Indiana Fever clinch WNBA playoffs berth despite injuries

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Indiana Fever clinch back-to-back playoff berths

Just one WNBA playoff ticket remains, after No. 7 Indiana clinched their second straight trip to the postseason with Sunday’s 94-65 win over No. 10 Washington.

• Forward Natasha Howard led a balanced offensive effort for the Fever, with five players scoring in the double-digits to secure Indiana’s first back-to-back playoff appearance since 2016.

• “We never doubted ourselves,” Indiana center Aliyah Boston said postgame. “We never doubted that we could be in the playoffs, even if things looked like it got harder.” (Watch full highlights)

Big picture: Five Indiana players suffered season-ending injuries this year — including superstar Caitlin Clark — derailing what was expected to be deep playoff run while they battled through mounting adversity.

• “With all the stuff that we’ve been through, most teams would have folded, and we just kept getting stronger,” head coach Stephanie White said. “These women in the locker room deserve a lot of credit for their ability to stay resilient, to stay together, to stay hungry, and to stay the course.”

Who’s next: Both No. 8 Seattle and No. 9 Los Angeles have their eye on the eighth and final playoff spot, with this week’s WNBA slate set to determine a winner.

• The Sparks need to get past both No. 4 Phoenix on Tuesday and No. 2 Las Vegas on Thursday to punch their ticket, while a win over No. 6 Golden State tomorrow or a single LA loss seals the deal for the Storm.

Sky suspends Angel Reese over ‘Tribune’ interview

Angel Reese rode the bench against the Aces last night, after the No. 12 Sky issued the star forward a half-game suspension in the wake of last week’s controversial Chicago Tribune interview.

• “The Chicago Sky values the safety, respect, and well-being of every player. We are committed to accountability so our players can stay focused on playing basketball,” the team said in a statement, sanctioning Reese for making what they dubbed “statements detrimental to the team.”

• Having already sat out Friday’s game against Indiana due to technical foul accumulation, Reese served her suspension during the first half of Sunday’s matchup with No. 2 Las Vegas before remaining sidelined for the second half with a lingering back injury.

Big picture: Reese criticized the Sky’s roster construction, point guard development, and ability to attract free agents in the article, causing a stir across the organization and beyond.

• Chicago head coach Tyler Marsh said on Friday that the decision to suspend Reese came from the “top down,” and that the team was “just going to handle it internally.”

• “She has a big influence, whether she says something good or bad, people like to interpret it a certain way,” Sky center Elizabeth Williams told the Chicago Sun-Times. “I think she understands she just has to be mindful of the language she uses.”

Up next: Reese has two more chances to suit up for the Sky this year, first against Las Vegas on Tuesday before Thursday’s season finale against No. 5 New York.

Orlando Pride skids down the NWSL table

No. 5 Orlando’s season has taken a sharp turn, going winless in their last seven games after the reigning NWSL champions fell to No. 13 Chicago in a 5-2 Sunday goal-fest at Northwestern University’s Martin Stadium.

• While Carson Pickett and Haley McCutcheon managed to take two goals back for the visitors, the Pride’s leaky back line saw five different Stars players hit the back of the net — including a 10th goal of the season for star striker Ludmila.

• “I apologize to the fans that were watching at home, and I apologize to the fans that were here with their support. That was not us today and we have to get it right,” Pride head coach Seb Hines said after the match. (Watch full highlights)

Big picture: Once-No. 2 Orlando is in a NWSL standings free fall, struggling to find their form after MVP candidate Barbra Banda’s August 16th season-ending injury.

• One of the Pride’s rare bright spots on Sunday was record-breaking signing Lizbeth Ovalle’s debut, with the Mexican international subbing in at the half.

Upset watch: Chicago, on the other hand, hasn’t taken a loss since returning from midseason break, with the Stars putting on a show in their impending lakefront home.

• “I feel like it’s just a really cool atmosphere, a lot more people can come now, and it’s really good vibes,” midfielder Julia Grosso said after the match.

WNBA icons headline 2025 Hall of Fame class

Three WNBA icons got their due this weekend, as Lynx legends Sylvia Fowles and Maya Moore and Storm great Sue Bird took their places in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame — forming the most dominant WNBA class in HOF history.

• “Now that I’m in the Hall, I believe I have become Auntie Maya,” Moore said in her enshrinement speech. “I want to challenge you up-and-comers to learn to love and seek out joy and connection as your biggest motivator.” (Watch more)

Big picture: With 11 Olympic gold medals — more than any other HOF group — and 10 league championships between them plus countless individual honors, Fowles, Bird, and Moore became the first-ever WNBA trio inducted in the same year.

• “Put us on a 3×3 team you’d have some problems, we’d be pretty good,” Bird joked. “It is pretty special to go in with people who aren’t just amazing players, having impact on and off the court, but these are players that I got to experience life with.”

• “I think that would be fair to say that they would have the title of best class ever,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said.

Golden State makes WNBA attendance history

Golden State made more history on Saturday, setting a new WNBA attendance record with 22 home sell-outs in the 2025 expansion team’s debut season.

• The Valkyries set highs in total attendance (397,408) and per-game average (18,604), surpassing Indiana’s 349,313 total fans with one Fever game to go.

• Attendance has skyrocketed across the WNBA, thanks in part to the league adding two more home games to each team’s 2025 schedule.

Big picture: A hit from the very first tip-off, the Valkyries have seen unprecedented support while becoming the first-ever expansion team to make the WNBA playoffs in their inaugural year.

• However, loyalty will be tested when the Valks host their home playoff opener, as a scheduling conflict will see the first-round matchup moved about an hour south of the Chase Center to San Jose’s SAP Center.

Aryna Sabalenka repeats as US Open champion

Aryna Sabalenka won her first Grand Slam of 2025 on Saturday, as the world No. 1 beat No. 4 Amanda Anisimova 6-3, 7-6(7-3) to earn back-to-back US Open titles.

• “To bring the fight and be able to handle my emotions the way I did in this final, it means a lot,” she said postmatch. “I’m super proud right now of myself.” (Watch full highlights)

Big picture: Sabalenka narrowly avoided a Slam-less year, going without a trophy despite reaching two major tournament finals plus the Wimbledon semifinal.

• “All of those lessons are making me tougher, tougher, and tougher,” she said.

Quote of the day

Retired USWNT star Ali Krieger
celebrating soccer legend Alex Morgan’s jersey retirement in San Diego on Sunday.