As injured guard Caitlin Clark looked on from the bench, the Indiana Fever refused to quit, silencing Las Vegas 80-70 on Thursday night to overtake the Aces at No. 6 in the WNBA standings.
Indiana guard Kelsey Mitchell led the team with 21 points, helping the Fever secure back-to-back wins over the now-No. 7 Aces for the first time since the franchise landed in Las Vegas in 2018.
"It started out with our defense," Indiana forward Natasha Howard said after the game. "We don't rely on our offense a lot…. When our defense is going, our offense is going."
The rest of Thursday's slate saw standout individual performances give way to blowout victories, with the No. 4 Seattle Storm and No. 10 LA Sparks both earning results.
Sparks guard Kelsey Plum tied LA-turned-Seattle star Nneka Ogwumike for the most 30-point games in franchise history during LA's 101-86 Thursday win over the last-place Connecticut Sun, hitting the milestone in just 24 matchups.
Elsewhere, 19-year-old Seattle rookie Dominique Malonga also made waves, becoming the youngest-ever WNBA player to record a double-double with her 14-point, 10-rebound showing in the Storm's 95-57 drubbing of the No. 11 Chicago Sky.
All in all, as some teams heat up, others are out in the cold as the race to the 2025 WNBA postseason grows fiercer by the day.
As the fight for survival takes over the 2025 WNBA standings, the No. 10 LA Sparks are eyeing a spot above the postseason cutoff line — but the path to the Top 8 is anything but clear-cut.
With 2024 No. 2 draft pick Cameron Brink nearing a return from last year's ACL tear, the Sparks enter Thursday's clash with the long-suffering No. 13 Connecticut Sun on a three-game winning streak, giving the young squad a distinct edge.
However, LA's 9-14 record exposes their inconsistencies, having dropped two games to the No. 11 Chicago Sky in late June before turning things around ahead of the All-Star break.
The Sparks have a long way to go before playoff contention, but Thursday's lopsided matchup presents an opportunity to keep building:
- No. 10 LA Sparks vs. No. 13 Connecticut Sun, 7 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): LA tries to make it four in a row while the Sun hunt their fourth win of the season.
- No. 6 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 7 Indiana Fever, 7 PM ET (Prime): An injured Caitlin Clark will once again ride the bench for this tight showdown, with the Fever able to retake sixth place should they snap the Aces' three-game winning streak.
- No. 4 Seattle Storm vs. No. 11 Chicago Sky, 8:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Seattle attempts to bounce back from Tuesday's upset loss to the No. 12 Dallas Wings, while an up-and-down Chicago looks to stir up momentum for a second-half push.
Only eight teams will earn spots in the 2025 WNBA postseason and, while there's plenty of games left to play, the time to make moves is now.
Tuesday night's WNBA return was mostly chalk, but the No. 12 Dallas Wings gave fans something to cheer for as they upset the No. 4 Seattle Storm in style.
Though veteran guard Arike Ogunbowale led Dallas with 20 points in the 87-63 victory, the 14 points posted by Paige Bueckers pushed the Wings rookie into the WNBA history books, tying Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark as the league's fastest-ever players to reach 300 points and 100 assists.
"She's a true leader — she always has everybody's best interest at heart," Ogunbowale said of her first-year teammate.
Aces climb the WNBA standings
While Dallas pleased the crowds, the Las Vegas Aces were powering the night's biggest WNBA standings shift, shooting up two spots to No. 6 by downing No. 5 Atlanta 87-72.
Aces forward A'ja Wilson led her squad with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists, while guard Dana Evans added 14 points off the bench.
"We're slowly creeping into the right place," Wilson said after the win. "Our chemistry is starting to form in a better way."
Atlanta, however, is slipping in the opposite direction, falling to 13-10 on the season after dropping six of their last nine games.
How to watch the WNBA on Wednesday
The Dream will look to right the ship against the No. 3 Phoenix Mercury at 10 PM ET on Wednesday.
The clash will air live on CBS Sports.
The WNBA is back in the saddle on Tuesday, as the league tips off the second half of the 2025 regular season with a stacked five-game slate while the dust settles on All-Star Weekend.
The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx and No. 2 New York Liberty will both take the court, though even tighter competition will spotlight teams crowding the middle of the WNBA standings.
After a few days of fun in Indianapolis, Tuesday's top matchups will test just how well players can return their focus back to the postseason push:
- No. 10 LA Sparks vs. No. 7 Washington Mystics, 7:30 PM ET (ESPN3): In what could be one of the closest games of the evening, two young teams will jockey for positioning as serious playoff contenders — but the Mystics have additionally motivation as they look to avenge last week's 99-80 loss to LA.
- No. 6 Indiana Fever vs. No. 2 New York Liberty, 8 PM ET (ESPN): With injured superstar Caitlin Clark stuck on the sideline, the Fever will take on a surging New York side armed with a revamped roster.
- No. 5 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 8 Las Vegas Aces, 10 PM ET (ESPN): Here come the Aces, as Las Vegas hunts their third straight win against an Atlanta team struggling to hold off fellow top-ranked squads.
The clock is ticking for WNBA teams entering the dog days of summer, when tough clashes will separate the 2025 contenders from the pretenders as the season's second half races toward the playoffs.
The New York Liberty appear to be back on track, with the reigning champs leapfrogging the Phoenix Mercury to reclaim the No. 2 spot in the WNBA standings on Wednesday night.
Led by a 24-point, 11-rebound double-double from star forward Breanna Stewart, the Liberty punched a 98-77 win over a Caitlin Clark-less No. 6 Indiana Fever, as the 2025 WNBA All-Star captain remains day-to-day with a groin injury.
With Wednesday's victory, New York is now riding a three-game winning streak into All-Star weekend — and there's even more good news is on the horizon for the Liberty with starting center Jonquel Jones expected to return from her ankle injury after the break.
As for now-No. 3 Phoenix, New York's gain is the Mercury's loss, as their Wednesday clash with the league-leading Lynx ended 79-66 in Minnesota's favor while injured Phoenix stars Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper rode the bench.
Expansion upstart Golden State has also started to skid, leaving the Valkyries entering the break at No. 9 with three consecutive losses — including a 67-58 stumble against the No. 4 Seattle Storm on Wednesday.
Elsewhere, the No. 8 Las Vegas Aces have begun to regroup, entering the All-Star break on a two-game winning streak behind 2024 MVP A'ja Wilson and her combined 71 points and 26 rebounds over the last two games.
With the second half of the 2025 season tipping off following this weekend's All-Star festivities, momentum will be at a premium as early performances roll into postseason trajectories.
The WNBA will close out this week's regular-season slate with a day-long basketball extravaganza on Wednesday, in which 10 of the league's 13 teams will attempt to enter the 2025 All-Star break on a high.
While the Minnesota Lynx have the No. 1 spot locked up, Wednesday's results could shuffle other positions in the league standings:
- No. 5 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 11 Chicago Sky, 12 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): With both Angel Reese and Ariel Atkins out due to leg injuries, the shorthanded Sky will face a Dream side trying to bounce back from a two-game losing streak without Rhyne Howard.
- No. 2 Phoenix Mercury vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, 1 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The Lynx close out their grueling slate with a matchup against their closest challenger, as the Mercury look to go 2-0 against the league leaders.
- No. 8 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 4 Seattle Storm, 3 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The Valkyries have struggled following their hot start, with Golden State hoping to snap their two-game losing streak against the Storm.
- No. 6 Indiana Fever vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, 7:30 PM ET (CBS Sports): The Liberty have been quietly stacking results since numerous absences caused a skid, with the reigning champs hosting an Indiana side hoping that another injury doesn't prevent their superstar guard from suiting up.
- No. 9 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 12 Dallas Wings, 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The Aces are still just outside of the playoff line, but an opportunity against a young Dallas team still finding their flow could see Las Vegas shift into contention.
The WNBA underdogs refuse to go away, as teams battling in the middle of the league standings scored big wins over the weekend.
On a roll with three consecutive wins, a young Washington Mystics team are standing their ground at in seventh place on the league table.
Far from simply stealing wins against lottery teams, the Mystics booked their third straight victory on Sunday, handing the No. 4 Seattle Storm a 74-69 loss.
"We just rely on our daily habits… we play for each other," said Washington forward Aaliyah Edwards afterwards.
The Mystics weren't the only WNBA underdogs to impress this weekend: The Indiana Fever rattled off two straight wins in a push to sixth place, taking an impressive 99-82 result over the No. 5 Atlanta Dream on Friday before downing the No. 12 Dallas Wings 102-83 on Sunday.
"I thought I was just a really good floor general tonight, and I think that's something I can be more proud of than making shots," Indiana guard Caitlin Clark told ESPN following Friday's tilt.
Reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson also saw a triumphant weekend return, notching a 34-point, 16-rebound double-double in the No. 9 Las Vegas Aces's 104-102 win over the No. 8 Golden State Valkyries on Saturday after sitting out last week with a wrist injury.
Guard Jackie Young also contributed 30 points to the Aces victory, though Las Vegas still sits just outside of playoff contention with one game left before this weekend's 2025 WNBA All-Star break.
For many teams in the middle of the WNBA standings, momentum has been hard to come by — but last weekend's outcomes reinforced that, in this league, any team can win any game.
This weekend's WNBA slate will see the No. 8 Indiana Fever aiming to right the ship, as the once-projected postseason contenders try to make a push prior to next weekend's 2025 All-Star break.
Despite seeing Caitlin Clark return from injury on Wednesday, the Fever will enter the weekend on a two-game losing streak.
"You should look yourself in the mirror and find ways you can get better, and then come back to practice tomorrow, and play again on Friday," Clark said after Indiana's 80-61 Wednesday loss to Golden State.
There's no immediate assist in the Fever's upcoming schedule, however, as they kick off the weekend against an Atlanta side that feeds on mismatches in the paint:
- No. 4 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Friday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): The Dream can put any team in a blender with their size and stretch capabilities, and Indiana will need solid three-point shooting to upend Atlanta.
- No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 9 Las Vegas Aces, Saturday at 4 PM ET (CBS): The short-handed Aces will hope to pounce on Golden State's mercurial road form, as Las Vegas tries to keep climbing the standings following a middling season start.
- No. 4 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 3 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): An injury-hampered New York will try to hold on against the formidable Dream, as the reigning champion Liberty keep battling while waiting for starters to return.
Locked up in a mid-table traffic jam with 9-10 season records alongside the No. 7 Indiana Fever, the No. 8 Washington Mystics and No. 9 Las Vegas Aces will aim to break their WNBA standings tie during their Thursday night clash.
With both teams currently hugging the league's playoff line, the Aces and Mystics are on very different trajectories as the 2025 WNBA season nears its halfway point.
Just two years removed from earning back-to-back championships, Las Vegas has struggled to create a foothold in the 2025 standings — a task that seems even more difficult with 2024 MVP A'ja Wilson's recent wrist injury, with her likely absence looming large over Thursday's matchup.
On the other hand, Washington appears to be surging ahead of schedule, as a pair of All-Star rookies are exceeding expectations as the Mystics continue their controlled rebuild.
In Thursday's other game, No. 1 Minnesota will look to right the ship as their West Coast road trip continues:
- No. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 11 LA Sparks, 3 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): There's no rest for the league leaders after a disappointing loss to No. 2 Phoenix on Wednesday, with the Lynx facing a grueling back-to-back tilt against the Sparks in LA.
- No. 9 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Washington Mystics, 7:30 PM ET (Prime): With playoff spots on the line, Las Vegas will want to prove their quality against a Washington team taking everything one game at a time.
The league's top first- and second-year talent takes center stage on Tuesday, when young 2025 WNBA All-Stars battle it out for a spot above the playoff line.
Indianapolis-bound Washington Mystics rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen are currently hosting fellow All-Star reserve and WNBA sophomore Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky, with both teams desperate to ascend the WNBA standings.
"She's just more present and confident, and they're playing through her," Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson said of Reese and her recent record rebounding.
Tuesday's slate features four teams aiming to curb recent skids before the 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend takes over the league:
- No. 12 Chicago Sky vs. No. 9 Washington Mystics, 11:30 AM ET (WNBA League Pass): The Mystics hope to break out of ninth place against a struggling Sky, though Chicago's looking up after going toe-to-toe with the league-leading Minnesota Lynx on Sunday.
- No. 8 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, 8 PM ET (ESPN): Las Vegas follows their up-and-down form into a matchup with recent rivals New York, while the lagging Liberty manage injured starters and a string of tough losses.
All-Stars step up in the biggest moments, and every move matters as the 2025 WNBA season inches closer to its mid-point.