The 'Ball-Knowers' WNBA Weekend Watch Guide: Weekend of May 30 - June 1
The No Cap Space WBB Watch Guide is back! Every Friday we'll get you ready for the matchups to prioritize this weekend and what to tune into first!
Friends! The Watch Guide has returned and this time it’s covering the WNBA!
It’s a little easier in the W to know what’s on and when (as opposed to the NCAA season in which there can be 10+ good games happening on the same day in multiple windows). But the league has a fun little quirk where they happen to put a lot of their games on in the same window. If you don’t have a streaming account that lets you split screen the matchups, it can maybe be a pain to flip around and figure out what to watch.
What is one to do?
Come to us, of course! Every Friday we’ll break down every game on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and rank them by ‘watchability’. The score is based off how good the matchup is, what’s at stake, if there are any fun narratives and generally whatever I feel like at the time.
So tap in with us every Friday and we’ll give you the road map to watch games and know ball. Let’s get to it!
Friday, May 30th
Connecticut Sun (0-5) vs. Indiana Fever (2-3): 7:30 PM ET, ION
Why it’s worth a watch: While I don’t anticipate Connecticut pulling off an upset here, I also wasn’t expecting to see Indiana so listless without Caitlin Clark either. The Fever dropped their midweek matchup against Washington in what players described as a bit of a gut check loss. Without their star point guard, Indiana looked too deferential offensively and didn’t seem to know who to turn to. It was an odd situation considering Aliyah Boston is still a superstar talent who just needs some post-entry passes to get going.
There’s bounceback potential here for Indiana, who I’m sure grinded some tape after the loss to the Mystics. But I’m also interested in the idea that Connecticut, who has been plucky and competitive in some of their losses, may come out and try to steal one away. It may not be the best basketball but from a narrative perspective, it’s worth keeping an eye on.
Must-Watch Score: 6.5/10
New York Liberty (5-0) vs. Washington Mystics (3-3): 7:30 PM ET, ION
Why it’s worth a watch: The Liberty managed to hold off a surprising run from Golden State on Thursday night as Breanna Stewart made a little history of her own, tying Diana Taurasi as the fastest player to reach 5,500 career points. Winning is what we’ve come to expect out of New York but my interest now is in seeing if anyone is actually capable of besting them in a regular season matchup. It’s bound to happen but who manages it is becoming something of a neat storyline.
Enter the Washington Mystics, who handled Indiana this past week in an impressive coaching win for Sydney Johnson. I’ll say this, he’s already established himself as a great tactician and I’m really interested in seeing how he tries to counter the Liberty’s balance and depth. What we’re missing about Washington is that their three losses are by margins of 6, 3 and 2 points. They’re really not that far off from being at the top of the standings with the New York’s and Minnesota’s of the world. While they might still be a bit early when it comes to punching in that weight class, the Mystics are one of the most enjoyable watches in the league this year so far. Plus, we get to see Kiki Iriafen against the best frontcourt in the W. That’s worth the price of admission alone.
Must-Watch Score: 7.5/10
Los Angeles Sparks (2-4) vs. Las Vegas Aces (2-2): 10:00 PM ET, ION
Why it’s worth a watch: I’d say this is the Kelsey Plum revenge game but we know what this actually is. Every Sparks - Aces game is now Dearica Hamby’s chance to basically get her lick back in blood. Don’t believe me? Last year against the Aces, Hamby averaged 22 points and 11 rebounds per game across four matchups. Those are first team All-WNBA numbers. This season has a bit more backcourt firepower in the form of Plum, who has averaged over 25 points per game since arriving in Los Angeles.
The Sparks downfall has been in the frontcourt as they await the return of Cameron Brink to be their rim protector and defensive anchor. While Azura Stevens is having a career year, they are still a bit thin at forward/center which has given teams the opportunity to attack them inside. Enter A’ja Wilson, the best player in the league and typically someone who makes opponents pay for such shortcomings. I anticipate a win for Vegas here but I’m curious to see how it plays out. This is going to be a challenging month for L.A. — they play Vegas twice, Minnesota twice, with other games against Phoenix, Seattle and Indiana — and wins will be hard to find. But a good proof-of-concept for Lynne Roberts would be stealing a game here or there.
Must-Watch Score: 8/10
Minnesota Lynx (5-0) vs. Phoenix Mercury (4-1): 10:00 PM ET, ION
Why it’s worth a watch: The Mercury have turned into quite the early feel-good story of the year in the WNBA. With Alyssa Thomas, Satou Sabally and a rag-tag Guardians of the Galaxy style group of professional journeywomen, Phoenix is 4-1 and burying teams under wave after wave of three point shooting. It’s a testament to AT’s ability to be a floor raiser for any team she’s on but also GM Nick U’Ren’s vision of surrounding her with solid three point shooters who know exactly what their roles are. Will that be as easy when you take on one of the deepest and most talented teams in the W? That’s what we’ll find out in the late ION window on Friday night.
So far, Minnesota hasn’t looked as good defensively as they did last year but everything is relative. They’re still a top four defensive unit in terms of points-per-game allowed in the league. With Kayla McBride back in the lineup, the Lynx went wire-to-wire against Seattle in a 82-77 win. The big question in this game is if Phoenix has anything down low to counter Napheesa Collier, Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard. It’ll be a tall task and I wouldn’t be surprised if we got some big Kalani Brown minutes in this one for the Mercury. Beyond that mismatch, expect this to be a full on aerial assault of three point shooting. These are two of the best teams from beyond the arc early this year and so if they’re hitting we may be treated to a fun Friday night game.
Must-Watch Score: 9/10
Atlanta Dream (4-2) vs. Seattle Storm (3-2): 10:00 PM ET, ION
Why it’s worth a watch: The only reason this matchup isn’t a 9/10 on the watchability scale is because Atlanta and Seattle have a bit more variance in their three point shooting than Phoenix and Minnesota. I expect a high floor from those teams when it comes to their deep ball percentage. The Storm and Dream are liable to put up some stinkers and if neither team is shooting well, the matchup can get wicked in a hurry.
But I’m gonna be an optimist and say that this game might be one of the most electric of the early season. I’ve been utterly enthralled with the Dream through six games. Karl Smesko’s system works and Allisha Gray is on the way to having a career year and potentially her first All-WNBA selection. Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones have proved to be a matchup nightmare for a lot of teams but Seattle is one of the small handful of rosters that have the size and talent to stack up in the frontcourt. In terms of player talent, there is a great collection of stars on the floor and a good barometer for both teams to see where they’re at. If Minnesota blows the doors off Phoenix early, I’m turning over to this one for the duration.
Must-Watch Score: 8.5/10
Saturday, May 31st
Chicago Sky (1-4) vs. Dallas Wings (1-5): 8:00 PM ET, League Pass
Why it’s worth a watch: I genuinely want to score this higher but man, that was just not the best basketball to watch on Thursday night. The Sky and the Wings are clearly in the bottom half of the league but the thing I’m very interested in (and what is worth watching if you’re a Chicago or WNBA fan in general) is how Angel Reese is deployed in this matchup. I don’t want to draw any early conclusions off of just one game but I thought it was noteworthy to see her play off ball and generally get less touches en route to the Sky’s first win of the year. Kamilla Cardoso was spectacular on Thursday, finishing with 23 points and 8 rebounds on 9/13 shooting. When she’s engaged and locked in, the superstar ceiling is undoubtedly there. I’m curious if making her the centerpiece is the way to achieving that every game.
On the other end, every Paige Bueckers game is worth watching as she settles into a clearly defined floor as a high level point guard in the WNBA. Through six games, she’s averaging 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game. While her 21-5-7 game against Connecticut may be close to her rookie ceiling, it’s clear that her every-night floor is elite. The issue Dallas seems to have is that they just don’t have a lot around her at a variety of positions. NaLyssa Smith has scored all of two points in the last two matchups, Teaira McCowan is still coming off the bench while Arike Ogunbowale is as liable to shoot you out of games as she is to shoot you in them. It may not be the best basketball but, for better or worse, the Sky and the Wings are two of the most interesting teams in the league at this point.
Must-Watch Score: 7.5/10
Sunday, June 1
Connecticut Sun (0-5) vs. New York Liberty (5-0): 3:00 PM ET, League Pass
Why it’s worth a watch: I’ll be honest, I don’t have much to say here. This game might teeter on the edge of serious blowout. There is just a talent disparity here that is a lot to overcome. If you want to watch any particular matchups or individuals while you wait for the afternoon/evening slate of games, I’d probably tell you to keep an eye on Saniya Rivers and Aneesah Morrow for Connecticut. Rivers is still finding her footing in the league as a starting guard, averaging about 8 points per game while Morrow is still getting back into full playing shape and WNBA minutes. This might be a game where we see a lot of them against the Liberty bench so that could be fun in itself.
Must-Watch Score: 5/10
Phoenix Mercury (4-1) vs. Los Angeles Sparks (2-4): 6:00 PM ET, League Pass
Why it’s worth a watch: I actually like the possibility of an upset for Los Angeles here. They have enough talent to counter the Mercury’s dynamic duo and scoring supporting cast and nearly beat Phoenix the first time these two teams played. In that matchup, L.A. put up 33 points in the fourth quarter as the comeback attempt fell just short. If you’re able to get more than a combined 3/14 from the field out of Odyssey Sims and Sarah Ashlee Barker than you’re coming out on the right side of a victory.
With that in mind, Azura Stevens is the player to watch in this matchup. In the first go-round against Phoenix, she put up 23 points and 17 rebounds on 7/12 shooting with a 7/8 performance at the free throw line. Since the Mercury have some of the same frontcourt rim protection issues that L.A. does I’m anticipating another great outing out of her here. It’s also worth noting that Rickea Jackson was out of the lineup in that game due to concussion protocol. While she still seems to be figuring out how to work within this new system, I feel like she’s talented enough that it’s going to click sooner rather than later. This game might be that time.
Must-Watch Score: 7/10
Las Vegas Aces (2-2) vs. Seattle Storm (3-2): 6:00 PM ET, League Pass
Why it’s worth a watch: What could be titled as a Jewell Loyd revenge game might need to be amended to be called a Las Vegas Aces revenge game. These two teams already met once this season and Seattle completely ran the Aces off the floor in a 102-82 win. I can’t imagine Vegas is going to let that happen again even if it is at Climate Pledge Arena for the second straight matchup. A’ja Wilson was uncharacteristically out of it in that loss last Sunday, scoring just 15 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. I’d expect a stronger performance against Nneka Ogwumike in this one.
But past the clear matchups — Jewell Loyd vs. Skylar Diggins, Wilson vs. Nneka — I’m keeping a close eye on Chelsea Gray. Despite some dominant performances in Unrivaled, it’s been a slow start for the Point Gawd this season. The game against Seattle was her worst of the sample size — 8 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists on 28.6% shooting — and this weekend feels like a time to really re-establish herself as the engine of the Aces offense. Without much bench output from Dana Evans so far, Vegas needs Gray now more than ever and a win against a top end team like Seattle can put to rest some fears about whether or not the Aces have ‘it’ this season.
Must-Watch Score: 8/10
Minnesota Lynx (5-0) vs. Golden State Valkyries (2-3): 8:30 PM ET, League Pass
Why it’s worth a watch: Initially I was going to put this score down a level but I came away impressed at how close Golden State was able to make their game against New York so it got me thinking about what could be vs. Minnesota. In a lot of ways, the Valkyries are built in the mold of the top two teams. They may not have a clear cut superstar — that will come in time — but they are a deep and interesting roster with a lot of good players all over the floor. French rookie Jamelle Salaun has looked like a really fun forward of the future, even if she does settle for a little too many contested mid-range jumpers. But past her, Kayla Thornton, Tiffany Hayes and Veronica Burton all seem to have found their place on this roster.
In a lot of ways, this game feels to me like one of those matchups where you’re watching a big sibling take on a little sibling. Minnesota feels like the evolved version of what Golden State is right now. Like a Charizard engaging in a Pokemon battle against a Charmander. It may be lopsided now but if that Charmander ever levels up, then they may end up in a kaiju fight that burns the entire forest down. We’re a year or two away but I won’t completely write off Golden State keeping this thing interesting for a little while.
Must-Watch Score: 7/10
Thank you! This article is exactly what I’ve been looking for! I wish I had time to watch all the games but I just don’t. As a new fan, it’s hard to know which games to prioritize, so the recommendations are much appreciated!
June 1 marks the start of Commissioner’s Cup play. For every team the next five games determine who gets to play for the big $. With that in mind, the biggest game Sunday will be LV@Sea b/c the loser between these 2 Western Conference contenders takes big hit.