Olivia Miles boosts awards odds as WNBA records fall

Caitlin Clark — NCAA legend, WNBA superstar, and… aspiring rapper?

WNBA records fall as award season looms

Minnesota’s Olivia Miles can’t be stopped, breaking Fever superstar Caitlin Clark’s 2024 single-season rookie scoring record with her 770th point on Sunday.

• Entering the 101-89 win over No. 14 Connecticut tied with Clark at 769, Miles added 21 to strengthen her Rookie of the Year odds as WNBA award season nears.

• “It wouldn’t be possible without one, a coach that believes in you, and then two, having teammates that have my back,” said Miles. (Watch full highlights)

Taking stock: With just four days left in the regular season, the young Lynx guard is also shaking up an increasingly competitive 2026 MVP race.

• Eyeing a record-fifth trophy, No. 3 Las Vegas’s A’ja Wilson leads the league in points per game (26.2) and blocks per game (2.0), while ranking fifth in rebounds (9.3).

• No. 5 Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell is also in the mix, breaking Wilson’s single-season scoring record with her 1,034th point in Friday’s 103-85 win over No. 13 Toronto — while also topping the WNBA in 3-point percentage (45.6%). (See full stats)

Playoff-bound New York rights the ship

No. 6 New York is back on track, returning from the FIBA break to post big wins over No. 1 Minnesota and No. 13 Toronto after losing two of its previous four games.

• The Liberty upset the Lynx 93-81 on Friday behind Breanna Stewart’s 24 points and 10 rebounds, with the World Cup MVP dropping 27 more in Sunday’s 106-69 rout of the Tempo.

• “I know what I do on the court, and everybody else knows what I do on the court,” Stewart said afterward. (Watch full highlights)

Scouting report: No. 4 Atlanta will look to derail New York’s playoff seeding push tonight, after racking up back-to-back wins over No. 14 Connecticut and No. 12 Chicago.

• Dream star Angel Reese became the first player to reach 500 rebounds in a single season in Saturday’s 106-81 victory over No. 12 Chicago, making her own year-end awards case against her former team.

• “The question is whether she’ll be Defensive Player of the Year,” said Atlanta coach Karl Smesko. “She has a very strong case in a lot of the advanced metrics and deserves it.” (Watch full highlights)

Tune in: New York takes on Atlanta tonight at 8 PM ET (Peacock).

San Diego picks up speed against KC

No. 3 San Diego is on a roll, winning four of its last five matchups to sit just six points back from No. 1 Gotham in the 2026 NWSL Shield race.

• Friday’s 2-0 victory over No. 8 Kansas City showcased the Wave’s momentum, taking the lead behind a 50th-minute Current own goal before defender Kennedy Wesley sealed the result with a late-game header.

• “It’s a wide league — any team can beat any team,” said manager Jonas Eidevall. “What is important is what you have in front of you.” (Watch full highlights)

Scouting report: San Diego isn’t the only SoCal club making a splash, as No. 6 Angel City skyrocketed up the NWSL table with Sunday’s 3-0 win over No. 5 Utah.

• On a five-match unbeaten run with just five regular-season games remaining, ACFC upset the Royals via goals from Ally Sentnor, Taylor Suarez, and Sveindís Jónsdóttir.

• “The professional job and the hard work that our players did made it clear who was winning this game,” said LA manager Leif Smerud. (Watch full highlights)

San Francisco forces WPBL title decider

The WPBL title is down to the wire, after San Francisco came roaring back to tie up the league’s best-of-five championship series 2-2 against LA.

• The Firebells outscored the Queens 27-9 across Games 3 and 4, staving off defeat 17-4 last night to force Tuesday’s winner-take-all Game 5.

• San Francisco notched a league-record 20 hits in Sunday’s win, while LA reliever Jamie Mackay gave up seven runs in a single inning. (See full recap)

Finishing strong: The pro baseball upstart will crown its inaugural champion on Tuesday, capping a historic first season.

• “We came out swinging today,” Firebells pitcher Jill Albayati said. “We’re having fun.”

Tune in: Game 5 of the WPBL finals kicks off tomorrow at 7 PM ET (ESPN+).

Netflix stocks its World Cup roster

Netflix is building out its roster, as The Athletic reported the streamer is looking to bring on USWNT legend Megan Rapinoe as a 2027 World Cup analyst.

• Rapinoe is up for a studio analyst gig, alongside recently announced Spanish language play-by-play hire Andrés Cantor.

• “For more than four decades, I’ve had the privilege of sharing my love for soccer with audiences around the world, and I’m incredibly excited to continue that journey with Netflix,” said Cantor. (See full release)

Looking ahead: FIFA tapped Netflix as the exclusive US and Canada broadcaster for its 2027 and 2031 tournaments, marking the first-ever live-streamed World Cups.

• Brazil icon Marta is also reportedly on the table, potentially serving as an additional analyst should the 40-year-old bow out of next year’s event.

Quote of the day

Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco
backing New York forward Breanna Stewart’s 2026 WNBA MVP campaign.