WNBA Player News

Melbourne is replacing Sug Sutton (leg) in the starting lineup on Thursday, who will miss her first game of the season. The 22-year-old guard is returning to the rotation after missing Washington’s most recent game due to a mouth injury sustained against the Aces. She’s averaging 6.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists through 16 games, and Thursday will mark her fourth start of the season. The Mystics will look to get back in the win column against the Lynx and bring their record to .500.

One season after leading the franchise to its first WNBA title, Brondello was informed that she would not be retained as Liberty head coach. An injury-riddled 2025 season ended with a first-round elimination at the hands of Phoenix, with the Mercury winning Game 3 on Friday. Brondello, hired as the franchise’s head coach in December 2021, won 107 games at the helm, the most in Liberty history. With Tuesday’s news, there are now four head coaching vacancies in the WNBA. In addition to New York and Seattle, incoming expansion teams Portland and Toronto have openings to fill.

McBride picked up on Sunday where she had left things in the Game 2 win over Golden State, scoring big and utilizing the three-point line to punish the defense. Two of the veteran sharpshooter’s biggest triples came in the fourth quarter to help the Lynx separate from the Mercury, with whom they were tied on the scoreboard after three quarters. McBride was also active on the defensive glass and was one of two Minnesota players to record a blocked shot. Altogether, she concluded as one of the Lynx’s most productive and impactful players on Sunday and will have a chance to put together another strong performance in Tuesday’s Game 2.

Despite not earning MVP honors on Sunday, the award’s runner-up logged a productive line in the Game 1 victory. Collier set the tone early and dropped 10 points in the opening quarter before picking her spots the rest of the way on efficient shooting. She battled on the offensive and defensive glass throughout and got involved from beyond the arc as a scorer. Ultimately, Collier didn’t score a point in the fourth quarter, but her overall offensive production was still significant and beneficial to the Lynx in the win. She’ll look to build off Sunday’s performance and help lead Minnesota to another victory on Tuesday.

Williams logged her most productive game of the 2025 postseason yet, surpassing 20 points in Game 1 and finishing with a team-high in assists. She shot efficiently from the floor and tallied more points and made field goals on Sunday than she did combined against Golden State in the previous round. The veteran guard also made a huge impact on the defensive end, tying a season-high in steals and recording more than half of Minnesota’s total. She’ll look to build on a hot start to the series when the Lynx host the Mercury for Game 2 on Tuesday.

Copper was Phoenix’s most aggressive scorer on Sunday — she looked for her shot often, and it led her to finish as the Mercury’s leading scorer. Despite struggling from beyond the arc, she was the only Phoenix player to reach the 20-point mark. Additionally, she tallied half of her team’s 10 points in a fourth quarter they entered tied on the scoreboard with the Lynx. Even without the former Finals MVP contributing in many other areas in Game 1, she was one of the Mercury’s best players on Sunday. They’ll likely need an even better performance from her in Tuesday’s Game 2.

Sabally struggled to find her rhythm on the offensive end on Sunday. Despite having the hot hand in Phoenix’s previous couple of games, she went without a field goal in the second half and scored only two points. The veteran forward finished third on the team in rebounds and made a few plays for others with her passing, but her overall impact was minimal in Game 1. She’ll have a chance on Tuesday to bounce back and land more production in Game 2.

It appeared as though Thomas was on her way to another stellar performance on Sunday, having contributed 16 points, three rebounds, and three assists in the first half to give the Mercury a seven-point halftime lead. Yet, the MVP finalist scored only two points the rest of the way on 1-of-3 shooting, while going scoreless in a fourth quarter that the Mercury and Lynx entered even on the scoreboard. Thomas’ unspectacular finish left her final line less potent than it could have been. Still, she played a well-rounded game, and there’s no reason to believe she won’t stuff the stat sheet again in Tuesday’s Game 2.

Evans was one of the lone bright spots for the Aces’ offense on Sunday. Her impact was felt nearly immediately, checking into the game midway through the first quarter to score four points, dish an assist, and help shave six points off the Fever’s lead by the quarter’s end. The former WNBA champion didn’t make any drastic contributions until the fourth quarter, where her seven points in the frame were a bit insignificant as the Aces trailed by double digits throughout the period. Nevertheless, Evans could be relied on even more on Tuesday when the Aces attempt to tie the series at one game apiece.

Young was one of Las Vegas’ few productive players on the offensive end on Sunday. She shot efficiently throughout and, despite her inaccuracy from beyond the arc, led the Aces in scoring and was one of four Aces’ players to score at least 10 points. Young’s performance wasn’t flawless, however — she committed a team-high five turnovers, which made up nearly half of the Aces’ 12 giveaways on the night. She’ll likely need to be better on Tuesday if the Aces want to avoid falling 0-2 to Indiana.

In her first game as a four-time MVP winner, Wilson was mostly held in check throughout Sunday’s loss. She shot extremely inefficiently, as the Fever’s frontcourt, led by Aliyah Boston, caused the Aces’ offense trouble. High volume still led Wilson to finish as one of her team’s leading scorers despite poor shooting, and her activity on the glass allowed her to collect her second straight double-double of the postseason. Wilson protected the rim well on the defensive end, but her offensive performance in Game 1 was mostly unspectacular. If the Aces hope to tie the series at one game apiece on Tuesday, they’ll likely need more production from their MVP.