WNBA Player News

Sabrina Ionescu willed the Liberty through stretches making big shots, including a 34-foot three-pointer right as the second quarter ended to give the Liberty only a three-point deficit heading into halftime. She scored at many different levels on Saturday afternoon including from deep, in the restricted area right at the rim, in the paint, and in the mid-range, making shots 16-17 feet away from the basket. The Liberty scored 38 points in the second half and Ionescu accounted for almost 45% of them, scoring an even 17 points in the second half in addition to 17 also in the first half.

Young got back on track vs. Golden State after an unspectacular performance on Thursday against the Mystics. The veteran guard picked her spots throughout and shot efficiently en route to her first 30-point game in over a month. In addition to her scoring success, Young served as a reliable playmaking option for Las Vegas, finishing in a tie with Chelsea Gray for the most assists on the team. Saturday was easily one of Young’s best performances of the season, and her production, after a slower start to July, was a welcome sign for fantasy managers. She’ll have an opportunity to put together back-to-back strong outings when the Aces face the Wings on Wednesday.

Loyd was one of three Aces players to score in double figures on Saturday, utilizing the three-point shot as her primary tool. Interestingly, the veteran guard saved all of her scoring for one quarter, which was the third. In that frame, she shot 3-of-5 from deep and made her way to the free throw line on multiple occasions to help the Aces to a 31-point quarter as a team. She was scoreless the rest of the way and didn’t contribute much in other statistical categories, but there’s no doubt her scoring burst immediately after halftime had an impact on the game. Loyd continues to light it up from beyond the arc this season.

Wilson wasted no time finding her rhythm in her first game back from a wrist injury that sidelined her for Thursday’s loss to the Mystics. The reigning MVP scored 25 of the team’s 45 first-half points to ignite the Aces’ offense. The rest of the team eventually caught up after halftime to score 59 points, with Wilson pitching in on just nine of them. While her first-half scoring may have indicated a much higher total was on the horizon, she still reached the 30-point mark for the third time this season, while crashing the glass to secure her seventh double-double.

Salaün returned to Golden State’s starting unit after three consecutive games off the bench and finished as one of the team’s leading scorers on Saturday. The double-digit points total against Las Vegas was more than what she had accumulated in the prior three games combined. The rookie has functioned much better as a starter this season, and her performance Saturday could suggest she’ll remain in the opening unit, at least for the time being. She will have the opportunity to score in double figures for the fifth time in her rookie season when the Valkyries host the Mercury on Monday.

Thornton was held to her lowest scoring total of the month and just narrowly escaped a single-digit scoring total thanks to an inconsequential buzzer-beating jumpshot to end the game. Cold shooting and low volume were among the top reasons why the 2025 WNBA All-Star finished with lower production than usual. Thornton collided with A’ja Wilson when trying to battle through a screen late in the fourth quarter and appeared to have hurt her shoulder, but fortunately remained in the game and was able to play through the final horn. Regardless, her injury status in the coming days will be something to watch closely.

Hayes had a productive outing Saturday against her former team after tallying only six points on Wednesday in a win over the Fever. She shot efficiently and ended as one of Golden State’s top scorers, thanks largely to her production from behind the three-point line. The reigning Sixth Player of the Year’s double-digit performance was her ninth in the last 10 games. She’s scored very well over the past month, and there’s no reason fantasy managers should be skeptical of her ability to remain productive moving forward.

Salaün returns to the starting lineup on Saturday in place of Kate Martin. The rookie forward has started eight of 11 games this season and posted averages of 8.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists. She’s only come off the bench in the three most recent games, where she’s totaled just four points on 2-of-15 shooting. Perhaps a return to the opening unit will provide Salaün a boost and benefit Golden State in the process.

Williams was one of three Lynx players to score in double figures against the Sky, but was the least efficient of the three in terms of shooting. The veteran guard made no more than two field goals in any quarter on Saturday and shot no better than 40.0 percent in either of them. Fortunately for fantasy managers, Williams was impactful as a rebounder and scorer throughout, and productive enough in those areas to nearly land her first triple-double of the season. She’ll have a chance on Monday to help the Lynx avoid a consecutive loss to the Sky.

After back-to-back single-digit performances, McBride used high-volume shooting to score in double figures in the loss to Chicago. The veteran guard’s production mostly came from a hot-shooting third quarter, where she scored 11 points and shot 3-of-3 from beyond the arc to help trim Chicago’s lead from 13 at halftime to six after three quarters. Yet, she only scored a combined six points throughout the other three quarters and finished with one assist and without a rebound. The Lynx will face the Sky again on Monday, where fantasy managers hope McBride will maintain similar volume but score more efficiently.

Collier did a little bit of everything for the Lynx in Saturday’s loss. She topped the 20-point mark for the 14th time this season, continuing to make her case for MVP consideration. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year also left her mark on the defensive side, tallying a trio of blocks and steals in the same game for the third time this year and for the first time since June 8 against Dallas. Despite her efforts, the Lynx have now lost two of their last three games and will hope to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time this season when facing the Sky on Monday in a rematch.