Each WNBA team has played at least 11 of its 44 scheduled regular-season games, meaning we can classify this time in the 2026 season as the quarter-way mark. Without a doubt, teams have experienced their shares of ups and downs — some more than others — making for a fairly congested top-10 spots in the league standings.
And what an exceptional week of basketball we are leaving behind to transition into the second quarter. Between now and our last column, we saw several game-winning shots — Caitlin Clark, on the heels of national criticism, sank a go-ahead three-pointer to deliver Indiana a 78-76 win over Washington, only for the Mystics to have Sonia Citron beat the buzzer a game later and defeat the Tempo 86-85 in a game that saw rookie Lauren Betts finish with 18 points and land her biggest impact as a professional. Emily Engstler also made a go-ahead free throw to give Portland a one-point victory over Dallas, while Los Angeles outlasted Phoenix in overtime and Las Vegas Aces eeked out a three-point win over red-hot Minnesota the following day.
But even with Minnesota seeing its eight-game win streak snapped on the road at the hands of the defending champions, there’s no minimizing what head coach Cheryl Reeve and her team have done over the first month of the season to place themselves in the upper tier of teams in 2026, alongside the likes of the aforementioned Aces and the New York Liberty. Perhaps the Lynx’s 100-76 beatdown of the Dallas Wings, in what was a highly anticipated matchup between two of the then-hottest teams in the WNBA, is what I’m holding onto more than the close three-point loss on the road to the defending champions. All but one of the previous eight consecutive wins came by double figures. The Lynx have the best defensive rating in the entire WNBA and are a top-2 offense, according to WNBA.com’s ratings. They play neither fast nor slow, are more pressed to punish defenses inside the arc, and are one of the better rebounding teams in the league; all traits that their star player, Napheesa Collier, possesses. Her eventual return will further advance Minnesota’s production and heighten its ceiling.
But as it stands, the Lynx are having a heck of an opening to the season even without Collier for several reasons; chief among them is Olivia Miles’ ability to walk right off a college campus and produce at a level that warrants early-season MVP-type discourse. Whether those conversations amount to anything in the long run isn’t important. What is important is that she’s been one of herhoopstats.com’s most efficient players thus far, and also one of their most impactful players for a Minnesota team that has essentially only had two players from last season’s top-seeded squad log minutes in 2026. Miles has split the usage with her backcourt mate, Courtney Williams, who has also been superb this season. Nevertheless, the rookie has been exceptional — she’s made the big shots, stepped up in key individual matchups, and has delivered many highlight-worthy moments along the way.
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Dallas represents the handful of middle-tier teams constantly rotating spots in the standings. A proper analysis of the Wings might be along the lines of “great talent that has performed inconsistently to this point.” They could be viewed as top-heavy, with several lottery picks that have fit the definition of “inconsistent.”. But they’ve also just had some bad luck. For whatever reason — the nose injury, lack of playing time, getting adjusted to new surroundings, etc. — Alanna Smith’s production has not met her price tag so far. She signed a three-year max contract over the offseason and has totaled 41 points on 50 field-goal attempts, while making 2-of-22 three-pointers and pulling down 40 rebounds across her 12 appearances. She’s added some value on defense, but not nearly to the level of her 2025 Defensive Player of the Year play, and certainly not enough to make up for the low quality of offensive production she’s currently providing. Smith was relegated to the bench at the start of July and has logged more than 16 minutes in just one game since her demotion. This is the obvious missing ingredient that’ll take Dallas to the next level, if you ask me; her defensive presence, if nothing else, can still play a critical role in this team’s success come playoff time.
Conversely, there are a few teams that have gotten out of the gate rather slowly and find themselves in a tough spot going forward to begin the league’s celebratory 30th season. This specific team that I’ll reference just so happens to be one of the original WNBA members — the Phoenix Mercury. On the heels of a 2025 Finals appearance, the Mercury is one of three teams already to crack double-digit losses on the season. Between their low three-point production and their poor defense from beyond the arc, they’re getting outworked in that area, which sticks out in many of their losses. Even a 41-point game from Kahleah Copper last week wasn’t enough to bring the Mercury a win, as Los Angeles’ Kelsey Plum’s 43-piece basically canceled out Copper’s. Tightening up the three-point defense and simply riding the backs of Copper and Alyssa Thomas on offense is probably the blueprint to making any sort of run to get back into playoff position. They’ve got time on their hands.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Las Vegas Aces @ Dallas Wings
(Monday, June 15 at 8 p.m. ET on USA Network)
The Aces very quietly have put together a dominant offense this season, which is on brand for them and totally unsurprising, given that the foundational pieces of the dynasty remain. But they ran into the Wings earlier this season while playing some quality basketball and left Arlington with an eight-point loss and a blown 13-point lead. Alanna Smith posted a first-of-its-kind 22/20/10 triple-double in that game, while Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd also cracked the 20-point mark. The Aces are in a better groove now, entering with six straight wins, than they were during that late-May matchup. This is a big one for the Commissioner’s Cup standings with Las Vegas functioning as the only Western Conference team without a loss. Could the Wings play spoiler?
▶ Watch: Check out the Sparks and the Valkyries on Monday at 10 p.m. ET on Peacock!
Portland Fire @ Minnesota Lynx
(Monday, June 15 at 8 p.m. ET on WNBA League Pass)
Between Dallas, Indiana, and New York (twice), the Fire have notched some pretty impressive wins this season. One over Minnesota on Monday could qualify as the best so far this season. But the challenges here are obvious; this Fire defense, one of the W’s worst in terms of ratings, will face one of the W’s best offenses. The Lynx are going to look to flex their muscles in the interior, whether that be on the offensive glass, in the midrange, or at the rim. And even if Monday’s matchup is played at a slow pace, both offenses are good enough to create some fun moments. I’m really looking forward to the Olivia Miles - Carla Leite backcourt battle.
Washington Mystics @ New York Liberty
(Friday, June 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ION)
Two teams trending in opposite directions here. Washington has lost three of its last four games, including a recent one to New York, while New York’s seven-game winning streak is league-leading. The Liberty recently reintroduced Sabrina Ionescu into the rotation after a back injury kept her sidelined for seven games prior to returning against these Mystics on Sunday, who are currently operating without the services of Kiki Iriafen. Hopefully, the second-year forward is healthy enough to play in Friday’s rematch, so we can see whether New York is still 22 points better than Washington, as was the case in the June 14 game. What adjustments will be made on both sidelines? What are the wrinkles? What new plays are implemented? Those are always the types of questions I look forward to getting answers to when watching two teams play each other multiple times in a short span.
Indiana Fever @ Atlanta Dream
(Saturday, June 20 at 1 p.m. ET on ABC)
Here’s another battle between teams that will have recently faced one another — this time, less than 48 hours earlier. This highlighted trilogy will take place in Atlanta for the first time during the 2026 season, where the Dream holds a 5-2 record. The Fever haven’t been as good away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse, as reflected in their 3-3 road record. But even more than the Reese-Clark matchup that almost always is the headliner for the national television audience, I’m looking to see if Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard can bounce back from underwhelming performances in Atlanta’s 83-71 loss to Indiana earlier this month, a game in which they combined for 21 points and two assists on 7-of-27 shooting. Regardless, expect a highly competitive 40 minutes in this one.
Seattle Storm @ Phoenix Mercury
(Saturday, June 20 at 3 p.m. ET on ABC)
One of these teams has got to stop the bleeding. Perhaps what happens in the lead-up to Saturday’s game will have either of these two teams in a better spot. But as of today, we’re looking at two teams with over 10 losses and current multi-game losing streaks. Given the established veterans in Phoenix that are still playing at high individual levels, it wouldn’t be surprising that the outcome went in its favor. Despite the poor record, Seattle remains an intriguing team simply because they’ve got so many young players with high upside, who have shown flashes on both ends of the floor early in their careers. The clash between youth and experience could make for an entertaining product, if nothing else. Let’s see which of these teams can build some positive momentum.
