Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve now stands alone atop the WNBA record books. Reeve earned her 380th regular-season victory on Wednesday as the Lynx beat the Connecticut Sun 86-80 at Mohegan Sun Arena. With the win, she passed Mike Thibault to become the WNBA all time winningest coach.
Minnesota Lynx Offense Seal Historic Record Win for Reeve
The result didn't come easily, though. Minnesota trailed by eight points in the first half before taking control in the fourth quarter, outscoring Connecticut 26-15 to close it out.
Guard Kayla McBride led the offense with a game-high 23 points on nine-for-nine shooting from the free-throw line. Forward Natasha Howard added 12 points and 10 rebounds.
"I am so glad this is over," Reeve laughed during her postgame talk.
How Cheryl Reeve Built a Minnesota Lynx Dynasty
Cheryl Reeve's record runs deeper than regular-season wins, though.
Since taking over the Minnesota Lynx in 2010, she has won four WNBA championships and four Coach of the Year awards. She also holds the all-time mark for postseason victories.
With another milestone behind her, Reeve looks ahead to the final stretch of the 2026 WNBA season as the Lynx try to maintain their top spot in the Western Conference.
They take on the New York Liberty Saturday at 1 PM ET, live on ABC.
The Dallas Wings are ready to challenge the WNBA’s top teams, as they carry a two-game winning streak into tonight’s matchup against the New York Liberty, who are fresh off their second Commissioner’s Cup victory.
Paige Bueckers Powers Wings vs. Liberty Push
Dallas most recently defeated the Tempo 89-76 on Sunday, pulling even with New York at 13-8 behind a 22-point performance from All-Star guard Paige Bueckers.
Bueckers has scored at least 20 points while shooting above 50% in her last five games, tying Katie Smith for the longest such streak for a guard in WNBA history, per ESPN.
Liberty Finding Their Stride After Commissioner's Cup Win
The Liberty are still growing into the 2026 season themselves, following up their Commissioner’s Cup victory with a win over the league-leading Lynx 99-86 on Friday.
“I feel like we’re a completely different team from who we were when we first saw [Dallas],” Sabrina Ionescu told media. “We’ve continued to get better every game, and I feel like we’re at a different pace now than we were then.
The Liberty will still be without forward Satou Sabally, who remains in concussion protocol after suffering her second concussion in eight months in late June.
Dallas faces New York tonight at 8 PM ET, live on ESPN.
Despite finishing at the bottom of the 2025 WNBA standings, the No. 12 Chicago Sky and No. 13 Dallas Wings will not be moving on from their current head coaches according to a report from Front Office Sports this week.
Dallas sideline leader Chris Koclanes and Chicago manager Tyler Marsh led their sides to identical 10-34 records in their first year at the helm — the worst in the league this season.
In contrast, 2025 playoff participants Seattle and New York are already making aggressive coaching changes, dismissing Storm boss Noelle Quinn and Liberty leader Sandy Brondello following first-round postseason exits.
While some fans criticized the presumed decision, Chicago Sky and Dallas Wings stars spoke out in support of their head coaches.
"Obviously the season didn't go how we expected, but being able to have a coach like Tyler, it was amazing through the ups and downs," Chicago center Kamilla Cardoso told reporters. "He always showed up every day with the same energy, no matter what the record was."
"The team embodies the attitude of your leader," echoed Dallas guard Paige Bueckers. "And for [Koclanes] to show up every single day at work and pour into all of us…it means a lot to us as a team."
Just one ticket to the 2025 WNBA Playoffs remains, with the No. 7 Indiana Fever clinching their second straight postseason trip in a 94-65 win over the No. 10 Washington Mystics on Sunday.
Forward Natasha Howard led a balanced offensive effort for the Fever, with five players scoring in the double-digits to secure Indiana's first back-to-back playoff appearance since 2016.
"We never doubted ourselves," Indiana center Aliyah Boston said postgame. "We never doubted that we could be in the playoffs, even if things looked like it got harder."
With five Indiana players suffering season-ending injuries this year — including superstar Caitlin Clark — a season that was projected to finish in a deep playoff run seemed initially derailed as the team battled mounting adversity.
"With all the stuff that we've been through, most teams would have folded, and we just kept getting stronger," head coach Stephanie White said. "These women in the locker room deserve a lot of credit for their ability to stay resilient, to stay together, to stay hungry, and to stay the course."
As for the eighth and final spot in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs, both the No. 8 Seattle Storm and the No. 9 LA Sparks are still in the mix, with this week's WNBA slate set to determine a winner.
Seattle has the most control of their destiny, needing a win in their final game to book a postseason ticket, while the Sparks must walk away with victories in both of their final two games plus see the Storm falter in order to snag a playoff spot.
How to watch the deciding games in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs race
The No. 8 Seattle Storm will close out their 2025 regular season by hosting the No. 6 Golden State Valkyries at 10 PM ET on Tuesday, airing live on WNBA League Pass.
Meanwhile, the No. 9 LA Sparks must get past the No. 4 Mercury in Phoenix at 10 PM ET on Tuesday before hosting the league's final regular-season game on Thursday: a 10 PM ET showdown against the currently unbeatable No. 2 Las Vegas Aces.
Both of the Sparks' final two games will air live on NBA TV.
The sale saga of the Connecticut Sun added a new chapter this week, as the state of Connecticut submitted a bid proposal on Thursday that would see the WNBA team remain in-state.
Owned by the Mohegan Tribe since 2003, the state is just the latest entrant into an ongoing bidding war for the franchise, with Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca, ex-Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry, and the WNBA itself all making offers ranging from $250 to $325 million in recent weeks.
Unlike previous relocation bids, the state's proposed sale plan sees the Connecticut Sun splitting home games between their current Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville and Hartford's larger PeoplesBank Arena, while also promising a new practice facility in the state capital.
Despite winding down 2025 in 12th place, the Sun have amassed a loyal local following, selling out their 10,000-capacity arena four times this year in a state buoyed by NCAA basketball powerhouse and current national champion UConn located less than an hour away.
"The best place for the Connecticut Sun is Connecticut because we have this very fierce fan base for women's basketball," Connecticut Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz told ESPN. "We love the [UConn] Huskies. We love watching the Sun… and we've seen that the Connecticut Sun players have been great community leaders and role models."
The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx and No. 3 Las Vegas Aces have spots in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs on lock, but the league's top-tier teams still have plenty to play for as MVP frontrunners Napheesa Collier and A'ja Wilson gear up for their final regular-season clash.
Collier's 23.5 points per game this season is nearly identical to Wilson's 23.4 average, plus the Lynx standout ranks third in steals per game and fourth in block rate on the year.
Wilson, however, has the edge as the WNBA's blocks leader and the league's second-best rebounder on the season.
This is far from the first time the two titans have squared off in a WNBA awards race, with 2024 voters splitting honors by naming Collier the Defensive Player of the Year while Wilson earned a third MVP title.
History will be made should either emerge as the 2025 MVP, as Collier is still hunting her first title as the league's top player while a Wilson win would mint the Las Vegas star as the WNBA's first-ever four-time honoree.
MVP race aside, Collier's Lynx and Wilson's Aces have a lot on the line in their Thursday matchup, with Minnesota aiming to snap Las Vegas's 12-game winning streak — a stretch dating back to the Aces's 53-point blowout loss to the Lynx on August 2nd.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas will be looking to dish out some revenge and claim their first win of the season over Minnesota, all while continuing to fight their way up the WNBA table in order to snag the postseason's coveted No. 2 seed.
How to watch Minnesota Lynx vs. Las Vegas Aces in Thursday's WNBA lineup
Coming off an eight-day rest, No. 3 Las Vegas will host No. 1 Minnesota on Thursday.
The top-tier matchup will tip off live at 10 PM ET on Prime.
Chicago star Angel Reese is speaking her mind, making waves after detailing improvements she'd like to see from the already-eliminated Sky in a Chicago Tribune tell-all on Wednesday.
"I'm not settling for the same s—t we did this year," Reese told basketball reporter Julia Poe, calling out Chicago's back-to-back losing seasons. "We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That's a non-negotiable for me."
"I'd like to be here for my career, but if things don't pan out, obviously I might have to move in a different direction and do what's best for me," she added.
One of five WNBA teams operating under independent ownership unaffiliated with an NBA team, the Sky have struggled to keep up with free agency demands in recent years, falling to No. 11 in the WNBA standings on a 10-30 record this season under new head coach Tyler Marsh.
"I'm willing and wanting to play with the best," Reese said. "So it's going to be very, very important this offseason to make sure we attract the best of the best because we can't settle for what we have this year."
"Honestly, it would be a leap of faith for a great, great player to come here and show that this is something that they want to be a part of."
Chicago managed to drown out the noise on Wednesday, dominating the No. 12 Connecticut Sun 88-64 to better the team's complicated lottery odds — and prompt Reese to walk back some of her earlier criticisms.
"I probably am frustrated [with] myself right now," Reese said after registering 18 points and 13 rebounds in the win — her 23rd double-double this year. "I really didn't intentionally mean to put down my teammates, because they've been through this with me throughout the whole year."
How to watch the Chicago Sky in this weekend's WNBA slate
The Sky will hit the road this weekend, first taking on the No. 8 Indiana Fever on Friday — though Chicago will be without their points and rebounds leader, as Reese will miss the matchup due to technical foul accumulation. The matchup tips off at 7:30 PM ET with live coverage on ION.
Chicago will then close out the weekend against the No. 3 Las Vegas Aces at 9 PM ET on Sunday, airing live on NBA TV.
The reigning champion No. 5 New York Liberty blew their first shot at clinching a spot in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs on Saturday, falling 80-63 to the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury without star guard Sabrina Ionescu and center Nyara Sabally, who watched from the sidelines due to injuries.
The Mercury took aim at the Liberty's spotty defense, scoring 26 points off of 19 turnovers while registering 17 of the game's final 20 points.
"This is obviously a learning opportunity, but we're kind of running out of opportunities for growth at this point," star forward Breanna Stewart said after the loss. "We need to just actually be better."
The next chance for New York to secure their 2025 destiny will come during their Tuesday night visit to the No. 6 Golden State Valkyries, as the injury-plagued Liberty look to climb the WNBA standings and claim home-court advantage for their first playoff series.
"This is not championship-level basketball," Stewart added. "We need to get there, and that starts with the mindset and then putting it onto the court."
However, the Liberty face a Valkyries side on an upswing, as Golden State looks to extend their three-game winning streak and further their history-making campaign to clinch an inaugural postseason berth.
"The trust level that we have right now is pretty much unmatched," said Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase. "I can only go based on my first year, so it's pretty f—ing cool."
How to watch the New York Liberty vs. the Golden State Valkyries
The No. 5 Libs will tip off against the No. 6 Valks at 10 PM ET on Tuesday, with live coverage airing on WNBA League Pass.
The 2025 WNBA Playoffs are halfway set, with the No. 3 Atlanta Dream and No. 4 Phoenix Mercury joining the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx and No. 2 Las Vegas Aces in clinching postseason berths over the weekend.
The Lynx will officially enter the playoffs as the No. 1 overall seed, claiming home-court advantage after back-to-back weekend wins.
"We have a scenario now that if we win our home games, we win a WNBA championship," Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve said following Saturday's 94-70 drubbing of the No. 11 Connecticut Sun. "It doesn't mean that it's easy. But anything that you can get to be an advantage in your favor, we needed to be able to secure that."
With just 10 days left in the regular season, five teams remain in the running for the last four tickets to the 2025 WNBA Playoffs: the No. 5 New York Liberty, No. 6 Golden State Valkyries, No. 7 Indiana Fever, No. 8 Seattle Storm, and No. 9 Los Angeles Sparks.
After Monday's key 91-85 win over the Storm, the Sparks now sit one and a half games below the cutoff line on the WNBA table — though they'll have to get past top contenders Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Phoenix to secure a trip to the posteason.
"I was watching the film [against Atlanta] today and we're a totally different team in terms of how we play and who's healthy now," said LA head coach Lynne Roberts following Monday's victory.
How to watch the LA Sparks, Minnesota Lynx this week
The No. 9 Sparks will try to snap the No. 3 Dream's two-game winning streak on Wednesday, tipping off in Atlanta at 7:30 PM ET, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.
Then on Thursday, while the No. 1 Lynx will coast into a top-table clash against the No. 2 Aces, airing at 10 PM ET on Prime.
The No. 7 Seattle Storm crashed the playoff-clinching party on Thursday, handing the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx a 93-79 upset loss to keep multiple WNBA teams from punching postseason tickets.
"We've been searching for this type of a game to have at this juncture of the season," noted Storm head coach Noelle Quinn after Seattle handed Minnesota their biggest blown lead in franchise history.
"Play some f—ing defense, man," Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve said afterwards, criticizing her team's performance. "Act like that end matters. We have not done that in a long time."
With six spots still open in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs, the Storm's Thursday comeback win spurred chaos, preventing the Lynx from officially booking the postseason's No. 1 seed for at least one more game while also blocking clinching scenarios for the No. 3 Atlanta Dream and No. 4 Phoenix Mercury.
Even so, the Mercury did take one step closer to a playoff berth with a tight 83-79 win over the No. 12 Chicago Sky on Thursday, with small forward Kahleah Copper's 28 points helping Phoenix hold ground in the WNBA standings.
"I feel like we're doing an incredible job, we all want to do the right things," Copper said. "We've just got to continue to clean up the little things."
How to watch the Seattle Storm this weekend
With just four regular-season games remaining, Seattle will play host over the long Labor Day weekend.
The No. 7 Storm will first face the No. 12 Sky at 9 PM ET on Saturday, airing on WNBA League Pass.
Then on Monday, Seattle will battle the No. 9 LA Sparks at 10 PM ET, with live coverage on NBA TV.