WNBA Player News

The Sky had this possibility in mind when selecting Sivka with the tenth overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. Due to her commitment to preparing for this summer’s FIBA Women’s EuroBasket competition with Slovenia, the 6-foot-3 forward would not be available until after the WNBA All-Star break. The decision is unsurprising, as teams were informed before the draft that Sivka would likely focus on her national team responsibilities this season.

Hayes took a Shakira Austin shoulder to the face during the first half of Wednesday’s game. The veteran guard remained on the court for several minutes before being helped to her feet, exiting the court with a potential nasal fracture. Julie Vanloo started the third quarter and will take on a more prominent role if Hayes is out for an extended period. Hayes finished with two points (0-of-4 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), one rebound and one assist in 13 minutes.

A stat that had been lauded about Williams was the fact that to begin the season she dished out 19 assists without any accompanying turnovers. Although, that changed tonight as she had six turnovers to accompany her seven assists. While Williams was much more mistake prone on Thursday night, she came up in the clutch when it mattered. In the final three minutes of regulation and with the Lynx up just single digits, she hit one of her signature mid-range high elevation shots in addition to drawing a foul on Dijonai Carrington to get to the line. Williams had two pivotal rebounds within the final 18 seconds to shore up her team’s win.

Hines-Allen almost willed her team to a win on Thursday night. In the span of 15 seconds with 1:30 left in the fourth quarter, Hines-Allen got the Lynx’s lead over the Wings down from 8 points to 3. It all began with a coast-to-coast score on an and-one driving past former teammate Napheesa Collier. Seconds later she drew another shooting foul on Collier and made both of her free throws to get the score down just 3 points. Hines-Allen had a noticeable influence on the game whenever she played on Thursday night. She had the best +/- on her team, finishing the game with an even +12 in 26 minutes of play.

Bueckers began the game intentionally playmaking to get backcourt partner Arike Ogunbowale more open shots after Ogunbowale struggled to make shots on Tuesday night against the Storm. She assisted on seven total treys including five made by Ogunbowale. Bueckers’ shooting however was a different story. Her six first half shots just didn’t go down as she started the game 1-for-6 from the field. But Bueckers got more aggressive in the second half on drives to the basket and took advantage of Minnesota’s physical defense. She got to the line three times in the third and put a third of her total points on the board as a result. Bueckers reached double-digit scoring with 6:31 left in the fourth when she made a 27-foot smooth three-pointer that got the Wings within 7 points. Her tenth assist came with 39 seconds left in regulation when she found Ogunbowale for a wide open three to drive the Lynx lead down to 2.

After a poor performance shooting 2-of-14 from the field and only scoring 8 points on Tuesday night against the Storm, Ogunbowale had a bounceback game. Paige Bueckers was intentional on setting Ogunbowale up early on in the first quarter on wide open looks from the perimeter. In the second quarter, Ogunbowale facilitated more with the ball in her hands rather than scoring off the ball. While more of Ogunbowale’s shots fell than on Tuesday, her scoring wasn’t efficient. With 39 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Ogunbowale’s wide open trey on yet another Bueckers pass got the Wings within 2 points. But on the ensuing play on the other side, Ogunbowale made a defensive error, intentionally fouling Napheesa Collier too soon and forced Collier to the line when she didn’t need to. Those final two throws put the Lynx up for good.

According to Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve, Smith was still on a minutes restriction on Thursday night after missing the first game of the season due to a quad injury. She played in just 17 minutes on Sunday against the Sparks, but played 29 total minutes on Thursday night against the Wings. Smith caught fire in the second quarter, hitting half of her four threes in that frame, in addition to running the floor hard and peeking out in transition. She was the first Lynx player to get into double figures early in the third quarter. While Smith cooled off in the second half, her defense took center stage in the final few minutes of regulation. She had a pivotal block on a driving Dijonai Carrington who was trying to get the Wings within just a score.

Leading MVP candidate Collier sealed a win for her team by hitting her final two free throws of the night with 17.5 seconds remaining in fourth quarter. She made six trips to the line on Thursday night and didn’t miss a single free throw. After scoring only 8 points in the first half, Collier exploded for 12 in the third quarter alone only missing one of her six third quarter shots. Dallas did their best to limit her shot attempts in the fourth, but Collier’s ability to draw contract was too overpowering as she made one field goal and six free throws in the final quarter. Most of Collier’s made looks came inside the paint either in space driving to the rim, or were wide open shots in her mid-range. None of her three shots from deep fell, but that didn’t matter for Collier as she still found a way to put the ball in the basket when it mattered most for her team.

The lone change to the starting lineup is Salaün, who starts her Valkyries debut after sitting out Friday’s loss to the Sparks for rest reasons. Her insertion into the lineup comes at Kate Martin’s expense, as the second-year guard will now come off the bench.

After missing the Sparks’ first two games with a left knee injury, Allemand will make her season debut on Wednesday. Her return occurs at a difficult time for the Sparks, who are without Rickea Jackson (concussion) and Rae Burrell (leg). While Sarah Ashlee Barker will replace Jackson in the starting lineup, Allemand will provide additional depth off the bench.

The Sparks are without Rickea Jackson (concussion) and Rae Burrell (leg) for Wednesday’s game, with the former’s absence opening up a spot in the starting lineup. Barker, the team’s first-round pick in last month’s draft, will fill the void. Due to those injuries, the rookie out of Alabama has added value in fantasy leagues, but managers should keep their expectations in check.