The 2025 WNBA regular season returns on Thursday night, with teams at the top of the league standings looking to prove their mettle against close competition across the long holiday weekend.
The No. 5 Seattle Storm have arguably the toughest weekend assignments, taking on the No. 4 Atlanta Dream on Friday before tackling the No. 3 New York Liberty on Sunday.
Four middle-of-the-pack teams will look to close in on a double-digit season win tally while the league's frontrunners strive to maintain their advantage in this weekend's slate:
- No. 7 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Thursday at 7 PM ET (Prime): Though still without star Caitlin Clark, the Fever hope to harness their 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory momentum against an Aces side tied with Indiana with an 8-8 season record.
- No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 4 Atlanta Dream, Thursday at 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Seattle will look to make strides against a strong Atlanta side while putting last Sunday's stinging 84-57 loss to up-and-comer Golden State in their rearview.
- No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, Saturday at 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The rising Valkyries must face a Lynx side hunting redemption, as the league-leaders look to bounce back from their stifling Tuesday Commissioner's Cup upset loss.
- No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 1 PM ET (CBS): With injured Liberty center Jonquel Jones still sidelined, the Seattle Storm will have a chance to steal a weekend game against the reigning champs, as New York struggles to re-find their footing.
With the 2025 WNBA All-Star break looming, early top performers must keep standards high if they want to hold the line when the season crosses the midway point.
The WNBA proved that any team can win on any day on Tuesday night, when all four games ended in underdog upsets, rattling the league standings.
While No. 12 Dallas quieted No. 4 Atlanta 68-55, Chicago was swapping spots with now-No. 11 LA, as the Sky snapped a three-game skid with a 97-86 win over the Sparks to claim 10th place on the table.
At the same time, Washington inched up from No. 9 to No. 8 by handing the league-leading Lynx a 68-64 defeat — just the second loss suffered by Minnesota this season.
The Indiana Fever also claimed a one-spot rise to No. 7 after snapping a two-game losing streak with a 94-86 defeat of No. 5 Seattle.
Bigs lead the charge in Tuesday's WNBA upsets
The overall stars of Tuesday's show were the bigs, as Indiana center Aliyah Boston put up 31 points, Chicago center Kamilla Cardoso recorded 27 points, and Minnesota center Alanna Smith dropped 26 of her own.
Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell matched Boston's efforts with her own 26-point showing, as the pair helped Indiana overcome forward DeWanna Bonner's now-permanent absence from the team, as well as another off-night from Caitlin Clark.
Led by Arike Ogunbowale's 21 points, Dallas benefitted from an unexpectedly shaky Atlanta side that shot just 23.4% from the field — the Dream's lowest shooting performance in franchise history and the worst single-game showing league-wide since 2010.
After starting the 2025 WNBA season 1-11, the Wings have now won three of their last four games.
The Mystics also came to play, edging out the once-unbeatable Lynx in a defensive battle that saw center Shakira Austin lead Washington with 19 points while Minnesota mainstay Napheesa Collier rode the bench due to lower back stiffness.
Meanwhile, with 11 points with 11 rebounds on the night, Washington rookie Kiki Iriafen claimed her fifth career double-double — more than the rest of the WNBA's Class of 2025 combined.
How to watch Wednesday's WNBA action
Wednesday's late-night, two-game bill provides yet another chance to shake up the WNBA standings.
With both matchups tipping off at 10 PM ET, the ailing New York Liberty will visit the rising Golden State Valkyries, airing on WNBA League Pass, while the last-place Connecticut Sun take on the up-and-down Las Vegas Aces on NBA TV.
The WNBA is back in action on Tuesday night, as the Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm headline a series of games that could make or break the current trajectories of several 2025 title contenders.
Seeking an especially strong Tuesday performance is the Fever, as Indiana tries to snap a two-game losing streak against the increasingly confident Storm.
"There are going to be stretches that are really good and there's going to be stretches that aren't as good," Fever guard Caitlin Clark said on Sunday, addressing her recent shooting slump.
While the Indiana and Seattle clash will lead the Tuesday charge, the night will also see young squads sizing up WNBA juggernauts as bottom-table teams look for a leg up:
- No. 8 Indiana Fever vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm, 10 PM ET (NBA TV): The Fever need a win against a Storm side that can't seem to lose, as both teams eye the postseason.
- No. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 9 Washington Mystics, 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The up-and-coming Mystics will attempt to hand the Lynx a second season loss, as Minnesota star Napheesa Collier remains day-to-day with lower back stiffness.
- No. 4 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 12 Dallas Wings, 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The Dream are on a tear, surging up the standings as the struggling Wings attempt to take flight.
- No. 10 LA Sparks vs. No. 11 Chicago Sky, 8 PM ET (NBA TV): The Sparks have cooled after a hot start while the Sky has yet to rev up, with both teams aiming to end a three-game losing streak on Tuesday night.
Teams across the league are hoping to make the most of every minute while also managing injury concerns and absences as the WNBA All-Star break looms.
The biggest victors in the WNBA last weekend were the Seattle Storm, as the fifth-place contenders took down the last two league champions to record six wins in their last seven games.
The Storm first took down 2022 and 2023 champs Las Vegas 90-83 on Friday before toppling reigning title-winners New York 89-79 on Sunday.
Guard Skylar Diggins and forward Nneka Ogwumike powered Seattle's two games, putting up 44 and 51 points, respectively, over the weekend.
Forward Gabby Williams also helped fuel the Storm's weekend with two double-double performances.
Seattle is now just one game behind the similarly surging fourth-place Atlanta Dream, while trailing the red-hot No. 3 Phoenix Mercury by 1.5 games.
"Staying ready is what the group is," Storm head coach Noelle Quinn told reporters on Friday. "They're professionals, they're vets."
Teams at the top of the WNBA standings aren't the only squads that saw weekend success, as the No. 6 Golden State Valkyries snagged their second win in a row with Sunday's 87-63 thrashing of the last-place Connecticut Sun.
Despite registering Friday losses, both No. 7 Las Vegas and the No. 9 Washington Mystics finished the weekend on a high note, earning big Sunday wins over the No. 8 Indiana Fever and No. 12 Dallas Wings, respectively.
How to watch the Seattle Storm this week
The Storm will suit back up for another tricky WNBA test on Tuesday, when Seattle hosts the always-dangerous Indiana Fever at 10 PM ET.
The game will air live on NBA TV.
The reigning champion New York Liberty battled through injury and absences over the weekend, narrowly retaining their second-place spot in the WNBA standings despite seeing their losing streak extend to two games with Sunday's 89-79 stumble against the Seattle Storm.
Already missing starting guard Leonie Fiebich, who is overseas competing at the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket tournament, the Liberty also played without center Jonquel Jones and guard Sabrina Ionescu.
While Ionescu is day-to-day with a neck issue, Jones will miss four to six weeks of action due to an ankle injury, the team announced on Saturday.
Despite dropping three of their last four matchups, the champs appear to be taking their recent downturn in stride.
"This isn't going to be the hardest thing that we face all season," said forward Breanna Stewart after Sunday's loss. "We have to kind of embrace the adversity a little bit, whether it's we're down players or things happen in the middle of the game."
New York wasn't the only team in trouble this weekend, though, as the Indiana Fever followed up last Thursday's stumble against the Golden State Valkyries with an 89-81 Sunday loss to the Las Vegas Aces.
Fever guard Caitlin Clark is now one-for-17 from behind the arc in her last two games, as Indiana struggles to break out of their eighth-place standing.
How to watch the New York Liberty this week
New York will hope for added firepower in order to snap their losing streak on Wednesday, when they'll face a rising Golden State squad at 10 PM ET.
Coverage of the game will air live on WNBA League Pass.
In another weekend full of WNBA action, all eyes are on Las Vegas, as the No. 8 Aces will try to curb a two-game losing streak against two formidable opponents.
A successful weekend for Las Vegas could hinge on three-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson's potential return from injury, with the star forward recently upgraded to "questionable" after landing in concussion protocol last week.
Overall, the margin for error has narrowed in the middle of the WNBA pack, as talented teams continue to translate quality performances into consistency.
- No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 8 Las Vegas Aces, Friday at 10 PM ET (ION): The Aces will try to end their free fall in Friday's head-to-head battle with a Seattle side that can beat anybody at their best.
- No. 7 Indiana Fever vs. No. 8 Las Vegas Aces, Sunday at 3 PM ET (ESPN): Las Vegas next faces a Fever team still smarting from Thursday's away loss to the Golden State Valkyries, with both teams narrowly clinging to positions above the playoff line.
- No. 2 New York Liberty vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm, Sunday at 7 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The Liberty have a comfortable hold on second place, but with two losses in their last three games, New York is flirting with danger entering their Sunday game with Seattle — particularly if star big Jonquel Jones is out after suffering a knock to the ankle on Thursday.
Ultimately, there's no rest for the weary in the WNBA, as a series of difficult matchups can see a single error quickly slide into a losing streak.
With EuroBasket set to tip off on Wednesday and injuries mounting league-wide, WNBA teams are filling out dwindling rosters with more short-term contracts — and calling back some familiar faces along the way.
While some European standouts withdrew from EuroBasket consideration — including Phoenix's Satou Sabally and Seattle's Gabby Williams — others, like New York's Leonie Fiebich and Golden State's Temi Fagbenle, will join their national teams for the regional FIBA tournament through the end of June.
Due to these planned absences, WNBA teams temporarily suspend their EuroBasket players' contracts, allowing squads to add others to their rosters.
Players signed due to temporary absences are technically on rest-of-season deals, though the agreements can end whenever the missing athletes return.
In contrast, the league requires that teams release any hardship signings due to injury once squads tally enough healthy original players to satisfy the WNBA's 10-athlete roster minimum.
Featuring a lineup stacked with international talent, Golden State made the most transactions this week, temporarily suspending four regular contracts as 2025 EuroBasket stars departed for the annual competition.
To bolster their depleted bench, the Valkyries brought back 2025 WNBA Draft Cinderella pick Kaitlyn Chen and recent training camp participant Laeticia Amihere on short-term contracts, in addition to guard Aerial Powers and forward Chloe Bibby.
Elsewhere, after losing forward Maddy Siegrist to injury and temporarily suspending the contracts of centers Teaira McCowan and Luisa Geiselsöder, Dallas acquired center Li Yueru from Seattle — with the Wings possibly needing additional hardship signings in the coming days.
The Storm snagged two future draft picks in the Saturday deal — a second-round selection in 2026 and a third-round pick in 2027.
Ultimately, teams are striving to find a balance between stocking up and maintaining consistency, all while operating under the WNBA's roster constraints — with further league expansion fast approaching.
The 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup will wrap up its conference play on Tuesday, as both Eastern and Western teams battle for a ticket to the in-season competition's championship game — and a cut of the $500,000 prize pool.
With 12 of the league's 13 teams facing off across Tuesday's WNBA courts, the results will set the stage by minting the two squads who will battle in the July 1st final showdown.
Reigning Commissioner's Cup champs Minnesota have the West's easiest path, as a win over the Las Vegas Aces will send the Lynx to a second straight final.
Should the Lynx fall to the Aces, however, Seattle can grab the Western Conference berth by beating the Los Angeles Sparks.
Meanwhile in the East, a surging Atlanta could land a trip to the final by topping New York, while the Liberty need both a win over the Dream plus a loss by the Indiana Fever to clinch their own return ticket to the Cup's grand finale.
If New York does take down Atlanta, the Fever could advance to the team's first-ever Commissioner's Cup final by beating the struggling Connecticut Sun.
How to watch Tuesday's 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup games
All of Tuesday's six WNBA games count toward the 2025 Commissioner's Cup tally.
The action begins with the Atlanta Dream tipping off against the New York Liberty while the Indiana Fever battles the Connecticut Sun at 7 PM ET, live on WNBA League Pass.
The third-place Atlanta Dream are storming up the WNBA standings, winning their last three games by an average margin of 23.6 points after routing the Washington Mystics 89-56 on Sunday.
Atlanta guard Rhyne Howard opened the weekend by tying the WNBA record for three-pointers made in a single game, recording nine baskets from behind the arc as the Dream took down the Chicago Sky 88-70 on Friday.
Offseason pick-up Brittney Griner has also been busy, passing WNBA legend Lisa Leslie for No. 2 on the league's all-time career blocks list following this weekend's Atlanta victories.
While the Dream have made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, a few key roster additions plus a new coaching hire have Atlanta entertaining a shot at a first-ever championship bid.
The momentum shift has largely been on offense, with the Dream hitting a franchise-record 18 three-pointers while guard Allisha Gray put up a career-high 32 points on Sunday.
Also quietly climbing the WNBA's ranks is the only other team currently on a three-game winning streak, the Golden State Valkyries.
Bolstered by a 76-70 Saturday win over the always-dangerous Seattle Storm, the 2025 expansion side secured a 5-5 season record to claim sixth place on the league table this weekend.
How to watch the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday
Nearly the entire league is in action on Tuesday, as 12 of the 13 teams will face off on WNBA courts.
The Dream will have their work cut out for them as they face the 2024 champion Liberty at 7 PM ET, taking on a New York side eager to bounce back from their first 2025 loss.
As for the Valkyries, Golden State will visit Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings at 8 PM ET.
Both games will air live on WNBA League Pass.
After making progress at practice this week, injured Indiana superstar Caitlin Clark is set to return to the WNBA court against the undefeated New York Liberty this Saturday.
The Fever hope her return from injury will provide a much-needed burst of energy to a skidding Indiana side.
Struggling to find results without their central playmaker, the seventh-place Fever has fallen to 4-5 on the season. This follows Tuesday's steep 77-58 loss to the third-place Atlanta Dream.
For Indiana, the opportunity for a high-profile win against the reigning WNBA champions looms on Saturday. With Clark, the Fever could flip the script on their recent struggles by beating the best of the best.
- No. 1 New York Liberty vs. No. 7 Indiana Fever, Saturday at 3 PM ET (ABC): The undefeated champs take on an early-season playoff favorite, with the key to Indiana's victory chances resting in large part on Clark's availability.
- No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 8 Golden State Valkyries, Saturday at 8:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Both Seattle and Golden State enter the weekend on multi-game winning streaks, with each team looking to separate themselves from the pack as the race for the Western Conference spot in the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup narrows.
- No. 4 Phoenix Mercury vs. No. 6 Las Vegas Aces, Sunday at 6 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The Mercury will meet their match in an Aces squad struggling to keep up with league's contenders — a task that could be even more difficult should reigning MVP A'ja Wilson be out due to a recent head injury.
Injury returns could define the next few weeks of WNBA play, with no team happier to see their roster whole again than the currently Clark-less Fever.