Indiana rallies after Cunningham injury

She sure got the boogie.

Fever rally in the face of injury

No. 6 Indiana is laughing in the face of adversity, pulling off the biggest comeback in team history yesterday against No. 13 Connecticut after a second-quarter collision saw guard Sophie Cunningham helped off the court clutching her right knee.

• The Fever overcame a 21-point deficit to beat the Sun 99-93 in overtime behind guard Kelsey Mitchell’s 38 points.

• “We came in at halftime, we talked about chipping away, being resilient,” Indiana forward Aliyah Boston said after setting a new single-season franchise record with her 15th double-double this year. “That’s kind of been our story this entire season.” [Read more]

Big picture: Reportedly set to undergo an MRI today, Cunningham now joins Caitlin Clark (right groin), Aari McDonald (broken foot), and Sydney Colson (ACL tear) on the injured list — the latest blow in what was supposed to be a banner year for the Fever. 

• Seeing increased playing time since Clark’s mid-July exit, Cunningham is averaging 8.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 46.9% from the field.

• Indiana added veteran guard Odyssey Sims and rookie Kyra Lambert on hardship contracts last week, looking to bolster the backcourt with Clark’s return still in question.

• “This group is tight. They’re connected. They stay together,” Fever coach Stephanie White told reporters. “I think, for us, reiterating we’ve got to be where our feet are. We can’t look too far behind us. We can’t look too far in front of us. We’ve got to make sure that we’re focused on one day at a time.” [Read more]

Next up: Indiana will be thankful for a few days off this week, taking time to recover before hosting No. 1 Minnesota on Friday at 7:30 PM ET, live on ION.

Seattle takes Canada by storm

The WNBA’s first-ever Canada Game was a hit, as No. 8 Seattle upset No. 2 Atlanta 80-78 in front of a sold-out crowd inside Vancouver’s Rogers Arena.

• Storm star Skylar Diggins registered 21 points and 11 assists in Friday’s matchup, combining with Nneka Ogwumike’s 15 points to help end Seattle’s six-game losing streak — and snap the Dream’s six-game winning streak.

• Second-overall 2025 draft pick Dominique Malonga also showed out, with the teenager tallying 12 points and eight rebounds over 19 minutes.

• “It was an incredible crowd tonight,” Diggins said. “First time in Vancouver, they showed a lot of love. We just love coming out here, playing in front of this electric [crowd]... We really leaned on them tonight to help us lock in that victory.” [Read more]

Big picture: Atlanta’s offense stuttered after losing guard Jordin Canada to a hamstring injury last week, netting just two of 13 three-point shots despite entering the game averaging 9.6 from behind the arc.

• Canada is set to miss at least two weeks of action, with newly healthy heavy-hitters Rhyne Howard and Brittney Griner expected to pick up the slack in her absence.

• And it appears that they’re already righting the ship, as the Dream ended No. 7 Golden State’s four-game winning streak on Sunday in a team victory that saw five players reach double-digit scoring. [Read more]

Next up: After falling 85-82 to No. 4 Phoenix last night, Seattle will look for a result against No. 12 Chicago tomorrow at 8 PM ET (League Pass), while Atlanta battles No. 5 Las Vegas at 10 PM ET (NBA TV).

Thorns stick it out

Portland got another weekend result, grabbing a point off Saturday’s 1-1 draw with No. 9 North Carolina to further the No. 5 Thorns’ run up the NWSL standings.

• Olivia Moultrie opened scoring with a first-half bullet to put Portland up 1-0, before the Courage’s Tyler Lussi equalized with a 70th-minute strike.

• With her 13th career goal on Saturday, 19-year-old Moultrie became the league’s joint-leader in regular-season goals scored by a teenager — sharing the all-time record with North Carolina’s Jaedyn Shaw. [See more]

Big picture: The Thorns are making a case for the “best of the rest,” after weekend action saw No. 2 San Diego rocket up the table with a 2-1 win over Bay FC while No. 1 Kansas City and now-No. 3 Orlando ended in a 0-0 stalemate.

• Despite losing veteran anchors Christine Sinclair, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Meghan Klingenberg to retirement and USWNT star Sophia Wilson to maternity leave, Portland has figured out how to generate new offensive opportunities via young talent like forwards Reilyn Turner and Pietra Tordin.

• More experienced midfielders Sam Coffey and Moultrie are also contributing, with Coffey scoring her second season goal last weekend to match her entire 2024 total.

Frustrations in Cary: The questions continue for No. 9 North Carolina, as they struggle to stack results after parting ways with former coach Sean Nahas last week.

• According to a statement released after the Courage’s August 8th loss to the Dash, Nahas was removed due to “confounding performance issues, culture issues, and a perceived lack of fit that created an environment that club leadership felt was untenable to the point that change was necessary at the head coaching position.” [Read more]

Watch more: “Is Portland Back?” on The Late Sub.

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Świątek clinches Cincinnati Open final

Iga Świątek can cross another item off her bucket list, with the world No. 3 downing No. 12 Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-3 yesterday to clinch a spot in her first-ever Cincinnati Open final.

• One of just two WTA 1000 events without a Świątek finals appearance, the Polish tennis star made it to the annual US Open tune-up’s last two semifinals — falling both times to the eventual tournament champion.

• “At the beginning, the level was pretty crazy,” Swiatek told reporters, commending Rybakina. “But I was there to play with intensity, good quality, and I’m happy with the performance.”

Next up: After No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and No. 2 Coco Gauff both made quarterfinal exits, Świątek now faces No. 9 Jasmine Paolini after the Italian cruised past No. 36 Veronika Kudermetova in straight sets.

• Świątek last shared a finals court with Paolini at the 2024 French Open, with Świątek going on to lift her fourth Roland Garros trophy after a straight-set victory.

Tune in: The 2025 Cincinnati Open final kicks off tonight at 6 PM ET, live on the Tennis Channel.

Seattle unveils Sue Bird statue

Seattle picked up some new hardware on Sunday, installing an eight-foot, 650-pound bronze statue of Storm icon Sue Bird outside Climate Pledge Arena — making Bird the first-ever WNBA player immortalized by a former franchise.

• Unveiled ahead of yesterday’s clash with Phoenix, the statue depicts Bird mid-layup in a nod to the legend’s first and last made-shots for Seattle.

• “The truth is I never set out to be first at anything,” Bird said at the ceremony. “But if being the first means that I won’t be the last, if this statue means that 20 years from now there will be statues of other WNBA greats... then I’m proud to be the first.” [See more]

Pride of the city: Bird played her entire 21 years in the WNBA with the Storm, leading the team to four championships (2004, 2010, 2018, 2020) before hanging it up in late 2022.

• “This statue will stand here long after we’re gone, and I hope it tells a simple story that greatness isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being persistent,” Bird, who purchased a minority stake in the Storm after retiring, continued. “That when a city believes in you, anything is possible.”

• “Sue’s legacy isn't just written in championships — it’s woven into the fabric of Seattle,” Storm president and CEO Alisha Valavanis said in a statement. “Her leadership transcended basketball and helped shape a cultural shift — one that expanded who gets to lead, who gets seen, and who gets celebrated.”

Quote of the day

Lynx guard Courtney Williams
discussing Minnesota’s rivalry with New York after dropping a season-high 26 points in Saturday’s win over the Liberty.