Indiana drops Atlanta to punch WNBA semis ticket
The Fever upset the Dream in Game 3 last night, securing a spot in Sunday's semis, plus the Aces weather the Storm and more news to know
Indiana upsets Atlanta to punch WNBA semis ticket
The Indiana Fever won their first WNBA playoff series since 2015 on Thursday. (Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images)
No. 6 Indiana claimed the first WNBA playoffs series upset on Thursday, taking down No. 3. Atlanta 87-85 in Game 3 to book a trip to the semifinals for the first time since 2015.
Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell stole the show again, scoring a game-high 24 points while Indiana finished off the come-from-behind victory on a 7-0 run.
“I can’t put it in words,” said Indiana forward Natasha Howard postgame. “I’m just speechless right now, just how we fought through this whole game.” (Watch full highlights)
Big picture: The win showcased the Fever’s latent scrappiness, forced to get crafty after multiple season-ending injuries coincided with midseason roster shakeups.
“This group is just really special,” Indiana coach Stephanie White said. “It’s the resilience, the flexibility, the welcoming, inclusive nature of this team, their selflessness to pull for the we over the me, the ability to let each teammate be who they are and shine at their best and to lift them up.”
“I give Indiana a lot of credit,” Atlanta boss Karl Smesko added. “They fought all the way to the last seconds, and unfortunately, they were able to make the final play.”
Tune in: The Fever will next face the No. 2 Aces on Sunday at 3 PM ET, live on ABC.
Las Vegas outlasts Seattle in Game 3 playoff thriller
A’ja Wilson (C) led the Aces to their seventh straight semifinals this week. (David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images)
No. 2 Las Vegas faced an upset threat of their own last night, narrowly defeating No. 7 Seattle 74-73 in Game 3 to book their seventh straight WNBA semifinal appearance.
Aces star A’ja Wilson put in another dominant performance, scoring a team-leading 38 points — including 25 in the second half — before guard Jackie Young sunk a final put-back shot with 12.4 seconds left on the clock.
“I am so proud of my team, we were resilient, that’s what we need to be in these playoffs and I love each and every last one of them,” Wilson said postgame. (Watch full highlights)
Big picture: Las Vegas got off to a slow start this year, but a late-season surge fueled by a renewed focus on depth saw the 2023 WNBA champs take the No. 2 playoff seed — and book yet another trip to the semis.
“I remember Chelsea [Gray] saying in a timeout, ‘There’s no time for my-bads anymore,’” said Wilson. “We have to play perfect basketball.”
Up next: The Aces will meet a No. 6 Indiana side punching above their weight in Sunday’s 3 PM ET semifinal opener, live on ABC.
“They haven’t seen the real Aces yet,” Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon said of the Fever. “They caught us when we were a bit in turmoil.”
New York & Phoenix close out 1st round action tonight
The New York Liberty’s WNBA title defense hopes rest on tonight’s Game 3 win. (David L. Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images)
The first round of the WNBA playoffs ends tonight, as No. 4 Phoenix and No. 5 New York return to Arizona for a winner-take-all Game 3 — and a trip to the semis on the line.
“The message is: Everybody keep our heads up, this is a series, and Phoenix is a tough team,” Liberty star Breanna Stewart said earlier this week.
Still battling an MCL sprain in her left knee, Stewart will hope to get back on the floor to avenge the Mercury’s Game 2 blowout win.
Big picture: While neither team has successfully held court at home so far, Phoenix will look for a boost from the fans as they try to oust the defending WNBA champs.
“It’s just nice for everyone to get a home game,” said Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas. “[But] in order to win a series, you got to win on the road.”
“You see how competitive, how balanced this is,” said Stewart, commenting on the league’s new home-away-home first-round format. “How important it is for these kind of series to be going back and forth.”
Tune in: The Liberty tips off against the Mercury tonight at 9 PM ET, live on ESPN2.
San Diego & Portland look to regain form in NWSL weekend
The San Diego Wave have just one win in their last five games. (Stan Szeto/Imagn)
The NWSL promises a tense mid-table battle this weekend, as No. 4 Portland takes on No. 5 San Diego with both teams looking to keep late-season lags at bay.
After strong starts, the Thorns and Wave each have just one win in their last five games, with San Diego aiming to snap a two-game losing streak after falling to Gotham last weekend.
“It’s a really important moment for us as a team,” said San Diego head coach Jonas Eidevall. “Because adversity will happen to people or teams at various points, and everything about now is how we respond.”
Honoring history: Portland will also look to regain ground, perhaps drawing inspiration from the past after announcing plans to retire legendary forward Christine Sinclair’s jersey in an October 4th ceremony.
Sinclair established herself as the club’s all-time leading scorer with 79 goals across all NWSL competitions — the second-most goals ever scored by an NWSL player.
Tune in: Portland battles San Diego on Saturday at 10 PM ET, live on ION.
A’ja Wilson & Alanna Smith share WNBA Defensive Player of the Year
Las Vegas’s A’ja Wilson (R) and Minnesota’s Alanna Smith are the first athletes to share WNBA Defensive Player of the Year honors. (Candice Ward/Imagn Images)
This year’s Defensive Player of the Year race ended in a tie, as Aces forward A’ja Wilson and Lynx center Alanna Smith both received 29 of the WNBA media panel’s 72 votes after dominant seasons at both ends of the court.
Wilson won her third DPOY after finishing first in blocks per game (2.3), total rebounds (407), defensive rebounds (316), and combined steals and blocks (156).
Picking up her first defensive nod, Smith ranked second overall in combined steals and blocks (135), third in both blocks per game (1.9) and total blocks (80), and tied for 10th in total steals (55). (See full stats)
Seattle’s Gabby Williams came in second with nine votes, while Phoenix’s Alyssa Thomas got three and Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier got two.
Big picture: This is the first shared DPOY in history, pointing to a hyper-competitive end-of-year award race across multiple categories.
Next up on the league’s awards docket is Saturday’s Sixth Player of the Year announcement, followed by the 2025 WNBA MVP winner on Sunday.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone cracks 48 seconds in 400-meter win
Sprinter Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone ran the second-fastest 400-meter dash in history on Thursday. (Andrzej Iwanczuk/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone smoked the 400-meter this week, becoming the first women’s track athlete in almost 40 years to run the event in under 48 seconds at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The four-time Olympic gold medalist clocked a time of 47.78 seconds, claiming the gold medal in Thursday’s 400-meter final.
McLaughlin-Levrone’s time is the second-fastest in history, following East Germany's Marita Koch’s 1985 world record of 47.60.
Breaking barriers: The win marked the 26-year-old’s first-ever major international 400-meter flat title after historically dominating the 400-meter hurdles, making her the only athlete to hold world titles in both races.
“I felt that somebody was going to have to run 47-something to win this,” Bobby Kersee, the sprinter’s longtime coach, told The AP. “She took on the challenge, took on the risk. She’s just an amazing athlete that I can have no complaints about.”
Quote of the day
“We are quite confident that the value proposition that we offer to players is compelling and will continue to attract and retain the best players.”
NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman
defending the league’s salary cap in the wake of recent high-profile player departures.