Thursday night’s two-game slate delivers a doozy of a double-header in the WNBA.
First up, the Las Vegas Aces visit the Dallas Wings at 8 p.m. ET. Then, the Indiana Fever meet the Golden State Valkyries at 10 p.m. ET. Both games will be broadcast through Prime Video.
As all four teams currently claim a top-eight spot in the standings, along with sporting an average scoring margin of +3.5 points per game or better, they can, at least for now, fancy themselves as playoff contenders—if not more.
Will Thursday
night’s games bear that out? Or, will distinctions be drawn between real contenders and fun pretenders? Share your predictions, plus any other thoughts about these teams, in the comments.
Can the Wings maintain momentum against the motivated Aces?
The Wings are coming off their best win of the season, riding an Azzi Fudd 3-point explosion to a convincing victory over the New York Liberty. Consolidating that win with a second-straight dub over the defending champs would begin to certify that, for all the Strum und Drang surrounding head coach Jose Fernandez, his public comments and his rotational decisions, Dallas is headed in the right direction.
But, if any team can send the Wings spiraling in reverse, it’s the Aces. Especially an Aces team coming off a loss.
Last time out, Vegas, after raising their 2025 championship banner in Michelob ULTRA Arena, lost to the Los Angeles Sparks, burned by a 38-point afternoon from Western Conference Player of the Week and former Ace Kelsey Plum.
The Becky Hammon Era Aces usually issue loud responses after losses. In particular, after allowing the Sparks to light them up for 101 points, expect the Aces to lock down on defense.
The ever-motivated A’ja Wilson also arrives in Dallas with even extra defensive oomph. Surely, A’ja, as well as her teammates, think she should have been the sole Defensive Player of the Year in 2025, rather than sharing the honor with Alanna Smith.
Then a Minnesota Lynx, Smith is now a Wing, and she and her new teammates might experience Wilson’s competitive wrath.
Overall, it’s been an uneasy transition for Smith. Always foul-prone, Smith has struggled to adjust to the new officiating points of emphasis. That’s reduced her playing time, which, in turn, has prevented her from establishing cohesion with her new teammates, a circumstance that then has encouraged Fernandez to opt for other frontcourt options. So far, she’s logging less than 18 minutes per game.
An inconsistent offensive player, Smith has yet to find her shot this season. A theoretical stretch big, she’s shooting 13.3 percent from 3, and just 33 percent overall. Contrast that to the emergent Awak Kuier, who is draining 50 percent of her triples while finishing 66.7 percent of all her shots. And while Kuier can’t be expected to stop A’ja, she does possess the physical profile—very long and mobile at 6-foot-6—of the type of players that can tend to give Wilson a little more trouble than most.
Will A’ja assert her authority and lead the Aces to a statement win over the Wings? Can Kuier, or someone else, somewhat stymie the M’VP and put the Wings in position for another big win?
Or maybe, in an unexpected twist, this will be Smith’s breakout game as a Wing? Although on the injury report with an illness, she is probable to play.
It’s Fever offensive firepower vs. Valkyries defensive dominance
Even ignoring the extra curriculars, the rematch between the Fever and Valkyries profiles as a must-watch.
Last year, the then-expansion squad swept injury-plagued Indy. In the first game this season, the Fever got their first-ever win over the Valkyries, pulling away in the second half.
Not a team to make excuses, Golden State was on the second night of a back-to-back, tipping off less that 24 hours from the start of their game in Brooklyn against the Liberty the night before. A sub-40 percent shooting night from the field, including a 32-percent performance from 3, seemed indicative of team that was experiencing tired legs. It was also the Valkyries worst defensive outing of the season.
Both teams enter this one more rested and ready. Indiana hasn’t played at all since that home win over Golden State, and while the Valkyries played on Tuesday, the Connecticut Sun weren’t exactly a formidable foe, as no Valkyrie played more than Janelle Salaün’s 26 off-the-bench minutes.
So, we’ll get a full-strength look at the WNBA’s highest-scoring offense in the Fever (93.7) against a Valkyrie side that allows the fewest points per game (76.3). (Or, that seems most likely, as Caitlin Clark is listed as probable with back soreness.)
Overall, Indiana’s defense, at least temporarily, is ranked higher than their offense. The Fever have the fifth-rated offense (109.6) and second-rated defense (101.2), giving them the second-best net rating in the league at 8.4. Golden State owns the best net rating, with their 11.3 mark earned via their top-ranked defense (98.7) and fourth-ranked offense (110.0).
Yes, it’s early, and the sample sizes are still small, but both teams are building contender-quality resumes.
Which squad will establish an advantage on Thursday? Will the Valkyries, literally, defend Ballhalla? Can the Fever take their offensive show on the road?
And could rookie Justē Jocytē emerge as a difference maker in her second-ever WNBA game?
The first-ever draft pick by the Valkyries who remained overseas last year, Jocytē saw her first WNBA minutes on Tuesday, debuting at the end of Golden State’s romp over Connecticut and scoring five points in five minutes. She was a perfect 2-for-2 from the field, with a pair of assists and a turnover.
Since head coach Natalie Nakase said, “She doesn’t come off as a rookie,” due to her extensive overseas and international experiences, it seems possible that she could trust Jocytē to give the Valkyries a jolt.
