club has felt more support from the community this season.

For first-year head coach Matt Potter, who was nominated for Coach of the Year, the loss doesn’t mean the entire year was lost.

“Incredibly proud how far we’ve come in a small space of time,” Coach Matt Potter said. “This one’s going to hurt, but there’s much to smile about even in this moment.”

No. 5 New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart isn't letting Sunday's left knee knock take her off the 2025 WNBA Playoffs court, with the forward planning to compete in Game 2 against the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night.

An emotional Stewart finished Game 1 on the bench, going down with a knee injury in overtime of the Liberty's 76-69 upset win over the Mercury on Sunday.

"What I felt in that moment scared me more than anything," Stewart told reporters on Wednesday morning.

A Monday MRI revealed a sprained MCL, and though the two-time WNBA MVP did not practice on Tuesday, she participated in the team's Wednesday shootaround and said her pain had diminished to a three out of 10.

"[As long as] I don't wake up from my nap and feel like s—t," said Stewart, "I'm willing to take that [chance of re-injury] because I want to be out with my team, and they told me that structurally everything looks OK."

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Even when the game-day status for Stewart was still unknown, New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello promised that the defending champions would give their star "as much time as we can."

"We know what's at stake," Brondello told reporters on Tuesday. "We don't want to go back to Phoenix [for Game 3], but they're going to come in hungry."

Stewart echoed that sentiment on Wednesday morning, saying "We want to finish it here. Not having to go back to Phoenix is our main priority."

How to watch the Phoenix Mercury vs. New York Liberty in Game 2

No. 5 New York will look to oust No. 4 Phoenix from the 2025 WNBA Playoffs with a first-round sweep on Wednesday night, when the Liberty host the Mercury for Game 2 at 8 PM ET.

The matchup will air live on ESPN.

Star sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone is reaching new heights, setting a new US record for the 400-meter race in the event's Tuesday semifinals at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist finished the flat event in 48.29 seconds, shaving more than 0.40 seconds off the previous US record of 48.70 seconds set by track legend Sanya Richards-Ross in 2006.

Both her personal best and the fastest time in the world for that event this year, McLaughlin-Levrone's performance also makes her the seventh-fastest woman of all time in the 400-meter dash — elevating expectations that she could challenge the long-standing world record of 47.60 seconds, set by then-East German sprinter Marita Koch in 1985.

Known for her dominance in the 400-meter hurdles, the 26-year-old made the decision to focus on the flat 400-meter event ahead of this year's competition. 

"I definitely wasn't expecting that time," she said afterwards. "It just shows the fitness is there. I'm excited for the finals and grateful to have taken down a record by an amazing woman."

How to watch McLaughlin-Levrone in the 400-meter final

McLaughlin-Levrone will take aim at the 2025 World Athletics Championships' 400-meter podium — and, perhaps, another record time — during the event's final on Thursday.

The US star will race against 2024 Olympic champion Marileidy Paulino and silver medalist Salwa Eid Naser when the final begins at 9:24 AM ET.

Live coverage will air on USA Network.

The injury-ridden No. 6 Indiana Fever put on a show in their first home postseason game since 2016 on Tuesday night, handing the No. 3 Atlanta Dream a 77-60 defeat to force a deciding Game 3 in the first round of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs.

"This group has continued to show their heart and their character, night in and night out," said Fever head coach Stephanie White post-game.

Indiana guard Kelsey Mitchell led the charge once again, scoring a game-high 19 points to extend the Fever's playoff campaign.

The win marked Indiana's first postseason victory in nine years, as the Fever hopes to exceed expectations and make a deep playoff run despite carrying a lengthy injury report.

"Our backs were definitely against the wall in this, and we know that we've just been through so much this season," Fever center Aliyah Boston told reporters after Tuesday's victory. "Coming out with this win and then giving ourselves another chance in Game 3 — emotions are high."

How to watch the Indiana Fever vs. Atlanta Dream in Game 3

The No. 6 Indiana Fever will travel back to Atlanta to battle the No. 3 Dream in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs' first-round winner-take-all Game 3 on Thursday.

The teams will tip off at 7:30 PM ET, with live coverage on ESPN2.

The No. 7 Seattle Storm came out on top on Tuesday, claiming an 86-83 Game 2 win in the first round of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs to snap the No. 2 Las Vegas Aces' 17-game winning streak — extending the best-of-three series to a winner-take-all finale.

Fueled by a combined 50 points from Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike, Seattle rallied back from a 14-point second-half deficit to keep their playoffs run alive — capping Tuesday's comeback by outscoring Las Vegas 16-4 in the last four minutes of the matchup.

"We are not unfamiliar with tight games," Ogwumike said afterwards. "We are not unfamiliar with playing from behind."

"Nobody's found the answer to this [Las Vegas] equation for, what, 16, 17 games," noted Diggins. "For us, it was coming out and showing that we weren't scared to play against them.... I thought in the first game that we played hesitant and I was proud of the way that we responded tonight."

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Diggins also acknowledged the impact of Seattle's raucous fans on the game's outcome, saying "Obviously, we had a great home crowd on our back to feed off of."

Thanks to the league's new home-away-home first-round playoff structure, the shared home-court advantage is making series sweeps less likely.

Seattle will face a tougher task on Thursday, when the Storm attempts to defeat the Aces again — this time in front of a Las Vegas home crowd.

"We know this team is tough to beat one time and we have to beat them again," said Diggins. "But we bought ourselves another 40 minutes tonight."

How to watch the Seattle Storm vs. the Las Vegas Aces in Game 3

No. 7 Seattle and No. 2 Las Vegas will square off in a winner-take-all Game 3 to determine which team advances to the 2025 WNBA semifinals on Thursday.

The clash tips off at 9:30 PM ET, with live coverage on ESPN2.