On Thursday, the four WNBA playoff-bound teams were able to ease into their return to regular-season action, as the Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics, Dallas Wings and Las Vegas Aces all won in blowout fashion.
Tonight, a similar script should play out for the Indiana Fever and Golden State Valkyries.
While the Fever, currently the No. 5-seed,
do have to venture north of the border, they’ll be meeting a depleted Toronto Tempo team in Canada (7:30 p.m. ET, ION).
Toronto announced that Marina Mabrey is out of the remainder of the season due an adductor injury. She joins Brittney Sykes and Aneesah Morrow on the sidelines, both of whom already had been declared as done for the season with lingering injuries. While the Tempo’s World Cup participants—Julie Allemand, María Conde and Nyara Sabally—are expected to play, the organization’s intentions appear pretty clear, as winning the lottery, not winning games, looks to be the goal in Toronto.
Out in Ballhalla, a victory should be guaranteed for the No. 2-seed Valkyries (10 p.m. ET, ION).
Although the Portland Fire have been pluckier than the fellow 2026 expansion team, that fight might be fading. On the first end of their return-to-action back-to-back against the Phoenix Mercury, an eventual 94-91 loss, Portland chose not to rush back World Cup participants Carla Leite, who was out for rest, or Megan DiLeo, who is dealing with a dislocated finger; Bridget Carleton missed the game due to an ankle injury.
Among all these less-than-intriguing matchups, the WNBA schedule gods have given fans one treat, as the New York Liberty visit the Minnesota Lynx in what could be a first-round playoff preview (7:30 p.m. ET, ION).
That the Liberty handed the Lynx their second-worst loss of the season in early June, when Breanna Stewart delivered a 36-point masterclass, while Minnesota won by just five points in the mid-July rematch, thanks in large part to 14-point fourth-quarter scoring spree from Kayla McBride, adds even more intrigue to this showdown in Minneapolis.
In the comments, let us know why this matchup has you excited and what you expect to see. I’m most interested in the play of Napheesa Collier and Sabrina Ionescu, not just what their performances mean for this one matchup, but also for the postseason ahead.
Are Phee and the Lynx ready for postseason physicality?
Although she instantly and excellently reintegrated with now Olivia-enlivened Lynx after missing a significant chunk of the season, Collier didn’t quite look like herself for Team USA at the FIBA World Cup. Outside of the win over Hungary, Phee didn’t score at her usual effectiveness and efficiency. Overall, she probably didn’t see as many minutes as expected, and it was worth questioning whether she should have held onto her starting spot.
Can her unevenness be attributed to discomfort in different offensive and defensive systems? Were there some lingering effects from her long-term absence due to two ankle surgeries? Was it a combination of both, where the unfamiliar systems made her more cognizant of some ongoing physical limitations?
Or, was it the physicality of the FIBA game that troubled her? Physicality has been the kryptonite for this era of Lynx basketball, defined by the finesse and fundamentals of Phee.
It’s something head coach Cheryl Reeve already has flagged, simultaneously challenging her team while also engaging in some preemptive officiating politicking after the Lynx lost two-straight games to defensive-first, physical squads in the Valkyries and Dream before the World Cup break.
Whatever had Phee not looking like Phee in Berlin will need to be solved before the postseason. For all the Lynx achieved without her, they’re not going to reach their playoff goals without the best version of her.
The Liberty, another team that trends towards finesse over physical, probably isn’t the best test of the postseason resiliency of Collier and the Lynx. However, due to the Liberty’s stylistic preferences, they represent a relatively favorable first-round matchup for the Lynx. Already motivated to avoid a three-game losing streak, Minnesota also might be incentivized to keep New York in the No. 8 seed.
Can Sabrina prove she’s a good shooter before the playoffs start?
While Collier was mostly off her game in Berlin, Ionescu wasn’t even there, making her the only reasonable “snub” from the 2024 Olympic team, and the only one that USA Basketball Women’s National Team managing director Sue Bird was specifically asked about.
However, it’s hard to imagine that Ionescu would have been a positive asset for Team USA.
The injuries that derailed her start to the season somewhat justify her substandard play, as an unexpected injury or two at the beginning of a season, especially a back issue, can leave a player constantly trying to catch up and never reaching her optimal level.
Ionescu, still, has had her moments. In particular, she’s been nails in the clutch on multiple instances, saving the Liberty from (additional) embarrassing losses.
Yet, the stats don’t lie, as Ionescu is turning in another inefficient shooting season. The 3-point shot was supposed to be one of her signature skills. Instead, she’s trending towards a second-straight sub-30 percent season from deep. That poor shooting has been accompanied by dips in her assists, rebounds and steals.
Sabrina’s reputation as a 3-point shooter still serves her well. She makes enough, and makes enough at the right moments, to force defenses to guard her as if she is an efficient scoring threat.
In the playoffs, will Ionescu continue to get this respect? Or, will teams dare her to shoot, leaving her open as they likely send more attention towards Breanna Stewart?
If teams sag off of Sab and she can make them pay, draining triples at the prolific rate many believe she is capable of, then she could almost single-handedly rescue what has been a disappointing season for her and the Liberty. A perfectly-timely Sabrina heater could carry the Liberty into the second round—and beyond. A still-slumping Sabrina, in contrast, not only would send New York to another early playoff exit, but also could put an end to this era of Liberty basketball.
A solid shooting game from Ionescu on Friday night would be reason for some encouragement.
That’s especially true since Sabrina delivered some real stinkers before the FIBA break. Although the Liberty defeated the Chicago Sky by almost 20 points in their final game, Ionescu scored just two points, missing all 10 of her field goal attempts. Before that, she went 2-for-12 from the floor, including 1-for-9 from 3, as New York lost to Golden State.
Comparatively, Ionescu has performed well against Minnesota, scoring 17 points on 41.7 percent shooting in New York’s win before finishing with 25 points on 45 percent shooting in their close loss.
