Another round of upsets tore through the WNBA over the long weekend, with the youth-powered No. 11 Dallas Wings grabbing headlines behind Thursday's 98-89 win over the No. 2 Phoenix Mercury.
With injured Dallas stars DiJonai Carrington and Arike Ogunbowale forced to watch from the sidelines, four Wings rookies started Thursday's matchup — the most first-year starters on any WNBA team since 2000.
The team's young core stepped up and shined, with Aziaha James, Paige Bueckers, and JJ Quinerly combining for 68 points to outlast Phoenix forward Kahleah Copper's game-leading 33-point performance.
"The rookies were fantastic," Copper said afterwards. "They came out with no fear, as you should. They played free, they played aggressive, and they showed what they could do."
While the Mercury's two-game losing streak has yet to impact their spot in the current WNBA standings, it did widen the gap at the top of the table.
Phoenix's stumble gave No. 1 Minnesota a 4.5-game lead over the field, with the Lynx ending the weekend on a 3-0 run to avenge last Tuesday's WNBA Commissioner's Cup loss.
Also climbing the ranks was the No. 4 Seattle Storm, who downed both No. 5 Atlanta and No. 3 New York to pull within a half-game of the skidding Liberty.
As for the 2025 Commissioner's Cup champs, No. 7 Indiana opened their long weekend slate with a massive 81-54 Thursday win against No. 8 Las Vegas — the Fever's first victory over the Aces since 2019 — before narrowly falling 89-87 to the No. 10 LA Sparks on Saturday.
How to watch the Dallas Wings vs. Phoenix Mercury WNBA game
After falling on the road to Dallas last Thursday, Phoenix will hope Monday's home-court advantage will snap their two-loss streak as they try their luck against Wings again at 10 PM ET.
The rematch will air live on WNBA League Pass.
Dallas will take aim at their second win of the 2025 season against the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night, with the Wings hoping that the return of starting point guard Paige Bueckers gives them a much-needed boost out of last place in the WNBA standings.
Bueckers missed a total of four games — three in concussion protocol following the Wings' May 29th loss to Chicago, plus one game due to illness — but doctors cleared the 2025 No. 1 draft pick to play earlier this week.
"She's been working behind the scenes and so she's good to go and we'll be all set for tomorrow," Dallas head coach Chris Koclanes told reporters on Tuesday.
While one star returns, however, another falls, as Dallas also announced on Tuesday that guard Ty Harris will miss the rest of the 2025 WNBA season after undergoing surgery on her left knee.
Before the addition of Bueckers shifted her to this season's bench, Harris posted a 2024 average of 10.5 points and three assists per game across 38 starts.
International play will also cause the Wings to lose players, with Dallas joining several other WNBA teams who will see temporary exits as athletes travel overseas for this summer's 2025 EuroBasket, which tips off on June 18th.
Return of Alyssa Thomas to bolster Phoenix Mercury
Roster shifts have also affected the Wings' Wednesday opponents, though, like Bueckers's return to Dallas, the fourth-place Mercury will also see a key player back in their lineup.
With forward Alyssa Thomas returning to the court after missing five games with a calf injury, Phoenix will shoot for a surge in production as they look to add another win to their 6-4 season record.
Despite a strong start, the Mercury have struggled to maintain momentum with both Thomas and guard Kahleah Copper sidelined in recent weeks.
"The plan is for [Thomas] to play," said Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts on Tuesday. "She's been trending in the right direction."
How to watch Dallas Wings vs. Phoenix Mercury tonight
The Phoenix Mercury will host the Dallas Wings at 10 PM ET on Wednesday, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.
After an injury-filled opening month, more than one WNBA team is hoping for star athletes to return to play this week, bolstering squads as they chase each other in the 2025 league standings.
After a quad strain sidelined her for 14 days, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is eyeing a possible return later this week.
Though the 2024 Rookie of the Year will not compete in Tuesday's matchup against the Atlanta Dream, she is aiming to suit up as soon as Saturday, when the Fever will host reigning champions New York.
Meanwhile, 2025 No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers should also be back on the Dallas Wings' court soon. Despite clearing concussion protocol, the star rookie missed one extra game, sitting out Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Lynx due to illness.
WNBA athletes' impending recoveries aren't good news for everyone, however, as returning from injury has also impacted hardship signings: In anticipation of forward Alyssa Thomas's rejoining the team, as well as the eventual return of guard Kahleah Copper, the Phoenix Mercury waived guard Haley Jones on Sunday.
While some teams were celebrating their stars bouncing back from injury, others are now scrambling from new setbacks.
Two-time WNBA champion Courtney Vandersloot suffered an ACL tear just five minutes into Chicago's loss to Indiana on Saturday, leaving the Sky facing the rest of the season without their starting point guard.
"Whatever is in store in the future for this team, I trust that we will find a way to make this moment mean something in the end," Sky rookie guard Hailey Van Lith said of Chicago's ability to regroup.
The WNBA has struggled with a wave of high-profile absences to start the 2025 season, but small roster boosts could see teams overcome that adversity to bounce back even stronger.
With injuries mounting across the WNBA, several teams have started stocking up on recently waived free agents, bolstering their depleted rosters with hardship signings as they head into a busy stretch of the 2025 regular season.
With both guard Kahleah Copper and forward Alyssa Thomas sidelined, the Phoenix Mercury signed former Atlanta Dream guard and 2023 first-round draft pick Haley Jones to a rest-of-season hardship contract on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Fever picked up ex-LA Sparks guard and 2021 first-rounder Aari McDonald on Sunday, with Indiana looking to boost their backcourt depth in light of injuries to guards Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, and Sydney Colson.
These hardship signings come in clutch to keep benches stocked and WNBA teams in action.
However, the longevity of these early-season additions remains uncertain as teams attempt to balance league-maximum 12-player lineups with restrictive salary caps.
Hardship contracts allow teams to temporarily expand the salary cap, but when injured players return, so do tough roster calls — much to the dismay of front office decision-makers.
"More bodies would be good," Fever president Kelly Krauskopf told reporters with a wry laugh ahead of McDonald's signing.
Roster limitations will likely be a key issue when CBA negotiations rev up, with this week's emergency signings only adding fuel to the fire.
While most WNBA stars hit the court running this weekend, a few saw their 2025 campaigns already shortened as teams released season-opening injury reports.
Phoenix forward Kahleah Copper will miss four to six weeks of play, the Mercury reported on Saturday, after the 2024 Olympic gold medalist underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on her left knee last week.
Another knee injury has LA's Rae Burrell sidelined for the next six to eight weeks, after the fourth-year guard took a knock to the right leg just 41 seconds into the Sparks' 2025 debut win over Golden State.
On Friday, the Mystics released updates on both second-year forward Aaliyah Edwards and rookie guard Georgia Amoore. While another assessment of the Unrivaled 1v1 runner-up's back injury will occur in two more weeks, Washington confirmed that the Australian standout will miss the entire 2025 WNBA season after undergoing a successful surgery to repair her right ACL.
Seattle's Katie Lou Samuelson is also out for the full 2025 campaign, with the 27-year-old Storm forward recovering from last week's successful surgery after tearing her right ACL in practice on May 1st.
Kitley makes long-awaited WNBA debut as Brink eyes return
In more uplifting news, LA's Cameron Brink is on track to return to the Sparks sometime next month, one year after her standout rookie season came to a halt in a left ACL tear.
Already celebrating, however, is 2024 second-round draftee Elizabeth Kitley, who battled back from injury to make her WNBA debut and score her first league points in Las Vegas's Saturday loss to New York.
The Aces took a draft chance on Kitley, despite the center suffering an ACL tear in her final NCAA postseason. In response, the former Virginia Tech star successfully translated her year-long delayed shot at a pro career by surviving Las Vegas's brutal 2025 roster cuts.
Notably, Kitley's close friend and collegiate on-court counterpart with the Hokies is the aforementioned Amoore, who will aim for a rookie-season redo of her own next year.
Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball minted its first-ever champions on Monday, crowning Rose BC after the No. 2 seed defeated No. 4-seed Vinyl BC 62-54 behind star Chelsea Gray’s 18 points, eight assists, and three rebounds.
Gray’s dominance managed to tip the scales, helping Rose overcome the losses of both Kahleah Copper and Unrivaled Defensive Player of the Year Angel Reese to injury.
Also stepping up for the Rose were Azurá Stevens, who posted a 19-point, 18-rebound double-double on Monday, and Brittney Sykes, whose 21 points included the championship-winning free throw.
Despite slightly trailing her two teammates' in scoring during Monday's final, Gray's astounding postseason stats, which include averages of 28.5 points, six assists, and three rebounds, secured the guard the league's inaugural Playoff MVP title.
Ultimately, Rose rode their underdog status — earned with a talented, but primarily young roster — all the way to the championship.
"From day one they counted us out," said Rose head coach Nola Henry after Monday's game. "Kah went down, they counted us out. Azurá was out and they counted us out. Angel down, they counted us out. What they gonna say now?"
Unrivaled closes successful inaugural season
After the confetti fell on Monday's 3×3 championship court, players and coaches alike agreed that the new offseason league has been a great success — regardless of which team hoisted the trophy.
"A lot of fans came out and there’s a lot of energy behind it, but people are already excited about it for next season," Gray said of the upstart. "When you win, you have a different appreciation or joy about it, but it was a great first season."
While Rose BC’s athletes will likely carry that winning spirit — plus the $50,000-per-player bonus — into the WNBA’s May 16th season tip-off, Unrivaled’s impact will undoubtedly be felt far beyond its debut postseason.
With just one week before the regular season wraps up, Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball announced several roster changes ahead of Monday’s games.
In a blow to last-place Phantom BC, star Sabrina Ionescu's Unrivaled season is officially over. The Liberty standout left Miami due to commitments made before she agreed to join the offseason league.
In her stead, a reassignment has sent Minnesota Lynx guard and Laces BC player Natisha Hiedeman to compete for the Phantom.
Ionescu’s NY Liberty teammate Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is also on her way out, with the Laces relief signee exiting due to an undisclosed injury.
In better news, while the Laces’ Kate Martin and Rose BC’s Kahleah Copper are currently sidelined with injuries, both are expected to return to the Unrivaled court before the league crowns its champion on March 17th.
To help address the roster omissions, the 3×3 league has again boosted its relief player pool. One week after former Washington Mystic-turned-new Chicago Sky signee Ariel Atkins made her Unrivaled debut with the Laces, the league inked Atlanta Dream forward Naz Hillmon to the relief player roster.
Hillmon's contract has her available to fill the league's needs across any of its six teams through the end of the inaugural season.
First-ever Unrivaled playoffs take shape
Despite mounting injuries, Rose BC clinched a spot in Unrivaled’s first-ever postseason on Monday, claiming the playoff position by taking down the Laces 58-53 behind yet another Chelsea Gray game-winner.
A win on Friday will secure the No. 2 seed for Rose — but they’ll have to defeat the league-leading No. 1 seed Lunar Owls to make it happen.
Each of the league's teams have just two games left to book a postseason spot. With two already claimed, the final two semifinalist bids will come down to the wire, as the Laces, Vinyl, and Mist all sit tied with a 5-7 record entering this weekend's final stretch.
Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball is back, as a second slate of weekend games shines a spotlight on the new league's three winless teams as they rally for redemption.
Phantom BC, Mist BC, and Rose BC are all 0-2 out of the gate, with the six-team league evenly divided between the undefeated and the winless after last week's debut.
At least one of the three will end up in the win column on Friday night, with the Mist and Phantom squaring off in the first game of the doubleheader.
Both lineups contain serious firepower, with Unrivaled co-founder Breanna Stewart leading the Mist alongside sharpshooter Jewell Loyd, whose 20 points per game have her currently in fourth-place on the league's stat sheet. The Phantom boasts the talents of Sabrina Ionescu and Brittney Griner.
While both have fallen victim to more cohesive game-plans, the Phantom in particular have struggled, posting a league-low average of 58.5 points per game to ultimately drop their first two outings by an average of 29 points.
Saturday's action sees Chelsea Gray and Angel Reese's Rose BC step into the spotlight, going up against a Mist team facing back-to-back matchups.
The Rose roster features two of the offseason league's top scorers in Gray and Kahleah Copper, who each averaged 14.5 points per game through Unrivaled's opening weekend. However, they'll need to lock in on defense to quiet Mist standout DiJonai Carrington's shooting in transition.
Friday's Unrivaled doubleheader tests undefeated teams
The second game of Friday's doubleheader flips the script as two teams put their undefeated starts on the line.
The Laces, led by Kayla McBride's 24.5 points per game, will take on a Vinyl side that rosters three of the league's Top 10 scorers — more than any other Unrivaled team. The trio of Rhyne Howard, Dearica Hamby, and Arike Ogunbowale are poised to cool the Laces' hot start.
How to watch Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball games
Unrivaled's second weekend slate tips off on Friday with the Phantom vs. the Mist at 7:15 PM ET, before the Laces play the Vinyl at 8:15 PM ET. Live coverage of both games will air on TNT.
The WNBA is back and better than ever this weekend, with CBS airing big-name matchups sure to set the tone for the final month of the regular season.
First, Minnesota and Washington will face off on Saturday at 2 PM ET, with the Lynx aiming to go two-for-two against the Mystics after securing a tight 79-68 win on Thursday. And in the 4 PM ET game of Saturday's CBS doubleheader, New York and Las Vegas will battle for the second time this season after the Liberty took the first 2023 WNBA Finals rematch back in June.
TV and streaming platforms bet on watching the WNBA
The WNBA has become a fixture of summer weekend viewing, with Prime showcasing games on Thursdays, Ion covering Fridays, and a variety of other national channels hosting the league throughout the week.
Plus, after Team USA won Olympic gold in front of as many as 10.9 million US viewers, expect the league — and the platforms who host the W — to harness that momentum all the way to the season's finish line.
Thursday night on Prime, for instance, saw Olympic gold medalists Kahleah Copper, Diana Taurasi, and Brittney Griner record a monster 85-65 Mercury win over the Sky, successfully marking Copper's first trip back to Chicago since her preseason trade.
The Liberty also notched a massive Thursday win on ESPN, blasting the LA Sparks 103-68 as Olympic medalists Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Dearica Hamby returned to action.
Wings' roster changes take center court tonight
Tonight, attention will turn to Ion as Seattle takes on Atlanta, Phoenix travels to Indiana, and Connecticut matches up against Dallas.
The Wings currently sit at the bottom of the league standings, but the return of Satou Sabally and Maddy Siegrist (from injuries that sidelined them prior to the Olympics) will boost their lineup. However, Dallas had to release Odyssey Sims and Monique Billings from their hardship contracts, infusing the free agency market with talent and catching the eyes of teams looking for midseason pick-ups.
Fever vs. Storm game highlights Sunday's WNBA lineup
On Sunday, ABC will showcase Indiana and Seattle squaring off inside Indianapolis's newly announced 2025 WNBA All-Star Game stadium. While Indiana hopes to solidify their place above the playoff line, Seattle — who won four of their last five pre–Olympic break games — keeps rising toward the top of the WNBA standings.
The WNBA makes its official return on Thursday, after having paused the regular season for the 2024 All-Star Game and the Olympics. When play resumes, the season will be more than halfway over, with regular season games running until September 19th.
Liberty leads league as playoffs loom
With Olympic medals secured and plenty of time to practice, the race to the finish is on as all 12 teams push to claim their place among the postseason-bound top eight.
As the only team to crack 20 wins on the season, the New York Liberty currently hold the number one spot in the league standings. They're followed by the Connecticut Sun, Minnesota Lynx, Seattle Storm, Las Vegas Aces, and Phoenix Mercury.
Indiana and Chicago are currently hovering just above playoff contention, still hoping to boost their respective records to .500.
MVP, Rookie of the Year awards up for grabs in late-season push
Individual ambitions will also resume, as now two-time Olympic gold medalist A'ja Wilson reclaims her spot as the frontrunner for 2024 MVP while her Las Vegas club sits in fifth place.
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese will also continue their Rookie of the Year battle, as both newcomers attempt to propel their squads above the playoff line.
WNBA standings on the line on Thursday
Thursday's trio of games could ultimately impact the overall standings — with a heaping side of history.
Olympic gold medal game hero and Mercury guard Kahleah Copper will return to Chicago for the first time since requesting a trade from the team where she won her first WNBA Championship.
After a historically slow start has them sitting below the playoff line, the Mystics will visit the Western Conference–leading Lynx.
Then, the LA Sparks will host the Liberty, looking to gain an edge on the league-leaders by relying on their developing starting core.