The Sky have been one of the least clutch teams over the past two seasons. They lost all of their one-possession games and overtime games (an agonizing six in 2026) under coach Tyler Marsh entering Saturday’s contest, and it wasn’t just bad luck. They were committing a long list of time-and-score errors down the stretch, highlighted by blowing an 8-point lead in the final minute of regulation to the New York Liberty in their last game before the All-Star break.
With Chicago locked in a possession game against the Aces down the stretch, there was a feeling of deja vu even though the Sky battled back from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit. When Kamilla Cardoso blew the coverage on a late-game dribble handoff, conceding an open lane for A’ja Wilson to drive to her strong hand and take a 2-point lead, there must have been a sinking feeling in Wintrust Arena.
But then, something unexpected. Marsh drew up a set for Sydney Taylor to get a 3-pointer for the win, a play design he picked up during his time in Las Vegas. The rookie missed a potential game winner against New York in June; she was almost in tears after the game and was consoled by Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union despite her 11 fourth-quarter points that kept the Sky alive. Chicago had faith to go back to her with the game on the line, and she drilled the 3-pointer just before the buzzer, giving the Sky the improbable win.
It was their first one-possession win of the year and Marsh’s first win over coach Becky Hammon since leaving the Aces. It also cemented Taylor’s fifth 25-plus point game of the season; all other undrafted rookies in WNBA history have combined for five total.
For all that hasn’t gone Chicago’s way in 2026, finding Taylor and giving her an opportunity is one of the best moves any front office has made this offseason. To have that moment to break an ignominious clutch streak is something to build off.
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1
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2
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2
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7
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3
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1
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4
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4
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5
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6
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6
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5
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7
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8
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8
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3
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9
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9
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10
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14
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11
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15
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12
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10
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13
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11
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14
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12
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15
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13
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Trending up
Minnesota Lynx
The Lynx just became the 22nd team in WNBA history to win at least 10 games in a row. The first victory of the streak made Cheryl Reeve the league’s winningest coach, and she is putting even more distance between her and her prospective challengers. Minnesota still hasn’t completely solved its defensive issues, ranking ninth in the league in defensive rating during this stretch, but the Lynx are still stacking up wins and are now four games up on the Aces for the No. 1 seed in the WNBA standings.
The most impressive part of Minnesota’s success in 2026 is how little of a factor Napheesa Collier has been, but she’s back now and slowly rediscovering her form as a back-to-back MVP runner-up. In her first game of the season, Collier seemingly had a one-track mind on offense and was shooting every time the ball touched her hands. Sunday against Indiana, she had seven assists to zero turnovers. Whenever the Fever blitzed Olivia Miles, Collier knew exactly what to do on the outlet pass, even if that didn’t always mean scoring. That isn’t to say that Collier’s individual offense hasn’t been up to snuff; she debuted with 24 points against the Seattle Storm and has scored at least 15 in every game thus far. Against Indiana, she was hitting her trademark fadeaway and looked smooth from long range, where she is shooting 43.8 percent this season.
CLUTCH. pic.twitter.com/lLcNimXNPe
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) August 2, 2026
There has been a minimal adjustment period with Collier and Natasha Howard, who was the primary frontcourt scoring option in her absence. The two have an easy chemistry, never getting in each other’s space on the offensive end, and Collier’s perimeter versatility on defense allows Howard to stay closer to the basket. They have the best two-player plus-minus (plus-14 per game) of any Lynx combo involving Collier thus far.
Minnesota has been taking advantage of a relatively easy schedule and has the toughest remaining opposing win percentage. Only three of their final 13 games are against teams outside of the playoff picture.
Washington Mystics
The Mystics have won three in a row against the Golden State Valkyries, Las Vegas and the Dallas Wings, and all three games have come down to crunch-time execution. The youngest team in the WNBA certainly doesn’t act like it on the floor.
Sydney Johnson has deployed a closing five of Sonia Citron, Michaela Onyenwere, Cotie McMahon, Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin in these latest wins, with McMahon replacing Georgia Amoore from the starting lineup, and Washington is giving opponents trouble (plus-33.9 net rating). That grouping puts Citron at the point, and she has been an efficient decision-maker. McMahon demands a big defender to keep her out of the paint, which makes things easier for Iriafen and Austin. Austin was one of the best players in the league in July, capped off with the game-winning points against the Aces and the Wings.
That lineup is also enormous without compromising spacing, and the Mystics can switch well 1 to 5 to throw different looks at their opponents. Washington has the third-best defense in the WNBA, second behind Golden State over the last month, and it is 12-6 in clutch games.
“We’re figuring each other out,” Iriafen said at All-Star weekend. “The biggest thing for us early on was we didn’t know how to close games, and we’re still learning that. But I think being in so many close-view scenarios, we’ve been able to kind of get over that hump and prevail.”
Trending down
Las Vegas Aces
It might be unfair to put the Aces here during a stretch when they finally slayed their Liberty demons and lost two games by a total of 2 points. But the margins are slim in the WNBA standings, with seeds No. 2 through No. 8 separated by four losses. One Sydney Taylor 3-pointer could be the difference between homecourt advantage and starting on the road in the first round of the playoffs.
The role players in Las Vegas have given some cause for concern as of late. Stephanie Talbot is shooting 24 percent from 3-point range and somehow had a negative plus-minus during these last two weeks despite playing most of her minutes with the starters. Dana Evans can’t buy a bucket either, and that has meant an extra reliance on Brianna Turner, who is an offensive liability.
Based on how Kiah Stokes’ minutes declined throughout her Aces tenure, it’s clear Becky Hammon would prefer not to have to play Turner as much in the meat of games, but Las Vegas is still searching for answers when the big three — and Jewell Loyd, who has been a plus-minus darling — need rest. The Aces’ romp through the finals obscured how touch-and-go the first two rounds of their postseason were, and this year’s draw figures to be as precarious. Las Vegas doesn’t need a lot of help beyond its stars, as A’ja Wilson is perhaps better than ever, but she can’t do literally everything. For instance, when an opposing team dials up a game-winning 3-pointer so it doesn’t have to attack Wilson in the paint, her teammates have to do a better job of fighting through screens.
Rookie of the week
Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx
Usually, I start this section with a reminder this isn’t necessarily the best rookie of the week, but rather a player who caught my eye. No such qualifier needed for Olivia Miles, who has been one of the best rookies in league history and had a sterling two weeks, including her first All-Star game as the 2026 draft class’s lone representative.
Miles’ highlight reel is blowing up, whether it was the through-the-legs pass to a trailing Kayla McBride against the Toronto Tempo or the series of acrobatic finishes against the Indiana Fever. She is becoming increasingly unstoppable going downhill, and despite her right-hand dominance, her craft around the rim allows her to score on both sides of the basket.
OLIVIA. MILES. 🥽 pic.twitter.com/1jGzcmbU0h
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) August 2, 2026
The rookie broke a Lynx franchise record with her 10th game of at least 20 points and five assists this season, eclipsing a mark set by Hall of Famer Maya Moore. Reeve said after the game that Miles has a “really, really healthy level of confidence and toughness,” and she continues to display that as she climbs higher and higher on opposing scouting reports. The Fever had to invert their entire defensive scheme by putting forward Makayla Timpson on Miles because the first-year guard was dicing up every other coverage.
Miles is on pace to join Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers as the only rookies to average at least 15 points and five assists in a season, and Miles has the best shooting percentage of the trio.
Game to circle
Phoenix at Washington, 3 p.m. ET Sunday
There are so many good games this week that it was hard to pick.
Any of the Aces’ games (against Atlanta, Indiana, Minnesota and New York) would have been reasonable selections. Dallas gets a rematch against Washington and has to take on Golden State, and the Lynx in another No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup between Azzi Fudd and Miles.
But let’s go with the Phoenix Mercury vs. the Mystics now that Kelsey Plum has taken her talents south. If Phoenix is to make a realistic playoff push, its three games against Washington are must-wins. This one comes at the end of a four-in-seven stretch on the road, which won’t make it any easier, and probably won’t allow Plum any practice time with her new team. Plus, the Mystics are playing about as well as any team in the league. We’ll know a lot more about the Mercury’s postseason hopes at the end of this week.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, Golden State Valkyries, Portland Fire, Toronto Tempo, WNBA
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