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Today’s WNBA games: A’ja Wilson and Aces take on Angel Reese and Sky, Sun takes on Storm, more

VaselineSeptember 3, 2024

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Today’s WNBA games: A’ja Wilson and Aces take on Angel Reese and Sky, Sun takes on Storm, more

Good morning WNBA fans, after a day of rest the competition has started again and we have a schedule of four games:

Seattle Storm (19-13) vs Connecticut Sun (24-8) at 7:00 PM ET

The Sun and Storm will play each other for the second straight game, with the Sun emerging victorious on Sunday. The Storm have looked like a different team since returning from the Olympic break — they’ve lost six of their last eight games after finishing the first half of the season 17-8. The trio of Nneka Ogwumike, Jewell Loyd and Skylar Diggins-Smith have had some individual success this season, but it hasn’t translated into the win share Seattle was hoping for.

The Sun have won 5 of their last 6 games, with Marina Mabrey providing a huge offensive boost since taking over last month. Mabrey is averaging 18.2 points in her last 5 games, and Brionna Jones, who has been quiet this season, exploded for a season-high 26 points on 9-13 FG. The Sun will be looking to make it back-to-back wins tonight as they attempt to hold off the Minnesota Lynx for the #2 seed.

Washington Mystics (9-23) vs. Dallas Wings (9-23) at 8:00 PM ET

It will take a lot for either the Mystics or Wings to climb the standings and secure the final playoff spot, and both teams are likely headed for the lottery at this point. Still, while the Mystics’ three-game winning streak was snapped against Connecticut on Saturday, they looked a much more complete team with Brittney Sykes back in the lineup.

On the other hand, Arike Ogunbowale did everything she could to help the Wings beat the Fever on Sunday — she exploded for 34 points on 9 made 3-pointers — but Dallas still couldn’t get it done. Ogunbowale is coming off an inefficient shooting year (37.6% from the field), which hasn’t helped Dallas, and Satou Sabally missed the first half of the season. Sabally was very good in her return (20.6 points per game on 45.8% shooting), but the Wings still lost 4 of their 7 games with her in the lineup.

Chicago Sky (11-21) vs Las Vegas Aces (20-12) at 10:00 PM ET

The last time the Sky and Aces faced off, A’ja Wilson had a buzzer-beating layup to win the game after Chennedy Carter made two 3-pointers in the final 40 seconds to tie the score. Chicago — losers of six in a row — haven’t won a game since, and Carter, who has been in health and safety protocols, also hasn’t played since the last Sky-Aces matchup.

The big story leading up to this is that Wilson has been playing at another level in this most recent series, nearly winning MVP. She’s averaging 27.5 points and 12 rebounds this season, fresh off a 41-point, 17-rebound outing against the Mercury.

Can the young but promising front court of Angel Reese and Kamila Cardoso hold her in check? That’s something to watch in tonight’s matchup. Reese also recently set a new record for most rebounds in a single WNBA season (418).

Atlanta Dream (11-21) vs Phoenix Mercury (16-17) at 10:00 PM ET

The Phoenix Mercury have dropped to the #7 seed after losing three straight games. Brittney Griner has been a bright spot — she’s averaging 19.5 points in her last four games — but the Phoenix hasn’t looked like the team many fans hoped they would be when they signed Kahleah Copper. A lot of that has been on the defensive side of the ball — the Mercury have had the fourth-worst defense in the league this year.

With Sky’s recent struggles, Dream have a clear path to the 8th and final playoff spot – but they haven’t taken advantage of it so far, having lost 4 of their last 5 games. Hall of Famer Tina Charles has been excellent for Atlanta, and it will be fun to see her and Griner face off.