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No Commissioner’s Cup Final has been decided by fewer than five points, but given these two teams’ contrasting styles and offsetting strengths and weaknesses, that streak could end Tuesday. Whether we have our fifth different Cup winner or our first repeat champion, history will be made. June 29, 2025 Commissioner’s Cup Final Preview Steve Pimental The WNBA’s Commissioner’s Cup has a short but compelling four-year history. The first three winners all won the WNBA title within a year of winning the Cup and last year’s Cup winner, the Minnesota Lynx, is the favorite to win the title this season. The last two Cup finals wound up being previews of the WNBA finals, with the team that lost the Cup going on to win the Championship. From that point of view, maybe the Lynx wouldn’t mind losing on Tuesday. The Aces and Liberty won the Cup in 2022 and 2023, respectively, only to lose in the Cup final the following year. The Lynx are looking to break that trend and become the first back-to-back Commissioner’s Cup winners, but they will have to get through the Indiana Fever to do it. Any preview of the Commissioner’s Cup Final has to begin with the groin injury that has kept Caitlin Clark out of the last two games. Fever head coach Stephanie White said on Thursday that Clark was “day-to-day,” so I am hopeful she will return for this game. The Fever are, unsurprisingly, a very different team with Clark in the lineup. When Clark is on the floor, Indiana averages 99.64 possessions per 40 minutes, which would be well above the league-leading Liberty at 97.52. By way of contrast, Indiana’s pace with Clark off the court is 94.06, just slower than the 12th-place Lynx. I will be watching the pace very closely in the first quarter. If Minnesota is able to slow the game down and make Indiana score in the halfcourt, they will have an excellent chance to win this game. Minnesota has allowed just two opponents to top 80 points all season. On the other side, the Fever have failed to reach 80 points in just one of Caitlin Clark’s nine games. Which of those trends holds in this game may come down to three-point shooting. Both of these teams are in the middle of the pack in three-point attempts per game and the percentage of their points that are scored on threes. That is where the similarities end. Minnesota leads the league in three-point percentage, making 36.9 percent. Indiana’s opponents have shot just 27.5 percent on threes this season, the lowest mark in the league. I still think that is more due to luck than anything Indiana is doing defensively, but if the Lynx miss their threes, Indiana will have an excellent shot at winning this game. I think casual fans think the Fever bomb a ton of threes thanks to Caitlin Clark, Lexie Hull and Sophie Cunningham, but as we saw above, that hasn’t been the case. They are average not just in three-point attempts but also three-point percentage, at 34.5 percent. Where Indiana leads the league is in points in the paint. Minnesota has allowed the fifth-fewest points in the paint. As good as Aliyah Boston and Natasha Howard are one-on-one, I don’t think Indiana can just dump the ball into the post and let those two go to work like they can against other teams. I think the guards are going to have to bend the defense and find the bigs rolling to the basket. Speaking of the guards, I don’t know how Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride are going to stay in front of Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell. Minnesota’s forwards are probably going to be forced to help defend the paint, which could lead to open threes for Hull and Cunningham. Minnesota has the best defensive rating in the league, but I think they will be tested in this game. On the other end, Indiana will be challenged to stick close to shooters and communicate when they are forced into rotation. The Lynx have four players shooting at least 38.8 percent on at least 3.4 three-point attempts per game. Courtney Williams has notably doubled her three-point attempt rate from last season, which makes her so much more difficult to defend. It is probably gross negligence on my part that we have gone this long without mentioning last season’s Cup MVP, Napheesa Collier. Collier is the favorite to win league MVP this season, for reasons I outlined in my All-Star Ballot , and she gives Indiana all kinds of matchup problems. Collier averaged 28.5 points in two games against Indiana last season, more than against any other team. Indiana has a new coach and some new personnel, but I still don’t think they have anyone who can defend Coller one-on-one. Aliyah Boston and Natasha Howard have the size and athleticism to battle Collier inside but I’m not sure they can chase Collier around the perimeter and off the three-point line. Sophie Cunningham is a defensive pest in the best way possible, but lacks the size to keep Collier out of the paint. My best guess is that Indiana will throw multiple bodies at Collier but will try not to help off of the shooters on the perimeter. Collier averaged just 1.5 assists against Indiana last season, fewer than any other opponent, and that may be what it takes for Indiana to win this game. No Commissioner’s Cup Final has been decided by fewer than five points, but given these two teams’ contrasting styles and offsetting strengths and weaknesses, that streak could end Tuesday. Whether we have our fifth different Cup winner or our first repeat champion, history will be made. This game should be lots of fun, especially if it turns out to be a preview of the WNBA Finals. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepard mix, Hootie.

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July 23, 2025 Find Out Why W/ Jax - Watch Me! Sports Bar (Part 2) SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author

August 13, 2025 Must- See Moment - A'ja Wilson Makes History Aaron West SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author

For our conversation, I wanted to find out what retirement looks like for Coach Dorrance and pick his brain on the state of the game and what changes could be made going forward. That proved to be a rather easy endeavor. Dorrance was incredibly thoughtful, and you can wind him up and let him go on a number of topics and get deep, thorough answers... July 13, 2025 Catching up with Anson Dorrance Steve Pimental In my short time at Let’s Fantasy Game, I have gotten to write a lot of fun articles. I love making Sparket picks, doing deep-dives into which teams are WNBA title contenders and highlighting athletes I love to root for . I’m not sure if any of that can compare, however, to getting to speak to a true legend in women’s sports. Casual women’s soccer fans may not know the name Anson Dorrance, but they almost certainly know about the University of North Carolina Women’s Soccer program. For decades, that program has been known for winning NCAA Championships and producing U.S. Women’s National Team players. When Dorrance retired from coaching last year after 47 seasons coaching at North Carolina and 45 as the women’s soccer coach, he did so with too many records to count. He won 1,106 games as a head coach, and his 21 NCAA women’s soccer championships are the most for one coach in any Division I sport. A big part of any college coach’s legacy is what his players go on to do after college, and Dorrance has some incredible records in that regard as well. Over 55 UNC players have gone on to appear in international games for the USWNT. Since 1991, there have been at least two former UNC players on every U.S. Women’s World Cup roster. It would be impossible to chronicle all of North Carolina’s success under Anson Dorrance in one article, so I’m not even going to try. For more insight into how he built the North Carolina soccer program, Dorrance recommends The Man Watching by Tim Crothers. For our conversation, I wanted to find out what retirement looks like for Coach Dorrance and pick his brain on the state of the game and what changes could be made going forward. That proved to be a rather easy endeavor. Dorrance was incredibly thoughtful, and you can wind him up and let him go on a number of topics and get deep, thorough answers. That isn’t shocking for someone who was well-known in his career for rousing pre-game speeches and is an accomplished public speaker. It is surprising, however, for a self-described “radical introvert.” “I don't have any issues speaking publicly, because I'm not shy and I have extraordinary confidence, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm introverted, and it took me late into my 60s to actually discover that,” Dorrance said. Like many introverts, Dorrance loves reading, which he has been able to do a lot more in retirement. Dorrance said before he retired, he was getting 200 emails a day. Now that the emails have slowed down, he has more quiet time to read. “Well, I love to read. So I'm back to reading books. I love reading The New York Times Sunday paper. I sort of read that cover to cover, so not just the news parts, but I like the opinion pages and the book reviews,” Dorrance said. In addition to reading, Dorrance has had a lot of time to watch women’s soccer. He has been following the European championships closely, catching up on teams that he hasn’t always gotten to see play in the past. He has also enjoyed watching several of his former players get a chance with the USWNT. “So in the last recent cycle of national team games, Avery Patterson has done extraordinarily well as have Claudia Dickey and Ally Sentnor, and Sam Meza, so it's been really enjoyable watching our kids play,” Dorrance said. Dorrance hasn’t just been watching international play; he has also had a front-row seat for The Soccer Tournament, a $1 million winner-take-all tournament held in Cary, North Carolina. That tournament offers a unique format that Coach Dorrance would like to see replicated at the highest levels of the game. Rather than settling ties with penalty kicks, which Dorrance compares to breaking a tie in a basketball game with a free-throw contest, TST sets a target score based on the score at the end of regulation. So if the score is 2-0 at the end of regulation, the first team to score three goals wins. This way, every game ends on a game-winning goal. There are no penalty kicks, and no time wasting. Fans don’t have to watch the team that’s winning take two minutes on every free kick, since you cannot win by simply letting the time run out. The other big rules change Dorrance advocates for is what he calls a “sin bin,” which would basically be like a penalty box in hockey. Right now, a referee’s only tools for players who commit a serious infraction is a yellow card or a red card. A yellow card doesn’t really hurt the team, and in some cases it encourages players to push the rules further because they know the referee doesn’t want to give them a red card. A sin bin would allow referees to send off a player for a period of time before allowing them back on the pitch. Now, if a player makes a reckless challenge or stops an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, that player’s team has to play shorthanded for a while. This would provide a much greater disincentive to fouling than the current rules. While I loved hearing about Coach Dorrance’s time at North Carolina and picking his brain about the state of the game, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to ask him about a former player near and dear to my heart, Let’s Fantasy Game’s Head of Content, Brittani Bartok. Bartok was a three-time National Champion at North Carolina and later served as Creative Director for UNC Women’s Soccer. “Well, I think she's an extraordinary artist, and when she was doing social media for me, the stuff that she produced is some of the best stuff we have ever produced. So I really think she has a unique artistic flair that I think needs to be expressed in some fashion because I think she is just a very talented and creative artist,” Dorrance said. “I joke with her all the time, and this is genuine, I consider her the greatest six-minute player, and sometimes I reduced it to six-second player, in UNC women's Soccer history, because the amount of goals and assists she had for the minutes that she played is probably the greatest points per minute.” For all of Anson Dorrance’s success at North Carolina, coaching Brittani Bartok and countless others, it almost never happened. Dorrance went to law school after his own soccer playing career, but his former coach, Dr. Marvin Allen, recommended Dorrance to succeed him at North Carolina. The Athletic Director Mr. Bill Cobey went with Dr. Allen’s recommendation, and the rest is history. Despite never planning to coach, Dorrance fell in love with it. He coached the men’s team from 1977 to 1988, and he began the women’s program at North Carolina in 1979, where he stayed until he retired. “I want to consider myself someone that's involved in human development, not just soccer development,” Dorrance said. “So teaching people how to live a principal-centered life, I think, has been critical for our success.” SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepard mix, Hootie.

Meeting of MVP Leaders! For the second time in as many weeks, Vegas and Minnesota will square off... July 31, 2025 Spice Level on 100 This Week in the W EJ Arocho Meeting of MVP Leaders For the second time in as many weeks, Vegas and Minnesota will square off. Last Friday, the Lynx handled the Aces in dominant fashion, with reigning league MVP A’ja Wilson held to one of her lowest point totals of the season (15). Napheesa Collier put together a 25-point performance, striking just above her season average and showing why she’s leading the race to this point. Saturday’s matchup can do one of two things: Further distance Phee from the pack and solidify her position as the top dog or inch A’ja closer to possibly winning her 4th Award in 6 years. The Hottest Win Streak in the League No Caitlin? No problem! The Indiana Fever have found ways to win with their superstar sidelined, putting together three consecutive against Vegas, Chicago and Phoenix. They’re 3-1 since All-Star Weekend and getting huge production from back court duo Kelsey Mitchell and Aari McDonald. Four games this week will see rematches with Dallas, Seattle, Phoenix and Los Angeles. The Sparks are the only team of those four to have defeated Indy in their last meeting. A strong week could see Indiana ascend the standings, possibly even as high as #3. Brink is Back! Cameron Brink’s return from injury might just be the spark LA needs to bolster confidence for a postseason appearance. Right now, they sit toward the bottom of the standings in 10th place at 11-15. Her first game back last week vs Vegas saw limited action and understandably; 14 minutes. Once she gets more reps in and finds her rhythm, her two-way game will come to life and really ignite this team that already has incredible pieces, capable of upsetting any team on any given night. Returning to form will be a process, but it could all click at just the right time! Tough games this week against Seattle (4th in the standings) and Indiana (6th in the standings) will test her return. Brittney Griner and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day Wednesday’s game between Atlanta and Dallas saw tensions flare in the 3rd quarter. A hard foul on Haley Jones and some words for the ref earned BG two fouls and subsequently, an ejection. ATL went on to snatch the 3-point win, but 6’9” is hard to replace. Contact between BG and the ref is believed to have taken place, prompting that second foul which got her tossed. If the league decides to further review and investigate, a suspension could loom. 2025 hasn’t been her best season in terms of numbers, but a career-low 10.6 PPG is still making a big impact for the Dream, one of five players averaging double-figures. They’ve been up and down since All-Star Weekend but currently sit at 5th in the standings and want to continue rising. BG is a huge piece to their puzzle and must stay on the floor. Upcoming games against Phoenix, Washington and Chicago will test them. Can Seattle Weather the Storm? Not much separates #2 through #6 in the standings right now, and Seattle finds themselves smack dab in the middle at #4 with a 16-11 record. This week will surely be a test, facing a new-look LA team tonight, followed by games on Sunday and Tuesday versus Indiana (who won their last meeting) and title favorite Minnesota. When Seattle is clicking, they can handle any team in the league… yes, even the Lynx, which was saw back in June. In fact, they’ve also handed the league’s second-best team losses in both meetings this season. Incredible firepower from Nneka and Skylar, rock solid bench production from Dominique Malonga and lockdown defense by Gabby Williams have propelled this team through twenty-seven games so far. A 3-0 or even 2-1 showing could see them rise in the standings come end-of-week. Two Words: EMMA MEESSEMAN If you ask Minnesota Head Coach Cheryl Reeve, she’ll tell you Emma made the wrong choice by joining New York. Well, the Liberty certainly don’t think so! After expediting the visa process, the Belgian superstar (and former Finals MVP) arrived in New York on Wednesday and could join the team as early as today! If we do, in fact, see her make her debut this week, it could certainly make for a 3-0 record (two games vs Connecticut & one vs Dallas). She will instantly fill a void left by Breanna Stewart (out with injury). One of the most versatile players in the world, Emma can both play and defend inside and out at the most elite level. Of course, with Stewie back in the mix (with JJ, Sabrina, Natasha, etc.), this lineup could catapult New York to back-to-back titles. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author EJ Arocho is Mr. Women’s Basketball and lives in New Jersey. Lives by the shore but looking to make waves everywhere!

August 12, 2025 Aaron Must-See Moment - Jordyn Bloomer Aaron West SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author

With the Euros moving to the knockout stage, now is the perfect time to enter LFG’s Sparket contest. We also have the last WNBA games before the All-Star break as well as three quarterfinal matches, and they will all be more fun to watch with your fantasy entry on the line... July 16, 2025 Sparket Picks for 7/16-7/20 Steve Pimental With the Euros moving to the knockout stage, now is the perfect time to enter LFG’s Sparket contest . We also have the last WNBA games before the All-Star break on Wednesday as well as three quarterfinal matches, and they will all be more fun to watch with your fantasy entry on the line. With it being the last slate of games before the break, I would be sure to check the latest injury news before you lock in any of these picks. I think some teams could be careful with some nagging injuries and look to give some veteran players extra rest heading into the break. 07/16/25 Norway Winner (2.1X) vs. Italy I know it is close, but I’m not sure why Italy is even a slight favorite. They probably don’t have any pressure after making the quarterfinals for the first time since 2013, but I think Norways is probably the better team. Norway is still looking for its first clean sheet, which could be a problem, but they won all three of their matches, including against hosts Switzlerland. Italy won just once and has a negative goal differential, but snuck out of the group because Portugal disappointed against Belguim. These teams played twice last year and both ended in draws, so that is probably the most likely result in regulation. Norway has had four different goalscorers through four games and if this match does go to penalties, I trust them more. Highest Scoring Team Minnesota Lynx (3.6X) Phoenix’s odds are tempting, especially since they are tied with Minnesota for the second-most ppg in the league. That being said, Minnesota has also allowed the fewest ppg this season. Golden State is second, Seattle is third and Phoenix ranks fifth. I think Minnesota is going to be extra motivated to win at home going into the All-Star Break, especially after they lost at Phoenix and at Chicago last week. Minnesota is still the only team that is undefeated at home, and if they can keep that streak going, it would go a long way towards being the highest-scoring team on the slate. Wilson averaged 35.3 points in three games against Dallas last season, and while the Wings’ defense has improved some, they don’t have anyone in the frontcourt who can slow Wilson down. Top Points Scorer A’ja Wilson (3.8X) I think we can eliminate Breanna Stewart right off the bat. She has shot below 40 percent from the field in five straight games and while she is too good to struggle much longer, I’m not willing to go down that road in this slate. You can make reasonable arguments for Kelsey Mitchell and Paige Bueckers, but Wilson is averaging 21.5 ppg, compared to 19.2 for Mitchell and 18.3 for Bueckers. Wilson also has the best matchup, as only the Sun and Sparks have allowed more points than the Wings this season. Wilson averaged 35.3 points in three games against the Wings last season, four more than against any other team. Dallas still doesn’t have anyone in the frontcourt who can slow Wilson down, and we’re getting pretty decent odds. 07/17/25 Sweden Winner (2.6X) vs. England Sweden was arguably the most impressive team in the group stage and their reward is facing the defending champions in the quarterfinals. Sweden has an older team and that could eventually hurt them, but with four days between contests, I think they will be ready for England. These teams drew both of their qualifying matches last year and Sweden has lost just one of its last five matches against England. In their big group-stage matches, England lost 2-1 to France while Sweden defeated Germany 4-1. I’m not sure I would pick Sweden to win outright but I think these teams are pretty equal, so I’ll gladly take 2.6x odds. 7/19/25 France Winner (1.7X) vs. Germany Just in case you thought I would only pick underdogs, I’m going with the big favorite here. As we mentioned above, France came through their big group-stage test with flying colors while Germany stumbled. France’s most impressive match may have been their 5-2 win over the Netherlands to clinch their group win. France had a +7 goal differential in the group stage while Germany was even, and I just don’t see how Germany is going to bounce back from their embarrassing loss to Sweden. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author

During the preseason, new Dallas Wings general manager Curt Miller called this a foundational season for his team. The Wings came into the season with not only a new general manager but a first-time head coach in Chris Koclanes... June 16, 2025 What is Going On With the Last-Place Dallas Wings? Steve Pimental During the preseason, new Dallas Wings general manager Curt Miller called this a foundational season for his team. The Wings came into the season with not only a new general manager but a first-time head coach in Chris Koclanes. The youngest team in the league featured four rookies led by number one overall pick and Rookie of the Year Candidate Paige Bueckers, as well as new acquisitions DiJonai Carrington, NaLyssa Smith, Tyasha Harris, and Myisha Hines-Allen. And yet, despite all the turnover and the admission by Miller that the team was looking to build a foundation in Dallas beyond wins and losses, I thought the Wings would at worst be in the playoff race all season. Their starting lineup of Bueckers, Ogunbowale, Carrington, Smith, and Hines-Allen had no glaring weaknesses, while Harris and Teaira McCowan were substantial pieces off the bench. Instead of fighting for a playoff spot, the Wings are hurtling towards their 13th losing season in the last 15 years. At 1-11, the Wings are entrenched in last place, and fans would be forgiven for turning their attention to what the team will look like next year with Bueckers, another high draft pick, and presumably some more offseason acquisitions. With that in mind, this seems like a good time to look at the foundation the Wings are building and what it means for the rest of the season and beyond. I suppose the place to start for the Wings is that things are not as bad as their 1-11 record indicates. Their -7.7 net rating, while 11th in the league, is well ahead of Chicago and Connecticut. Unless Dallas suffers a major injury or decides to completely tank, they almost certainly won’t finish with the league’s worst record. Since Paige Bueckers returned from her four-game absence, their new starting lineup of Bueckers, Ogunbowale, Carrington, Hines-Allen, and rookie Luisa Geiselsoder has a 14.1 net rating in 34 minutes. That being said, more growing pains are likely coming. Tyasha Harris, who leads the Wings in +/- at +15, will miss the remainder of the season with a left knee injury. I have no idea why Harris didn’t replace Bueckers in the starting lineup, but the backcourt is suddenly awfully thin. Kaila Charles has given Dallas good minutes off the bench, but rookie third-round pick J.J. Quinerly is the only point guard on the roster behind Bueckers. Geiselsoder and Teaira McCowan, who is the only other player on the team with a positive +/-, will miss the next couple of weeks for Eurobasket. Their minutes will be replaced at least in part by Li Yueru, whom Dallas acquired from Seattle for a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 third-round pick. Yueru has been very effective in limited minutes off the bench for Seattle this season, but it could take some time for her to gel with her teammates, as it did for Geiselsoder. Given their personnel, this team was always going to be better on offense than on defense, but I hoped that if they were average on defense and above-average on offense, they would make the playoffs. Instead, they are average on offense and third-worst in defensive rating, which is how they have the third-worst net rating by a comfortable margin. I think Dallas can still get to an average defense. Especially after McCowan and Geiselsoder return from EuroBasket. Wings’ opponents are shooting 38.5 percent on threes, second only to the Chicago Sky. If that improves just a little bit, it could go a long way. Offensively, Dallas needs to do a better job creating open threes. Only Seattle and Washington have attempted fewer threes per game, and only Washington has scored a lower percentage of its points on threes. Dallas is fifth in the percentage of three-point makes that are unassisted. Ogunbowale, Bueckers, and Carrington are all capable of making threes off the dribble, but that doesn’t mean they should. Dallas is much better when those three are getting into the paint, either to score or find open shooters. As much as the Wings want to build a foundation for the future, the reality is this was likely always going to be a transitional year. Only the rookies and third-year player Maddy Siegrist are under contract next season. I suspect Arike Ogunbowale will move on following seven seasons in Dallas, leaving the Wings to find a co-star for Bueckers in the draft or free agency. While I’m sure Dallas would love to have a better record this season, their most important development this season is that Paige Bueckers looks every bit as advertised. She is averaging 17.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists while shooting 46.8 percent from the field, 41.7 percent on threes, and 81.8% on free throws. I would love to see her shooting more threes and getting to the line more, but with Ogunbowale and Carrington leading the team in usage, that is unlikely to happen this season. Dallas may be heading to the lottery yet again, but things are better than a glance at the standings would indicate, and they will be one of the most interesting teams in the offseason. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepard mix, Hootie.

July 10, 2025 Claudia's Fantasy Pick Claudia Bellofatto SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author

If A’ja continues this torrid streak she’s on, she may just overtake Napheesa for top MVP candidate by season’s end. The last two games have seen her carry Vegas to wins over Golden State and Dallas while averaging 35.5 PPG & 13.0 RPG. July 18, 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend Predictions, Mid-Season Awards & More! EJ Arocho All-Star Predictions: Skills Challenge- Natasha Cloud 3PT Contest- Sabrina Ionescu All-Star Game- Team Clark, 110-105 All-Star Game MVP- Kelsey Mitchell Mid-Season Awards: MVP- Napheesa Collier DPOY- Gabby Williams ROY- Paige Bueckers Most Improved- Kayla Thornton Sixth Player- Naz Hillmon Following the Break… New York Getting Hot Again The Liberty have weathered the storm without Jonquel Jones and head into All-Star Weekend on a 3-game win streak, including a 21-point domination over Indiana. They’ll face the Fever again on Tuesday, but this time around, the lineup will look a little different as JJ is set to return from injury which has sidelined her since June 19th! They’ve been a dangerous team WITHOUT her but are widely considered title favorites WITH her. For the second time in less than a week, they’ll take on a Caitlin Clark-less Indiana team looking to stay above .500. Allisha & Atlanta Allisha Gray will have to recover from this weekend’s festivities quickly if she wants to lead the Dream to back-to-back wins over Vegas and Phoenix on Tuesday and Wednesday. She’s participating in the trifecta: Skills Challenge (defending champ), 3-Point Contest (defending champ) & All-Star Game. Atlanta will be facing these two teams for the first time this season and will have to do so without their 2nd leading scorer Rhyne Howard who remains sidelined for July. Vegas is a team who can beat anybody when they get fully clicking and Phoenix was the hottest team in June who currently sits at #3 in the standings. A’ja in ATTACK MODE If A’ja continues this torrid streak she’s on, she may just overtake Napheesa for top MVP candidate by season’s end. The last two games have seen her carry Vegas to wins over Golden State and Dallas while averaging 35.5 PPG & 13.0 RPG. A one-woman show! She’ll look to bring all the smoke vs former Gamecock teammate Allisha Gray & Atlanta on Tuesday before a highly anticipated rematch with Indiana on Thursday. The Fever handed Vegas a 27-point loss to start the month, something that is surely still fresh on A’ja’s mind. When she gets cooking, there isn’t a defender on Earth who can contain her! Don’t Count Out The Sparks! With a core 4 like Kelsey, Rickea, Dearica & Azura, you’d have to be off your rocker to count Los Angeles out! They average a combined 65 points per game and head into the weekend with a surge of confidence on a 2-game win streak (Connecticut, Washington) and will face both teams again this week. That could increase to a 4-game win streak, which could do wonders for this team’s confidence. This team has been competitive the entire season, despite their sub .500 record. Their last three losses have come by a combined 26 points! The Sparks have an extraordinary amount of talent and have the potential to be one of July’s hottest teams if everything clicks just right. With four players averaging double-figures, opponents have a lot of firepower to try and contain. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author EJ Arocho is Mr. Women’s Basketball and lives in New Jersey. Lives by the shore but looking to make waves everywhere!

June 5, 2025 Jaden's NWSL Picks - Update Jaden Fode SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author