Tuesday's WNBA tilts feature a season-first clash between two young pro cores, as the No. 11 LA Sparks host the No. 7 Washington Mystics in the teams' last tilt before the 2025 All-Star break.
While Washington is a consistent presence above the playoff line in this season's standings — thanks in large part to the Mystics' two All-Star rookies, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen — LA is still finding their way.
Led by champion veterans Kelsey Plum and Azurá Stevens, the Sparks' roster includes youthful talent like forward Rickea Jackson and rookie guard Sarah Ashlee Barker, with this month's return of guard Rae Burrell from injury also boosting the young LA lineup.
"She's just the energizer bunny," Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts said of Burrell. "She puts pressure on the defense. I feel like she's getting in a groove."
Even more, the Sparks are eyeing the return of their 2024 No. 2 overall draftee Cameron Brink, with the forward inching close to competitive play just over a year after an ACL tear ended her rookie campaign.
Currently sitting in a lottery position, LA will aim to dig out a win — and some much-needed midseason momentum — in their last game before the All-Star break:
- No. 7 Washington Mystics vs. No. 11 Los Angeles Sparks, Tuesday at 10 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Fresh off a Sunday victory over the No. 13 Connecticut Sun, the Sparks will look to claim their first back-to-back home wins this season when they try to upend a Mystics side that's comfortable playing in the clutch.
- No. 6 Indiana Fever vs. No. 13 Connecticut Sun, Tuesday at 8 PM ET (ESPN): The Fever are on a roll, hoping to tack on a third-straight win as they eye a deep post-All-Star run.
A young Connecticut Sun team upended the WNBA on Wednesday, as the league's last-place squad defeated the No. 5 Seattle Storm 93-83, earning their third win of the 2025 season.
Veteran center Tina Charles — the WNBA's all-time top rebounder and second all-time scorer — led the Connecticut charge with a 29-point, 11-rebound double-double.
Also helping snap the Sun's 10-game losing streak were starters Jacy Sheldon, Bria Hartley, and Saniya Rivers, who added double-digits points of their own to top the tough, veteran-heavy Storm.
"It was great to see a collective team effort," Charles said after the game. "It wasn't just me. Everyone involved got this win for us."
Elsewhere on Wednesday, No. 7 Indiana failed to hold off the No. 6 Golden State Valkyries, falling 80-61 to the 2025 expansion side despite the return of Fever star Caitlin Clark to the court.
After hanging the No. 14 jersey of retired WNBA champion Allie Quigley in the rafters, the No. 10 Chicago Sky logged an 87-76 win over the No. 12 Dallas Wings, buoyed by Rebecca Allen's season-high 27 points off the bench.
Also stealing Wednesday headlines were the No. 2 Mercury, who chipped away at Minnesota's lead atop the WNBA standings, shrinking it to a three-game buffer with a 79-71 Phoenix victory — only the third Lynx loss this season.
Along with a career-high 29-point performance from forward Alyssa Thomas, the Mercury win also marked DeWanna Bonner's return to play, with the veteran forward putting up seven points and six rebounds off the bench after signing with Phoenix on Tuesday.
"Today, she got thrown into the fire, [she] didn't know everything. But she did the things she could control, which is playing defense and rebounding," said Thomas about Bonner. "It's scary to think we're not even full strength yet."
Two-time WNBA champion DeWanna Bonner is coming home, rejoining the Phoenix Mercury after parting ways with the Indiana Fever late last month.
Bonner is back with the team that originally drafted her as the fifth overall pick in 2009, inking a slightly above-minimum prorated veteran contract for the remainder of the 2025 season.
"It's home. I know I'm going to get the love and the support," Bonner said, reuniting with fiancée Alyssa Thomas on the second-place WNBA squad.
After spending her first 10 seasons with the Mercury, Phoenix traded Bonner to the Sun in February 2020.
The six-time All-Star forward spent five seasons alongside Thomas in Connecticut, helping the Sun to at least the WNBA semifinals in each of those years.
The Fever then signed Bonner as a free agent ahead of the 2025 season, with the 37-year-old later departing the team for personal reasons after just nine games with Indiana.
Bonner missed five games before the the Fever officially waived her on June 25th, as the renewed free agent reportedly eyed a move back to Phoenix.
"We couldn't be more excited to have DeWanna back in a Mercury uniform," Phoenix GM Nick U'Ren said in a statement. "She is a true winner, leader and one of the most talented and versatile players in our game."
The Minnesota Lynx are back on the prowl, after the return of MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier from injury fueled the WNBA-leaders to two straight weekend wins.
Minnesota first outlasted the No. 4 Atlanta Dream 96-92 in overtime on Friday before thumping the last-place Connecticut Sun 102-63 on Sunday, with Collier racking up 49 points over the two-game span.
Collier's bounce-back couldn't have come at a better time, as the WNBA announced Sunday that the Lynx forward will captain the 2025 All-Star Game alongside Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark.
"It's really cool," Collier said of the news. "I went from never being a starter to captain."
Both Collier and Clark will have an early chance to test their leadership skills in Tuesday's 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup championship game, when the defending champs Minnesota Lynx will take on first-time finalists Indiana.
With a second straight title on the line, red-hot Minnesota hold the advantage coming into the Commissioner's Cup final, but a healthy Clark could make all the difference for up-and-down No. 8 Indiana.
Meanwhile in the WNBA standings, as the Lynx continue to hold court at the top, this weekend saw the Mercury overtake the Liberty at No. 2, thanks in large part to Phoenix's 106-91 Friday victory over New York.
Along with Sunday's 90-81 loss to the Dream, the reigning champs have dropped five of their last seven games, as now-No. 3 New York struggles without injured center Jonquel Jones.
How to watch the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup final
While the other 11 league teams rest until Thursday, the Minnesota Lynx and Indiana Fever will take Tuesday's court in a battle for the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup.
The in-season tournament's grand finale will tip off at 8 PM ET, with live coverage on Prime.
Two key upsets headlined Thursday's WNBA bill, sending the Phoenix Mercury soaring into third place in the league standings while the No. 6 Golden State Valkyries continued to outwit opponents.
The red-hot Mercury snagged their fourth straight win by taking down the No. 2 New York Liberty 89-81 on Thursday night, overcoming an 35-point performance from two-time MVP Breanna Stewart with five double-digit Phoenix scorers.
Meanwhile out West, the Valkyries stifled a surging No. 7 Fever, downing Indiana 88-77 in part by holding star guard Caitlin Clark to just 3-for-14 from the field — and 0-for-7 from behind the arc.
"We were being disruptive, we know that she doesn't like physicality, we know that she wants to get to that left step-back," Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase said about the Valkyries' strategy to effectively contain Clark.
Though the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx and 2024 WNBA champions New York still hold court atop the table, Thursday's actions proves that other squads are making some unexpected in-roads.
Putting together an impressive road record are the Mercury, who will ride a 4-2 away record into their Saturday matchup against the No. 11 Chicago Sky — the last stop on a four-game road trip that's been perfect for Phoenix thus far.
Already flipping the script on expectations is Golden State, with the 2025 expansion team rising despite relying on a hodgepodge roster as several players compete at EuroBasket 2025. The Valkyries will aim to keep their winning momentum in their Sunday clash with the No. 12 Connecticut Sun.
How to watch the Mercury, Valkyries this weekend
Both of Thursday's victors will be back in action this weekend, with Phoenix facing Chicago at 1 PM ET on Saturday, airing live on ABC.
Then on Sunday, Golden State will host Connecticut at 8:30 PM ET, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.
The Indiana Fever advanced to the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup championship on Tuesday night, clinching their franchise-first Cup final berth following a tense battle with the Connecticut Sun that saw three ejections and two flagrant fouls.
In the game's first half, Sun guard Jacy Sheldon committed a Flagrant 1 on Fever guard Caitlin Clark, with Sheldon and teammate Marina Mabrey receiving a pair of technicals for shoving after the call.
With Indiana dominating late in the matchup, Fever guard Sophie Cunningham committed a Flagrant 2 on Sheldon, spurring a scuffle that ended with Cunningham, Sheldon, and Sun guard Lindsey Allen all being ejected.
The rest of Tuesday's Commissioner's Cup action played out mostly as expected, with New York securing an 86-81 comeback victory over the Atlanta Dream. However, because of the Fever's victory, the Liberty fell just short of returning to the Cup final.
The Minnesota Lynx also launched a comeback to take down Las Vegas 76-62, successfully punching their ticket to defend their 2024 Cup title — despite star forward Napheesa Collier exiting the showdown with an apparent back injury.
Ultimately, while on-court performances should have driven the narrative, lack of referee control overshadowed the night.
"Everyone is getting better but the officials," Indiana head coach Stephanie White said after the Fever's win. "We need to remedy that. I mean, we've heard every coach talk about it. I don't know what the answer is."
How to watch the WNBA Commissioner's Cup Championship
The grand finale of the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup between the Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx will tip off at 8 PM ET on July 1st, with live coverage on Prime.
While the undefeated New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx look down from the top, Phoenix and Atlanta are shaping up to be the early season's biggest players, as the No. 3 Mercury and No. 4 Dream continue to climb the 2025 WNBA standings.
The Mercury topped the skidding LA Sparks 85-80 on Sunday to reach 5-2 on the season, while the Dream secured their own 5-2 record after Friday's 94-87 win over the Seattle Storm.
Atlanta and Phoenix made some of league's boldest offseason moves this year, as Mercury legend Brittney Griner joined the Dream in free agency while Phoenix picked up top talent in forwards Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally.
With Thomas nursing an injury, Sabally led Phoenix over LA behind a team-high 24 points on Sunday.
Griner's 15-point, eight-rebound performance helped Atlanta quiet the Dallas Wings 83-75 on May 24th, before established stars Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard combined for 61 points against Seattle.
Meanwhile at the bottom of the table, the Connecticut Sun registered their first victory of the 2025 season on Friday, edging out the injury-laden Indiana Fever to become the final WNBA team to enter the win column this season.
The Sun, however, came crashing back to Earth on Sunday, falling to the reigning champion Liberty by a steep 48-point margin on the first day of Commissioner's Cup play.
How to watch WNBA games this week
The Mercury are back in action in a road match against the Lynx at 8 PM ET on Tuesday, airing live on ESPN3.
Following a full week of rest, the Dream will travel to Connecticut to take on the Sun at 7:30 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage on ION.
Dallas earned their wings on Tuesday night, notching their first victory of the 2025 WNBA season by beating the still-winless Sun 109-87 in Connecticut's Uncasville home.
Playing on familiar ground, UConn product and 2025 No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers scored a career-high 21 points against the Sun, becoming the first WNBA player to top 60 points and 30 assists in her first five pro games in the process.
"I don't think I ever lost [at Mohegan Sun Arena]," Bueckers said after the win. "I was trying to carry that into tonight."
Sun, Sky still seeking first season wins
Now at a 0-5 record thanks to the Wings, the Sun are still hunting their first victory — as is the Chicago Sky, after Tuesday's tight 94-89 loss to the Phoenix Mercury pushed them to 0-4 on the season.
Despite Chicago's downfall, second-year forward Angel Reese put up 13 points and 15 rebounds in the loss, becoming the fastest player in WNBA history to record 500+ points and 500+ rebounds.
"[The team's performance] definitely felt better," Reese told reporters. "But obviously we're not satisfied… all of us are winners, we want to win."
With many freshly restructured teams still figuring it out, early skids are normal — but scoring that first win remains the best way to shift momentum.
Can Chicago, Connecticut snag a first victory this week?
Another shot at righting the ship is just around the corner for the Sky and the Sun.
First, Chicago will host the now-victorious Wings at 8 PM ET on Thursday, with live coverage on Prime.
Then on Friday, Connecticut will face a Caitlin Clark-less Fever side in Indiana at 7:30 PM ET, airing on ION.
The Sun could be setting on Connecticut, with the WNBA team reportedly scouting a sale — and a possible relocation from their Uncasville home.
According to Sportico, the long-time franchise hired investment firm Allen & Company to look into selling the team, which has been owned and operated by the Mohegan Tribe since 2003.
The Sun's valuation most recently hit $80 million — a significant increase from the approximate $10 million paid to move the team from Orlando to Connecticut more than 20 years ago, but far lower than today's nine-figure going rate.
With a new CBA on the horizon and many of the league's top players up for free agency in 2026, some WNBA teams are having a difficult time keeping up with deep-pocketed owners entering the league — especially when it comes to player resources.
Expansion side Golden State will play their first official WNBA game on Friday, with two additional teams in Toronto and Portland joining the fray in 2026 — and rumors of more franchises on the way.
"If I'm being honest, I don't think you can be a team right now that's not looking into how to build a practice facility," Sun president Jennifer Rizzotti told the Hartford Courant earlier this year. "I don't think you can really compete for a player going forward if you're not able to say to them, 'Yes, we are doing this.'… You will not be in Connecticut without an ownership group that understands this."
A short commute could be in the cards for the Sun, with Boston displaying significant market potential after the team sold out the city's TD Garden in 2024.
The Sun will return to the home of the NBA's Celtics to take on the Indiana Fever for the pair's July 15th clash.
WNBA teams cut rookies loose
More WNBA teams made big cuts on Monday as teams strive to meet the league's 12-player squad maximum, with just days remaining before the final roster deadline.
Las Vegas completed their lineup by waiving undrafted rookie Deja Kelly on Monday.
The stunning decision comes after the 23-year-old Oregon alum put up nine points and an assist in seven minutes of play during the Aces' preseason matchup against Dallas, plus 15 points — including the game-winner — in just 13 minutes of play against the Phoenix Mercury last week.
The Seattle Storm has also reached roster compliance, waiving forward Brianna Fraser, third-round 2024 draft pick Mackenzie Holmes (Indiana), and 26th overall pick in this year's draft Serena Sundell (Kansas State).
Meanwhile, 2025's No. 2 overall pick Dominique Malonga joined the Storm's training camp from France this week.
After acquiring Shyanne Sellers — Golden State's 17th overall pick in the 2025 draft — just last week, the Atlanta Dream released the Maryland grad on Monday.
While cutting Sellers brought Atlanta's roster down to 12 players, the Dream still have additional cuts to make to meet WNBA salary cap requirements.
Fresh off winning their first-ever WNBA title, the New York Liberty will kick off their 2025 preseason slate with in a Friday night clash against the Connecticut Sun — despite the reigning champs looking a little worse for wear.
Two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart has been slowly recovering from offseason knee surgery, with the 30-year-old watching from the bench on Friday in an effort to return to full fitness for next week's season opener.
Similarly, star guard Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is likely out for the entirety of the 2025 WNBA season with a knee injury of her own, exiting the offseason 3×3 league Unrivaled with a meniscus injury in early March.
Meanwhile, starting sharpshooter Leonie Fiebich has yet to join the Liberty in training camp as the European standout finishes her overseas season with Spain's Valencia Basket.
Liberty additions to make New York debut on Friday
That said, New York did manage to make a few savvy pick-ups ahead of the 2025 campaign, with the newly configured team eyeing a strong Friday showing to avoid rumors of a slow season start.
The Liberty traded for point guard Natasha Cloud and signed forward Izzy Harrison over the offseason, while also welcoming back guards Marine Johannes and Rebekah Gardner.
Given New York's lengthy availability report, Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello noted that the team's markedly late preseason start was not strategic, but merely a scheduling solution.
"Sometimes it's just out of our hands," Brondello told reporters. "This is the first home game that we've had because we've never been able to get the arena availability, so that's it. Ideally, we would have liked to play the game by now, but it is what it is."
How to watch the New York Liberty in the 2025 WNBA preseason
New York will tip off against Connecticut at 7 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.