5 Things I Like

When the season kicked off, would you have believed me if I told you that one of the top contending teams in the WNBA would be the Golden State Valkyries?
If you’re an avid member of Balhalla, then yes, you probably knew that. If not, you might be shocked to see that Golden State &#8211; following their extremely successful debut season in 2025 &#8211; are 5-3, and coming off an emphatic victory against the Indiana Fever this past week. They’re keeping pace with the Las Vegas Aces, Atlanta Dream, Dallas Wings, and Minnesota Lynx atop the standings and are doing so with a balanced attack led by Veronica Burton. 
This exciting surge has landed them at the front of my mind ahead of this week’s list of five things I really liked from Week 3 of the WNBA. 
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<h2>Golden State Soars Behind Defense</h2>
<div id="attachment_262152" style="width: 2010px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-262152" class="wp-image-262152 size-full" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-01T144254.055.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-01T144254.055.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-01T144254.055-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-01T144254.055-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-01T144254.055-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-01T144254.055-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />Veronica Burton #22 of the Golden State Valkyries</div>
The Valkyries’ defense was their biggest key to winning against the Fever in their second game in the same week. After a bit of a testy game between the two franchises, the Valkyries came into this game fired up and motivated to snag a win. Veronica Burton had a rocking five blocks against the Fever in addition to six rebounds, three assists, and a team-high 25 points. 
So far this year, the Valkyries are third in the league in defensive rating (101.6), second in net rating (7.3), and second in assists to turnovers (1.74). They’re playing highly efficient basketball with an emphasis on making their opponents feel them on the defensive end, and that has everything to do with the culture that Burton and head coach Natalie Nakase are establishing in the Bay. And, home game crowds are becoming a sneaky Sixth Player of the Year candidate. 
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<h2>Kiki Rice Enters ROTY Chat</h2>
While Olivia Miles might be taking a stranglehold of the Rookie of the Year race, we can’t be too quick to write off some other big-name picks from this year’s draft. Azzi Fudd just had quite a signature moment at Barclays Center in a huge Dallas Wings win over the New York Liberty, and Rice is continuing to thrive with bigger minutes for the Toronto Tempo. 
Rice, while averaging 27 minutes per game through nine games, is now averaging 13.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. Her three-point shooting is what’s really separating her from the pack for the Tempo, hitting 40.6 percent of her three-pointers on a decent diet of 2.4 shots per game. 
Rice’s play on the floor is not that of a rookie &#8211; and that’s a great thing for Toronto. She plays with the confidence of a veteran floor general, unafraid of contact and ready to drag defenders into the paint with her to create offense. That’s a huge load off the shoulders of Brittney Sykes, Marina Mabrey, and Nyara Sabally. If we’re speaking to the impact of rookies on their teams so far, Rice needs to firmly be in the conversation following her four steal, 17-point, and six rebound performance against the Seattle Storm in the Tempo’s latest win. 
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<h2>The Impeding Horror of the Lynx</h2>
<div id="attachment_262154" style="width: 2010px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-262154" class="wp-image-262154 size-full" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-01T144614.075.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-01T144614.075.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-01T144614.075-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-01T144614.075-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-01T144614.075-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-01T144614.075-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />The Minnesota Lynx</div>
This is not a horror story, mind you, for fans of the Lynx. Rather, this is the sound of the horror that will soon be a fully healthy Minnesota team that’s already atop the league in the standings. Without Napheesa Collier or Dorka Juhasz playing a single minute so far in 2025. This is simply the result of a team with so much chemistry following a disappointing 2025 campaign, able to soar through the competition without their potential MVP. 
How is Minnesota achieving this success? 
A lot of it has to do with their defense. They’re averaging five blocks per game along with 8.5 steals and 37.6 rebounds, all while limiting their personal fouls committed to just 20.4 per game. With a 96.4 defensive rating, their impact is being felt. On the glass, they’re getting their work in, and that’s in major thanks to veterans Natasha Howard, Nia Coffey, and Courtney Williams. Their rebounding is preventing other teams from gaining second-chance scoring opportunities, which helps remedy their lack of size outside of Howard and Coffey in the frontcourt. 
Oh, and Miles is leading the league in defensive win shares as a rookie. 
Again, this impact is being felt without Collier in the lineup. A lot was made of the team losing both Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard in the offseason, and so far, it looks like the Lynx didn’t think much of it at all. They’re going to be unbelievably potent when fully healthy, and that’s a scary idea for the rest of the league. 
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<h2>Can Monique Akoa Makani Save Phoenix?</h2>
The Mercury, despite entering this season with a healthy Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas, have looked worse for wear. They’re 2-7 headed into Commissioner’s Cup play, and they don’t have a ton of available answers to their woes. 
 
They’re middling in both defensive and offensive ratings and are allowing opponents to shoot 52.8 percent from the field. But they’re still doing a good job of forcing opponents to find their scoring outside of the paint &#8211; they’re only allowing them to score 32.7 points from there &#8211; but, that’s not really doing much to contribute to their win column. 
Phoenix’s star rookie from last season, Monique Akoa Makani, just got inserted into the starting lineup over their rookie this year, Jovana Nogic, to see if they can find any spark defensively. In two games played so far, she’s already the top Phoenix player in defensive win shares with 0.222, showing just how impactful she can be on that end of the floor as a starter. But can just one player really change the course of what has so far been a disappointing start to a potential contender’s season? Phoenix will need more than just her activity against guards to revitalize their team, although replacing Nogic in the lineup with her is a great start towards that goal. 
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<h2>Portland Megan Gustafson Says What We’re All Thinking</h2>
After a historic year for the Valkyries in 2025, it wasn’t anticipated that the next two expansion franchises on deck, the Fire and Tempo, could re-create that same magic. 
Let veteran center Megan Gustafson tell it, though, and you’d be a fool for having doubted these two teams’ ability to succeed in this league right away. 
Gustafson had an emotional press conference following the Fire’s win over the Fever on Saturday, telling reporters that she’s never felt as valued before in her eight-year WNBA career as she does with Portland. 
&#8220;I mean, we&#8217;re a bunch of overlooked players, and I think we all have a chip on our shoulder. I&#8217;ve really never been respected as a basketball player until I&#8217;ve gotten here, so I&#8217;m really thankful for this team, this organization. They really believe in me.”
Gustafson made these comments on the tail end of a historic evening from the Fire, with her 22 points contributing to the largest scoring game in their history (so far). The Moda Center was living and dying by every shot from Portland, and their excitement was probably helped along by the fact that the team looked so confident against a team like the Fever. 
These overlooked players who have made up these last three expansion teams have been written off for most of their careers. They’ve found new life and new opportunities with these new squads, to the point where even veterans like Gustafson feel like they’ve been revitalized.

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5 Things I Like: Week Three 2026

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Toronto Tempo Top Plays vs. Seattle Storm

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Kiki Rice Points Leader in Toronto Tempo vs. Seattle Storm - Top Points

Betting + Odds

As we close out May, we’ve got some new faces at the top of the standings. Minnesota and Golden State lead the league with a 5-2 record, while the Atlanta Dream sit right behind with four wins and two losses. There’s plenty of action this weekend to shake up the standings, starting with four games on Friday night!
Let’s go over the <a href="https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/leagues/basketball/wnba?category=game-lines&amp;subcategory=game">WNBA odds</a> for Friday and Saturday’s games and I’ll provide my best bets on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Stay locked into the WNBA’s 30th season with game previews, player props, betting splits and more on <a href="https://dknetwork.draftkings.com/draftkings-sportsbook-betting-splits/?tb_eg=94682&amp;tb_edate=n7days&amp;tb_emt=0">DraftKingsNetwork.com!</a>
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<h2>Friday, May 29</h2>
Minnesota Lynx vs. Chicago Sky (7:30 p.m. ET) — MIN -4.5, O/U 172.5
Phoenix Mercury vs. New York Liberty (7:30 p.m. ET) — NY -5.5, O/U 170.5
Los Angeles Sparks vs. Washington Mystics (7:30 p.m. ET) — WAS -2.5, O/U 165.5
Atlanta Dream vs. Portland Fire (10:00 p.m. ET) — ATL -8.5, O/U 163.5
Best Bets
MIN -4.5 (-115)
The Lynx and Sky are getting very familiar with each other early in the season, as Friday marks the third matchup between the teams in 11 days. Minnesota took the most recent meeting 85-75 and has clearly found its rhythm lately, winning three straight while owning one of the league’s best defensive ratings (101.2) and shooting a league-best 51.4% from the field.
Olivia Miles has looked completely comfortable running the offense as a rookie, while Natasha Howard has been dominant lately, averaging 24 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists over her last two games. Chicago, meanwhile, has dropped three straight since losing leading scorer Rickea Jackson to a torn ACL. The offense has still produced, but the defense has struggled badly, especially on the glass. I don’t think this becomes a blowout, but Minnesota simply looks like the more complete team right now.
Kahleah Copper 20+ Points (-104)
I’m loving this pick. The Mercury are currently on a four-game skid and are coming off another loss to the Liberty, who they face again tonight. Kahleah Copper didn’t shoot particularly well in that matchup, finishing just 33.3% from the field and 22.2% from three, but she still led Phoenix with 19 points.
That’s been the biggest issue for the Mercury lately: consistent secondary scoring. Copper, meanwhile, has remained extremely steady, scoring 18+ points in four straight games, including two performances with 20 or more. Facing New York again with Phoenix desperate for a win, I’m backing Copper to once again carry the offensive load.
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<h2>Saturday, May 30</h2>
Seattle Storm vs. Toronto Tempo (1:00 p.m. ET) — TOR -4.5, O/U 168.5
Los Angeles Sparks vs. Connecticut Sun (6:00 p.m. ET) — Lines not available as of Friday morning
Indiana Fever vs. Portland Fire (8:00 p.m. ET) — Lines not available as of Friday morning
TOR -4.5 (-110)
The Tempo are coming off one of their best offensive performances of the season after shooting 56% from the field in a 111-104 win over Chicago. Nyara Sabally exploded for 29 points, while rookie Kiki Rice continues to settle in nicely as a secondary creator and scorer.
Seattle, meanwhile, is still struggling offensively, shooting just 41.4% from the field through eight games. The Storm continue to defend at a high level, but with Dominique Malonga sidelined due to a concussion, the offensive identity still feels shaky. I’m leaning toward Toronto’s offense continuing to carry momentum on Friday.
 
All odds and lines provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and are subject to change.
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WNBA Best Bets, Predictions for May 29-30 on DraftKings Sportsbook

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WILD ENDING: Chicago Sky vs. Toronto Tempo (05/27/2026)

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Highlights From Kiki Rice 7-Assist Game

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Toronto Tempo Top Plays vs. Chicago Sky

Top Plays 2026

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Top Plays of the Day, 5/21/26

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Toronto Tempo Top Plays vs. Minnesota Lynx

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Final 03:30 WILD ENDING Phoenix Mercury vs. Toronto Tempo 05/19/2026

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Kiki Rice

Kiki Rice signed a Rookie Scale Contract with the  Toronto Tempo.

Kiki Rice was drafted by the  Toronto Tempo.

Remains sidelined

Won't play Wednesday

Not playing Sunday

Diagnosed with ankle sprain

Using crutches after loss Wednesday

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