The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx hit a snag this week, as league-leading scorer and star forward Napheesa Collier will miss at least two weeks of play after picking up an ankle injury in Saturday's 111-58 blowout win over the No. 7 Las Vegas Aces.
While an MRI confirmed there was no major injury, per ESPN, Collier's sprain will need to be "re-evaluated in the coming weeks."
"Obviously, you hate to see anybody go down, but especially your MVP," Lynx guard Kayla McBride said. "We just wish the best for her. We just want her to be healthy."
Minnesota will aim to continue their run of form without their franchise player as part of a Tuesday lineup with serious WNBA standings implications:
- No. 9 Washington Mystics vs. No. 12 Chicago Sky, 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Locked in a multi-team battle for postseason contention, the Mystics have a chance to make headway against an Angel Reese-less Sky desperate to break out.
- No. 5 Indiana Fever vs. No. 10 Los Angeles Sparks, 10 PM ET (CBS Sports): The Fever are rolling despite the lack of return timeline for injured star Caitlin Clark, but a Sparks side with seven wins in their last 10 games could upend Indiana.
- No. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 6 Seattle Storm, 10 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): With Collier sidelined due to injury, the Lynx will welcome key addition DiJonai Carrington to the fold as a hungry Seattle looks to pounce following two straight losses.
With more than half the 2025 season in the books, it's prime time for WNBA injuries, putting shorthanded squads in the spotlight as they push toward the playoffs.
The No. 5 Indiana Fever rattled off a fifth straight win over the weekend, rolling through opponents to sit five games above .500 for the first time in 10 years — all while superstar guard Caitlin Clark remains stuck on the sidelines.
"This is a group that's been resilient all season long," Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White said following the Fever's fourth win in a row — an 88-78 victory over the No. 11 Dallas Wings on Friday.
Then on Sunday, the Fever added a close 78-74 road victory over the No. 6 Seattle Storm.
"While we don't like it, sometimes it can be a blessing in disguise," White added, referencing Clark's prolonged absence due to an ongoing groin injury. "Because everybody else finds themselves."
Aiming to push up the WNBA standings this week, Indiana is currently sitting just a half-game behind the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury — who lost ground by falling 95-72 to the No. 3 Atlanta Dream on Friday.
Notably, Mercury All-Star Satou Sabally exited the court in the second half of Friday's loss, with Phoenix head coach Nate Tibbets later telling reporters, "She didn't bring the energy that we needed.”
Elsewhere, the Storm and No. 7 Las Vegas Aces found themselves in a holding pattern over the weekend, with Seattle dropping two tight matchups while Las Vegas bounced back from Saturday's record-setting 53-point blowout loss to the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx with a 101-77 drubbing of the No. 8 Golden State Valkyries on Sunday.
Staring down the back-half of the 2025 WNBA season, teams crowded at the top of the table are starting to separate themselves from the pack — though they're not necessarily the squads that fans may expect.
Two of the toughest WNBA stars will square off this weekend, as Minnesota Lynx forward and 2024 Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier will battle it out against Las Vegas Aces center and reigning MVP A'ja Wilson in a Saturday showdown.
As the league's top two scorers, the 23.8 points per game put up by Collier will meet the 22.1-point average posted by Wilson for the second time this season, with Saturday's rematch coming just over a week after the Lynx toppled the Aces.
"Our defense is so good…. We just make it hard, and when every shot is hard, eventually it wears a team down, and that's our goal every night," Collier said after Minnesota routed Las Vegas 109-78 last Friday.
With less than two games separating third from sixth place on the league table, the WNBA standings have never been tighter, sending the stakes of this weekend's games through the roof:
- No. 3 Phoenix Mercury vs. No. 5 Atlanta Dream, Friday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): A mere half-game behind the Mercury, the Dream can leapfrog two teams to claim third with a win on Friday, as Phoenix aims to galvanize behind their own MVP candidate Alyssa Thomas.
- No. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 7 Las Vegas Aces, Saturday at 3 PM ET (ABC): Facing this season's undisputed top dogs on a two-game winning streak, the Aces will look to blank the Lynx at home in Las Vegas.
- No. 6 Indiana Fever vs. No. 4 Seattle Storm, Sunday at 3 PM ET (ABC): The Fever have remained hot despite the absence of an injured Caitlin Clark, and a Sunday result against the Storm could push Indiana into the league's upper echelon.
Wednesday's WNBA action brought the heat, as the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx took down the No. 2 New York Liberty 100-93 in the first 2024 WNBA Finals rematch of the 2025 season.
"Fans were excited to see this matchup, and I thought they were treated to a heck of a basketball game," Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said after the home win.
Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier and guard Kayla McBride played hero, putting up 30 and 24 points, respectively, to help lift the Lynx over injury-plagued New York — despite Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu's game-leading 31-point performance.
"It could have been anybody walking in here — we just weren't going to lose two home games in a row," echoed McBride, referencing Minnesota's upset loss to the No. 5 Atlanta Dream on Sunday.
The result leaves the Liberty skidding on a three-game losing streak while ballooning the Lynx's lead in the WNBA standings to five games.
The reigning champs did manage to hang onto the No. 2 spot, however, as the No. 3 Phoenix Mercury also fell on Wednesday, dropping 107-101 to No. 6 Indiana.
With the win, the Fever are now on a three-game winning streak, despite injured star Caitlin Clark looking on from the sideline.
The No. 5 Dream are also back in the win column with an 88-85 Wednesday victory over the No. 11 Dallas Wings, drawing level with the No. 4 Seattle Storm at 16-11 on the season.
How to watch the New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx this week
New York will aim to reset during their visit to the last-place Connecticut Sun at 7:30 PM ET on Friday, live on ION.
Elsewhere, Minnesota is gearing up to tip off against the No. 7 Las Vegas Aces at 3 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage on ABC.
While the last-place Connecticut Sun aren't exactly making a strong 2025 postseason run, they are playing spoiler, securing their fourth season victory in a 95-64 blowout win over a hungry No. 9 Golden State side on Sunday.
Eight-time All-Star Tina Charles — the WNBA's all-time top rebounder and second-best career scorer — led the game with 24 points, as the 36-year-old veteran continues to showcase her value.
"This season hasn't been the same as it always has for the Sun, but [fan] loyalty has really fueled us and we know that they're going to show up for us," said Connecticut guard Marina Mabrey after the win.
Monday's WNBA slate will see the Sun shoot for their first winning streak of the 2025 season, with Connecticut taking on a Seattle side they’ve humbled once already:
- No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 13 Connecticut Sun, 7 PM ET (ESPN3): The Storm is hunting consistency after splitting their last 10 games 5-5 — ceding ground in the WNBA standings — while the Sun aims to repeat their July 9th upset victory over Seattle.
- No. 2 New York Liberty vs. No. 12 Dallas Wings, 8 PM ET (ESPN): Injuries could impact Monday's showdown in Texas, as the Wings aim to benefit from a rested Paige Bueckers while the Liberty deal with a knock to star Breanna Stewart.
Higher ranked squads will always look to rebound, but Connecticut's trajectory proves that the underdogs can have their say on any given day.
The top WNBA titans showed some weakness this weekend, as both the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx and No. 2 New York Liberty suffered unexpected upset losses at home.
First on Saturday, the No. 10 LA Sparks staged a 101-99 upset win over reigning WNBA champions New York, notching their fifth straight victory thanks to a dramatic buzzer-beater from guard Rickea Jackson.
Liberty standout Sabrina Ionescu led the game with 30 points, stepping up in the loss after star Breanna Stewart exited with a leg injury less than four minutes into the game.
Similarly, despite perennial MVP candidate Napheesa Collier putting Minnesota on her back with a 32-point performance on Sunday, the league-leading Lynx couldn't contain the No. 4 Atlanta Dream, falling 90-86 in their first home loss of the season.
The win helped the Dream shoot up the WNBA standings, overtaking fourth place from the Seattle Storm, whose 69-58 Saturday loss to the No. 8 Washington Mystics sent them stumbling into the No. 5 spot.
The No. 7 Las Vegas Aces have also been pushing, leapfrogging the Mystics with a 106-80 win over the No. 12 Dallas Wings on Sunday.
"One of the toughest things is going through hard things and remaining optimistic and positive," Aces head coach Becky Hammon said of her team's battle-ready mindset. "My main focus was just to keep everybody upbeat."
While multiple squads have consistently impressed this season, no single team has remained unanswered above the rest — a nod to the league's growing depth and subsequent parity.
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.
The final WNBA team returning to regular-season action from the 2025 All-Star weekend hits the court on Friday night, when the Golden State Valkyries resume their quest to become the first expansion side to make the playoffs in their debut season.
Entering the WNBA All-Star break on a three-game losing skid, No. 9 Golden State will shoot to regain momentum with games against No. 12 Dallas and No. 13 Connecticut this weekend.
The weekend action features tight clashes across the WNBA standings, with serious positioning implications on the line:
- No. 3 Phoenix Mercury vs. No. 2 New York Liberty, Friday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): Both the Mercury and Liberty are getting healthy, with Phoenix aiming to curb a two-game losing streak during their visit to a surging New York.
- No. 12 Dallas Wings vs. No. 9 Golden State Valkyries, Friday at 10 PM ET (ION): It's a youth-fueled battle as the quick-start Valkyries attempt to re-enter the win column against the young and hungry Wings.
- No. 4 Seattle Storm vs. No. 8 Washington Mystics, Saturday at 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The up-and-down Mystics look to prove they can hang with some of the best as they host perennial playoff contenders Seattle.
- No. 5 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, Sunday at 7 PM ET (NBA TV): Following a turbulent July, Atlanta faces a tough test of their resilience in Sunday's clash with the league-leading Lynx.
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.