We are officially hitting a very important stretch of the WNBA season, where regular-season games begin to matter just a bit more with each passing week. Playoff standings are beginning to take some shape, although the middle of the standings are currently an absolute mess. It’s what’s making wins and losses feel like they carry the weight of the world right now. 

Only the Minnesota Lynx managed to clinch a playoff spot this past week, and understandably so – they’ve been atop the standings for virtually the entire year, and are only becoming harder to topple with Napheesa Collier back on the floor. 

Elsewhere, though, we’re seeing surges at just the right time from one very likely source, and one that’s surprising a lot of fans.

Mystics Just Can’t Lose

I watched the Mystics contest against the Atlanta Dream last week, where they had managed to go up by double digits at one point in the second half and never looked ready to relinquish that lead. Despite the Dream rostering some of the better bigs in the league between Bri Jones and Angel Reese, the Mystics frontcourt of Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin looks unwavering in their pursuit of a dominant defensive performance as of late.

Couple that with their consistent output on offense, as well as Sonia Citron’s three-point shooting or Michaela Onyenwere’s career-best shooting, and they’ve looked like an actual threat for playoff teams. They have the second-best defensive rating in the WNBA right now (102.8), are the best rebounding team in the league, and roster some of the youngest talent in the league as we head into a postseason run where health (and age) will matter. 

Washington is riding a 7-game winning streak into Week 12, with major victories over the Dream, Golden State Valkyries, Las Vegas Aces, and the Dallas Wings (twice). It feels like, after a few years of building through the draft and remaining invested in Austin, they’ve finally arrived with this new core.

Aces Creeping Up Standings

The Las Vegas Aces huddle up

There is a world where either the Valkyries or Aces can overtake the Lynx in the standings. Minnesota has the toughest remaining schedule between the three contenders according to Tankathon, which measures remaining schedule difficulty based on opponents’ winning percentage. Las Vegas’ remaining SOS is 14th out of 15 teams, while Golden State’s is at 12. 

You never want to count out Las Vegas, specifically, and a great example of that is their recent barnburner of a game against the Indiana Fever this past week. Jackie Young can catch fire at any time, evidenced by her solo run in the second quarter of this game that got her to 15 points at halftime, or A’ja Wilson simply remembering that she’s the league’s reigning MVP before completely dominating the Fever’s bigs in overtime to finish up with 26 points – eight in the game in overtime. 

Chelsea Gray is obviously the greatest example of the Aces ability to rip a team’s heart out, though. At the end of the fourth quarter, Stephanie Talbot inbounded what looked to be a really bad turnover before Young managed to get possession over the shoulders of an Indiana player. She immediately passed the ball out to an open Gray, who hit a three without hesitation to get Las Vegas into overtime. 

Then, on a shot from Caitlin Clark that Wilson blocked, the Aces managed to push the ball out to Gray for a last-second three-pointer that landed at the buzzer, winning the game for Las Vegas and helping them along in their quest to remain a postseason threat. 

Their season could be best described as “wobbly.” They’re trying to find their footing, but some mental errors in-game, as well as stiffer competition from front courts like that of Washington, or Golden State, or Minnesota, have made it harder to play everything through Wilson. But, they have more than enough talent on their roster to take that burden off of Wilson completely. It’s a matter of remembering that in-game, and in clutch moments like this one that captivated us all.

Early Returns on Two Trades After Deadline

The two biggest transactions from this year’s trade deadline were the Los Angeles Sparks trading Kelsey Plum to the Phoenix Mercury for Monique Akoa Makani and draft compensation, and the Connecticut Sun parting ways with Aneesah Morrow in exchange for the Toronto Tempo’s 2028 second-round pick and the rights to Maria Kliundikova. 

Plum has averaged 17.3 points per game for the Mercury through four games on 40 percent shooting from three and 53.5 percent shooting from the field overall. That’s all while averaging about ten minutes less on the floor than she was with the Sparks, so her efficiency seems to be shining through with her first few games with them. 

Unfortunately, a lingering leg injury seems to be already keeping her limited with Phoenix, but that’s always the best course of action with any calf issue. Plum’s impact has not necessarily led to a winning streak by any means for Phoenix as they look to make a late-season push for a playoff spot, but the jury is still out on how she can meaningfully contribute to their vision to avoid a rebuild. 

As for Morrow, on paper, she addresses one of the Tempo’s most consistent problems this season – rebounding and paint scoring. In her first three games for Toronto, she’s averaging 10 points per game along with 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and one block through 18.7 minutes per game. Unfortunately, Toronto is on a nine-game losing streak en route to missing out on a playoff appearance. This could open the door to a bit more experimentation with Morrow’s role within their offense, especially when Brittney Sykes returns to the floor.

McBride Asks That We Don’t Forget Her Impact

Kayla McBride #21 of the Minnesota Lynx celebrates she scores her tenth three point basket to break the WNBA Record

McBride is a core piece of the Lynx’s top-seeded squad this season, and that’s in major thanks to her consistency as a three-point shooting threat. With Collier back on the floor, she has even more opportunities from long range as Collier’s gravity creates a problem for defenders. 

Against the Dallas Wings this past weekend, McBride really put her three-point shooting on display, breaking a WNBA record for most made threes in a game with 10. 

“It’s crazy. I’ve been in this league for 13 years, and choosing to come back here in the offseason, I didn’t know — we didn’t know what it was going to look like. Moments like this, times like this, you realize you made the right decision,” said McBride after the win. 

McBride is a 13-year veteran and a hopeful key to the beginning of a new dynasty in Minnesota. She’s averaged 18.4 points per game this season – a career high – in addition to 3.3 rebounds, and she’s shooting 51.8 percent from three-point range over her last seven games on eight attempts per game. Lights out might not be the best way to describe her offensive output as of late – more like a blanketing flurry of shooting.

Sky Finding Spark Again

While their season feels fairly over (although anything can happen in the middle of the current WNBA standings), Chicago seems to be finding itself again thanks to the return of Dijonai Carrington to the floor. Just the past week – sans a shortened game against the Indiana Fever following a flagrant 2 committed by Carrington – her two-way play has really shined. Averaging 16.5 minutes per game through six games played, she’s averaged 12.5 points per game along with one steal and 2.5 rebounds. 

Chicago only went 1-2 this past week, but Carrington, Kamilla Cardoso, and Courtney Vandersloot all played solidly in those contests. 

Carrington, a former Defensive Player of the Year candidate with the Connecticut Sun back in 2024 and a solid scorer, could factor in as a key piece to Chicago’s future look, assuming they continue to rebuild themselves through the draft. Between her play and that of rookie Sydney Taylor, they could have the backcourt of their future.