WNBA Player News

Four different Sparks players found Hamby streaking down the floor in transition for scores. Kelsey Plum, Julie Allemand, Sarah Ashlee Barker and Azurá Stevens all combined to find Hamby for 10 of the Sparks total 25 fast break points. Hamby once again dished out multiple assists bringing her season average to 3.7 per game, which would be the highest average of her career. Like Plum in the overtime period, Hamby struggled to score the basketball. She took three really difficult and contested layups instead of looking to spray the basketball out. What made playmaking more challenging in that overtime period was just how stagnant the Los Angeles offense got. Hamby’s teammates needed to move off the ball to force the Golden State defense out of position.

While Clark did enter Saturday’s game shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc, her limited offensive production ultimately prompted Storm head coach Noelle Quinn to move the veteran wing to the bench. Saturday’s performance was Clark’s best of the season, as she was 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and hit double figures for the first time. Erica Wheeler, who replaced Clark in the starting lineup on June 7, finished Saturday’s defeat with six points (3-of-11 FGs), two rebounds, five assists and one steal in 27 minutes. Regardless of where they are in the rotation, the Storm will need consistent production from Clark and Wheeler if they’re to be a serious factor.

Williams had a subpar night shooting the basketball, as she was just 1-of-5 from beyond the arc. The good news for fantasy managers was that she was productive in other areas, including assists and steals. For the second straight game, Williams recorded four steals, and she’s also dished out at least four assists in eight of 11 appearances this season. Williams entered Saturday shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 45.8 percent from the foul line, numbers that suggest she’s more likely to bounce back soon than go into a slump.

For the first time this season, Magbegor has scored in double figures in consecutive games. She filled the stat sheet against the Valkyries, doing everything but make a three-pointer in the 76-70 defeat. While Magbegor has recorded at least one blocked shot in all 11 games she’s appeared in, the Storm center has taken things to another level recently. Ezi has blocked 13 shots in her last four appearances, a run that began with a five-block effort in a June 3 win over Dallas. She’ll look to extend that streak when Seattle visits Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Diggins was the lone Storm player to score more than 11 points in Saturday’s defeat. Seattle got off to a slow start and would trail by as much as 22 points during the third quarter. Diggins has scored at least 20 points in six of 11 games this season, and two of her last three. With frontcourt starters Nneka Ogwumike (6/5/2/1/1) and Gabby Williams shooting a combined 5-of-14 from the field, Seattle did not have enough firepower to complete its fourth-quarter rally. Also, the Commissioner’s Cup defeat drops Seattle into third in the West, just a few days after handing Minnesota its first loss of the season.

Fágbénlé established a new season-high in scoring on Saturday, and she was also an effective rebounder. While the 6-foot-4 was not as impactful defensively as she was in Monday’s win over the Sparks (four steals and four blocked shots), Temi entered Saturday averaging 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. Rostered in just over 64 percent of ESPN leagues, Fágbénlé will be worth a look for managers needing frontcourt production, especially with the Valkyries scheduled to play three games next week.

Thornton has been on a roll recently, recording a double-double in three straight games. To say she held her own against Seattle’s talented frontcourt would be an understatement; Kayla was the best player on the court for significant stretches of the contest. She matched her season-high in points while establishing a new high in rebounds. Despite averaging nearly 29 fantasy points per game, Thornton is rostered in just under 82 percent of ESPN leagues. That percentage should increase in the aftermath of her recent performances.

Talbot moved into the starting lineup on Saturday due to the absence of Janelle Salaün, who has joined France for the upcoming FIBA Women’s EuroBasket tournament. While the veteran forward did not provide much scoring in Saturday’s victory, her rebounds and assists were solid. Even if Talbot remains in the starting lineup for the foreseeable future, reserve Monique Billings is also worthy of streaming consideration for managers in need of frontcourt production. Rostered in 23.2 percent of ESPN leagues, Billings finished Saturday’s win with five points, four rebounds, three steals and one blocked shot in 13 minutes.

With Julie Vanloo away from the team to compete in FIBA Women’s EuroBasket and Tiffany Hayes sidelined with a nose injury, Leite was inserted into the Valkyries’ starting lineup Saturday night. One game removed from scoring 15 points off the bench in a win over the Sparks, the rookie guard had another solid showing against the Storm. Leite shot 60 percent from the field and recorded a few assists, with the four turnovers being the lone negative. And while plus/minus is a flawed way in which to measure a player’s impact, Leite’s +14 was tops on the Valkyries. How long she remains in the starting lineup depends on Hayes, who will likely need a few contact practices before being allowed to play. Golden State visits Dallas on Tuesday.

Besides Caitlin Clark, Boston was the Fever’s best playmaker on Saturday afternoon. Four of her six assists were kick outs to shooters. While Boston’s shots were highly contested and didn’t fall, she made sure to get on the boards and create extra possessions for her teammates. Boston was who set up a bunch of Kelsey Mitchell’s huge shots in the fourth quarter. Not only did Boston give Mitchell space to create on pick-and-roll actions with her screens, but Boston just had excellent awareness to keep the ball moving and get it to Mitchell, the fourth quarter’s hot hand.

After undergoing an arthroscopic procedure on her left knee in mid-May, Copper did not play in Phoenix’s first 11 games. She’s set to make her debut Sunday night, with the Mercury making the news official on Saturday. While Copper may not take on a complete workload immediately, the talented scorer can be a difference-maker in fantasy leagues. Sami Whitcomb may be the most likely candidate to move to the bench, but she will still figure prominently in the Mercury rotation.