Caitlin Clark, Fever face A’ja Wilson, Aces again tonight, plus 4 more WNBA games

September 13, 2024

The last time the Las Vegas Aces and Indiana Fever met, A'ja Wilson made history by becoming the season's all-time leading scorer. The Aces won that game, and the Fever will look to bounce back again tonight. Tonight is headlined by the Aces vs. Fever, but there are several other important games on the schedule, including a battle between the Atlanta Dream and Washington Mystics that could have major playoff implications.

First, let’s look at the relatively mundane result of one game last Thursday night.

The New York Liberty defeated the Dallas Wings 99-67. Sabrina Ionescu had 20 points and six assists, Betnijah Laney Hamilton had 17 points and six rebounds, and Breanna Stewart and Courtney VanderSloot each had 11 points in the Liberty's win over the Wings. New York has now won five straight and two straight against Dallas. Maddie Siegrist and Arike Ogunbowale led the Wings with 11 points apiece, but Ogunbowale shot just 3-of-13 from the field.

Tonight's WNBA games

10 teams participated, WNBA TONIGHT — Here's everything you need to know to prepare for a busy night at Ion.

Chicago Sky vs. Minnesota Lynx, 7:30 p.m. ET

According to Camila Cardozo, the Sky are “embarrassed” by their loss to the Washington Mystics on Wednesday and will be looking to bounce back on Thursday, but beating the Lynx will be a tall order given their dominance after the break and the Sky's absence of Angel Reese, who had successful wrist surgery last week.

Minnesota has won 11 of its last 12 games since the Olympics and lost just once. For Chicago to pull off the upset, they'll need a stellar performance from Chennedi Carter, the Sky's leading scorer, who is averaging 17.4 points on 50.1 percent shooting this season.

Washington Mystics vs. Atlanta Dream, 7:30 p.m. ET

When the Mystics started the season 0-12, they seemed unlikely to compete for a playoff spot in September, but they made a comeback mid-season and are now tied with the Dream at 12-24 and just one game behind the Sky. This is a key game for both teams if they want to make the postseason, and while the result alone won't determine the No. 8 seed, it's a key game with the regular season ending in less than a week.

Seattle Storm vs. Dallas Wings, 7:30 p.m. ET

The Storm are one game behind the Aces for the No. 4 seed, and it's almost certain that the two teams will meet in the first round, but it's yet to be determined who will have home court advantage. Skylar Diggins-Smith has been great since the break, averaging 18.7 points on 46.7% shooting and 6.4 assists since the break, but Jewel Loyd has struggled since the Olympics, averaging 19.2 points per game on 36.3% field goal shooting.

What about the Wings? None of it really matters at this point. Arike Ogunbowale just became Dallas' franchise scoring leader and has been performing better since the Olympics (22.4 points per game, 43.3% shooting), but Dallas is just the second team to miss the playoffs and will be starting over next season.

The Las Vegas Aces vs Indiana Fever game will take place at 7:30 PM ET.

The Aces and Fever will meet for the second time in three days, with the Aces, led by A'ja Wilson (27 points, 12 rebounds), winning the previous meeting and the Fever losing to a team other than the Lynx for the first time since the break.

Indiana will be looking to get revenge at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and get back on track to win. Since the Olympics, Indiana has had two of the league's top three scorers: Kelsey Mitchell averaging 24.8 points on 49.5% shooting and Caitlin Clark averaging 23.9 points on 43.8% shooting and 9 rebounds.

Connecticut Sun vs. Phoenix Mercury, 10 p.m. ET

Head coach Stephanie White acknowledged that the Suns are looking to unseat the No. 2 seed that they've held for most of the year. Currently, the Suns are one game behind the Lynx, meaning that if play began today, the Suns would face Caitlin Clark's Fever in the first round of the playoffs.

Since the break, Breonna Jones has been the team's leading scorer, averaging 15 points per game, while Marina Mabry has provided a much-needed offensive boost, averaging 14.8 points per game and shooting 42.7% from three-point range. Meanwhile, the Mercury have struggled, losing five of their last six games and currently two games below .500. There have been rumors flying around that Diana Taurasi could be in line for a win. Final WNBA season.