No. 6 Indiana is banking on home court advantage, as the underdogs tip off Game 3 of the 2025 WNBA semifinals against the No. 2 Las Vegas Aces on Friday night — with the short-staffed Fever looking to avenge the Game 2 loss that pulled the series level 1-1.
"We're excited," Fever guard Lexie Hull said prior to Friday's clash. "Just to be able to have two more [home games] for our fans that have been there with us all season, really excited for that, and we definitely do feed off of their energy."
Indiana will need the crowd to be their metaphorical sixth man this weekend, as they continue to navigate a hefty injury list and an up-and-down record.
Hull herself remains questionable with a lingering back issue, playing through discomfort in light of Indiana's tight roster constraints.
"I'm feeling sore still, but I think just a lot of treatment, trying to get our bodies as ready as we can be," she said. "I think for everyone, is it's the end of the season, everyone's a little fatigued and a little sore."
How to watch Las Vegas vs. Indiana in the 2025 WNBA semifinals
The No. 6 Indiana Fever will host the No. 2 Las Vegas Aces for both of their 2025 WNBA semifinals clashes this weekend, first tipping off Game 3 at 7:30 PM ET on Friday on ESPN2.
Game 4 will follow at 3 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage on ABC.
The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx land in Phoenix on Friday night, looking to secure a crucial Game 3 win against the No. 4 Mercury after seeing their best-of-five 2025 WNBA semifinals tie at one game apiece back home.
"Our response to [Phoenix] was a little bit uncharacteristic," Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve said after the Lynx blew a 20-point lead to cede Tuesday's Game 2. "We needed to go get buckets, and we had good opportunities. We weren't strong enough, we weren't tough enough."
"Nobody said this stuff was gonna be easy," she added.
Coming off just their third home loss all year, Minnesota's backs are now against the wall, forced to either take two games from the Mercury on the road or shoot for a decisive Game 5 back in Minneapolis.
The Lynx went 14-8 when traveling this year, nearly mirroring Phoenix's 15-7 home record — not to mention the Mercury's two postseason home wins that sent the defending champion New York Liberty packing in the first round.
Other than the strength and toughness noted by Reeve, a key to Minnesota's success on Friday will be avoiding the turnovers that led to their Tuesday downfall.
"It's frustrating, but it's a series," said Lynx forward Napheesa Collier. "So we need to go to Phoenix and take care of business."
How to watch Minnesota vs. Phoenix in the 2025 WNBA semifinals
The No. 4 Mercury will host the No. 1 Lynx for both of their weekend clashes in the 2025 WNBA semifinals, starting with Friday's Game 3 at 9:30 PM ET, airing live on ESPN2.
Game 4 will follow at 8 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage of the clash airing on ESPN.
The PWHL is gearing up for a blockbuster third season, with the pro hockey league reporting surging season ticket sales across all markets — and 2025/26 expansion sides Seattle and Vancouver are leading the charge.
PWHL executive board member Stan Kasten told Sports Business Journal last week that each of the new teams amassed more than 5,000 season ticket deposits for the 2025/26 campaign as of May, fueling growth throughout the emerging league.
"In every city this year — every city — we have sold more season tickets than we had last year," Kasten said. "The two expansion teams we added this year are just the two leaders of what is going to become a movement. We are going to be adding more teams much sooner than other people thought because the demand is there, the players are there."
The league is also banking on the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics to boost interest, with more than 50 current PWHL players expected to take the global stage in Italy this February.
"I expect it to be a really important milestone for us," Kasten said of the Winter Games earlier this summer. "It should be a really special time for our league, and I hope a launchpad for the next phase of our development."
Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball is loading up on fresh talent, officially signing the Top 3 WNBA rookies as first-year Washington Mystics stars Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen join Dallas Wings superstar Paige Bueckers on the offseason league's expanded 2026 roster.
As the only rookie WNBA All-Stars in 2025, Bueckers, Citron, and Iriafen led their class in points per game, field goals made, and field goal percentage while breaking multiple rookie records along the way.
Connecticut Sun first-year Saniya Rivers will also be making her Unrivaled debut this winter, joining the league's second season after ranking sixth in WNBA rookie shooting while leading her class in blocks per game.
Unrivaled has already proven to be a springboard for young players, with 2024 newcomers Rickea Jackson (LA Sparks) and Aaliyah Edwards (Connecticut Sun) stepping into the 3×3 spotlight this past January.
Both Jackson and Edwards will return to the Miami-based competition in 2026, with fellow 2024 WNBA rookie Kate Martin of the Golden State Valkyries also entering the Unrivaled fray.
Unrivaled has also tapped future WNBA rookies in off-court deals, racking up more than a dozen big-name NIL signings ahead of its 2026 tip-off.
Unrivaled roster announcements will continue through October 1st, with the league set to tip off in January.
The LA Sparks are in for a major upgrade, announcing plans for a dedicated $150 million training facility in what the WNBA team is calling "the largest investment to date in the history of women's sports for a single team."
The 55,000-square-foot development in El Segundo will feature two regulation basketball courts, a weight room, training areas, recovery rooms, a yoga studio, hydrotherapy, and a spa, as well as other amenities.
"We're building a place where Sparks players can be at their best on and off the court," said Sparks governor Eric Holoman in the team's Wednesday press release.
With both surging revenues and a looming new CBA shaping WNBA teams' every move, state-of-the-art facilities have become a must-have for organizations looking to attract top talent for next season — and beyond.
LA is just the latest team to enter the facility arms race, joining the Chicago Sky, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, New York Liberty, and 2026 expansion side Portland Fire.
The Seattle Storm, Phoenix Mercury, and Las Vegas Aces have all recently debuted their own splashy dedicated training centers.
The LA Sparks are anticipating a 2027 opening for their new facility, rushing toward the finish line following several years of short-term contracts with third-party practice centers.
The New York Liberty cleaned house this week, officially parting ways with 2024 WNBA championship-winning head coach Sandy Brondello while starting the search for a new sideline boss — with some reported "big swings" in mind.
Multiple league sources told The Athletic that New York is aiming for high-profile candidates, with the Liberty likely scouting coaching talent from both the NBA and the NCAA.
With top New York Liberty stars Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones entering free agency, the pressure is on for the front office to prove that hiring a new head coach will offset the issues that emerged during the team's injury-plagued 2025 run.
WNBA teams have tapped into a diversified head coaching pool in recent years, with Golden State Valkyries boss and 2025 Coach of the Year Natalie Nakase highlighting a rising generation of managers with a mix of men's and women's basketball experience.
The Atlanta Dream's Karl Smesko, an esteemed former college coach, and Phoenix's Nate Tibbetts — who spent years as an NBA assistant coach before joining the Mercury in 2024 — also found success on the WNBA court this year.
Potential replacements fitting New York's reported bill include Los Angeles Lakers assistant Lindsey Harding, Indiana Pacers assistant Jenny Boucek, Mercury assistant Kristi Toliver, and current Liberty assistant Sonia Raman.
"[Toliver's] ready," Tibbetts said recently, singing his assistant's praises. "She's got a great basketball mind. She's got the ultimate respect of the players in this league, which is so important, and her time will come — she just needs one team to give her a chance."
The No. 4 Phoenix Mercury went the distance on Tuesday night, overcoming a 20-point deficit against the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx to secure an 89-83 Game 2 win in overtime — and sending the 2025 WNBA semifinals to Arizona tied at 1-1.
Even more, Phoenix's come-from-behind victory set records as the third-largest comeback in WNBA playoff history.
Mercury forward Satou Sabally led the team with 24 points, while guard Sami Whitcomb added 13 points off the bench — including the game-tying three-pointer that propelled the matchup into overtime.
"Just pride, toughness, grit. I couldn't be more proud of our group for doing that," Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts said afterwards. "I'm fired up. Phoenix is going to be rocking on Friday and Sunday."
After dominating Game 1, Tuesday's defeat marked the first time in Lynx franchise history that they lost a postseason game after holding a double-digit halftime lead.
"Suddenly, we lost our way," said Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve. "We didn't respond. Then when we needed to go get buckets and we had good opportunities, we weren't strong enough."
"I think we beat ourselves," forward Napheesa Collier added. "Unforced turnovers, not taking care of the ball when they were pressuring us, just keeping our composure in those situations is huge."
How to watch the Minnesota Lynx vs. Phoenix Mercury in Game 3
The No. 4 Phoenix Mercury will host the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx for Game 3 of the 2025 WNBA semifinals at 9:30 PM ET on Friday, airing live on ESPN2.
The No. 2 Las Vegas Aces reclaimed their contender status in Game 2 on Tuesday night, taking down the No. 6 Indiana Fever in a 90-68 blowout victory to tie their best-of-five 2025 WNBA semifinals at 1-1.
Reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson fueled the Aces' bounce-back performance with 25 points and nine rebounds, backed by 10 points apiece from reserves Jewell Loyd and Dana Evans.
"I just think we came to work," Wilson said following the win. "We didn't come to work in Game 1, and that's on all of us. I think Game 2, we just decided to come to work."
Physicality on the court — as well as the referees' response to it — has played a major role in the Aces vs. Fever series, with Las Vegas clearly upping the intensity to keep Indiana at bay on Tuesday.
"It's playoffs — very physical games," said Aces forward NaLyssa Smith afterwards. "I feel like we've got to match the energy, day in and day out."
"It's hard for us to find flow when there's a foul called every 10 seconds," Fever head coach Stephanie White lamented. "When they're at the free throw line, we can't get up and down the floor, and that's a challenge."
How to watch the Las Vegas Aces vs. Indiana Fever in Game 3
The 2025 WNBA semifinals next travels to Indiana for Game 3, with the No. 6 Fever hosting the No. 2 Aces at 7:30 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage airing on ESPN2.
Despite finishing at the bottom of the 2025 WNBA standings, the No. 12 Chicago Sky and No. 13 Dallas Wings will not be moving on from their current head coaches according to a report from Front Office Sports this week.
Dallas sideline leader Chris Koclanes and Chicago manager Tyler Marsh led their sides to identical 10-34 records in their first year at the helm — the worst in the league this season.
In contrast, 2025 playoff participants Seattle and New York are already making aggressive coaching changes, dismissing Storm boss Noelle Quinn and Liberty leader Sandy Brondello following first-round postseason exits.
While some fans criticized the presumed decision, Chicago Sky and Dallas Wings stars spoke out in support of their head coaches.
"Obviously the season didn't go how we expected, but being able to have a coach like Tyler, it was amazing through the ups and downs," Chicago center Kamilla Cardoso told reporters. "He always showed up every day with the same energy, no matter what the record was."
"The team embodies the attitude of your leader," echoed Dallas guard Paige Bueckers. "And for [Koclanes] to show up every single day at work and pour into all of us…it means a lot to us as a team."
The Liberty have officially parted ways with head coach Sandy Brondello, with the franchise announcing that it will not renew her contract for the 2026 season on Tuesday — less than one year after the manager led New York to a first-ever WNBA title.
The move follows the No. 5-seed Liberty's first-round exit from the 2025 WNBA Playoffs, with the reigning champs falling to the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury in a winner-take-all Game 3 last Friday.
"Sandy finishes her tenure in New York as the winningest coach in franchise history, and she took us to never-before-seen heights as the first head coach to lead the Liberty to a championship," New York GM Jonathan Kolb said in a franchise statement on Tuesday. "We wish Sandy the very best in her next chapter."
The firing of Brondello sent shockwaves across the WNBA, with many questioning the unprecedented move — particularly considering that New York Liberty dealt with numerous high-profile injuries throughout the 2025 season.
"I didn't love it for Sandy, I'm gonna have to be honest," Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon told reporters following the news about Brondello. "She just won a championship, she has wins in other places, and I know her to be a quality coach and a quality person."
"I am absolutely thrilled if I am Seattle, Toronto, and Portland that I was just gifted a championship-level coach," echoed Minnesota Lynx manager Cheryl Reeve. "I think a lot of Sandy, personally and professionally."
With Brondello's dismissal, the WNBA has only three head coaches with more than one season under their belt: Hammon, Reeve, and the second-year Mercury boss Nate Tibbetts.