KC tops the NWSL | Clark's splashy return | Dream comes true

Don’t call it a comeback.

KC can’t be stopped

The Current continues to hold court atop the NWSL standings, defeating Louisville 4-2 on Saturday to earn their fifth straight win after a brief two-game skid.

• Kansas City pounced early, going up 3-0 ahead of the 20-minute mark before sealing the win with a second-half stoppage-time goal from star striker Temwa Chawinga.

Race to the top: KC is racing to stay ahead of 2024 Shield winner Orlando, who won their third straight match on Friday after a late dagger by Barbra Banda lifted the No. 2 Pride over Bay FC 1-0.

• San Diego regained their grip on third place with Friday’s 3-2 victory over Houston, while No. 5 Portland began to encroach on Washington’s fourth-place standing after downing the Spirit 2-0 on Sunday.

Moving on up: The top four teams weren’t the only ones moving this weekend, as Gotham earned their first regular-season points since early May with Friday’s 3-0 win over Utah — despite two red card offenses limiting their on-field roster to nine.

• NY/NJ forward Esther’s two-goal showing saw her pull ahead of Chawinga and Banda in the 2025 Golden Boot race, with the Spanish national now tallying nine goals on the season.

Bottom line: While no team is immune to the midseason blues, this weekend’s widening eight-point gap between first and fourth is separating the contenders from the pretenders.

Clark’s Fever humbles the champs

Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark returned with a bang on Saturday, coming off a quad strain to score 32 points and hand the reigning champion New York Liberty their first loss of the season.

• Despite Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu’s game-leading 34 points, Clark finished the 102-88 victory having contributed to 54 of the Fever’s overall points either as a passer or a shooter, notching nine assists and eight rebounds while shooting 50% from behind the arc.

• “Don’t we always expect that kind of game from Caitlin?” Indiana coach Stephanie White said after the win.

Big picture: Despite filling some key roster gaps over the offseason, Indiana’s title-run dreams appear to hinge on Clark’s availability, with the team sputtering to a 2-3 record during her five-game absence.

• “Emotionally, it’s a relief, it’s a lift,” White said. “This group, they stay together. They draw strength from one another; I draw strength from them. Every single day we take one step forward together, we’re building trust.”

Sophomore honors: Clark’s fellow 2024 draftee Angel Reese also hit a milestone this weekend, becoming the second-youngest player to ever record a triple-double in Chicago’s 78-66 win over Connecticut on Sunday.

• “I think some of the best players in the world, if their shot is not falling, they try to find other ways to get the team together and stay involved,” she said afterwards. “I’m just super excited, and then to add it with a win just feels really good.”

Big picture: With All-Star voting officially underway, this stretch of the WNBA season provides individual standouts even more incentive to step into the spotlight.

Atlanta pulls ahead

The third-place Atlanta Dream is storming up the WNBA standings, winning their last three games by an average margin of 23.6 points after routing Washington 89-56 routing on Sunday.

• Atlanta guard Rhyne Howard opened the weekend by tying the single-game WNBA record for made threes on Friday, recording nine baskets from behind the arc as the Dream took down Chicago 88-70.

• Offseason pick-up Brittney Griner has also been busy, passing Lisa Leslie for No. 2 on the all-time career WNBA blocks list after this weekend’s victories.

Big picture: The Dream have made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, but a few key roster additions plus a new coaching hire have Atlanta entertaining a shot at a first-ever championship bid.

• The momentum shift has largely been on offense, with the Dream hitting a franchise-record 18 three-pointers on Sunday behind guard Allisha Gray’s career-high 32 points.

Dark horse: The only other team on a three-game winning streak, 2025 expansion side Golden State continues to quietly climb the WNBA’s ranks.

• The Valkyries earned another result with Saturday’s 76-70 win over the always-dangerous Seattle Storm to secure sixth place on a 5-5 record.

Up next: The Dream will have their work cut out for them tomorrow as they face the 2024 champion Liberty at 7 PM ET, before the Valks take on Paige Bueckers and the Wings at 8 PM ET, both live on WNBA League Pass.

Biles-Gaines exchange makes headlines

Simone Biles returned to the headlines this week, after the seven-time Olympic gold medalist took to X to voice support for trans athletes in women’s sports, emphasizing that she believes the conversation “starts with empathy and respect.”

• Earlier this month, Biles called out anti-trans activist and former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines for ridiculing a Minnesota high school softball team, calling Gaines a “bully,” and saying, “You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans [athletes] feel safe in sports.”

Further developments: Biles later clarified her comments, posting “I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport.”

• “The current system doesn’t adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges,” she continued.

Georgia track makes history

Georgia women’s outdoor track and field won their first-ever NCAA title in style this weekend, beating out fellow competitors USC and Texas by a winning margin of 26 points.

• Junior Aaliyah Butler — a 2024 Olympic gold medalist in the 4×400-meter relay — took the 400-meter to secure the Bulldogs’ victory ahead of teammate Dejanea Oakley, who placed second.

• Georgia head coach Caryl Smith Gilbert, formerly of USC, also became the first coach to earn an Outdoor National Championship with two different schools.

Big picture: With wins in the 4×400-meter relay, high jump, and hammer throw alongside points in javelin, shot put, triple jump, and the 400-meter hurdles, Georgia proved impossible to beat.

Quote of the day

Mercury forward Satou Sabally
telling basketball icon and Between the Lines host Lisa Leslie about wanting to face her sister Nyara in a WNBA title game.