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final-0330-wild-ending-minnesota-lynx-vs-los-angeles-sparks-08-06-2026

WILD ENDING: Minnesota Lynx vs. Los Angeles Sparks (08/06/2026)

Power Rankings

The 2026 WNBA regular season has officially entered its third act.
With two-thirds of the season complete, four tiers have emerged from the standings:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Tier 1: The Minnesota Lynx hold a four-game lead over their nearest competitor.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Tier 2: Only 3.5 games separate the second-place Aces from the eighth-place Liberty, with the Valkyries, Dream, Wings, Fever and Mystics in between them.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Tier 3: Sitting five games back of Tier 2, only 1.5 games separate the ninth-place Sparks from the 13th-place Tempo, with Chicago, Phoenix and Portland in between them.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Tier 4: Sitting 3.5 games back of Tier 3, the Sun and Storm are the only teams with single-digit wins.</li>
</ul>
Three takeaways from looking at these tiers:
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400">The Lynx are in the driver’s seat to earn the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs for the second straight season.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">The battles between the seven teams in Tier 2 for a top-four seed and home-court advantage in the opening round will be fascinating to follow and likely come down to the wire. Head-to-head matchups will be key as tiebreakers may come into play in such a tightly packed group.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">The five-game gap between Tier 2 (teams in the playoffs if the season ended today) and Tier 3 (teams headed to the lottery) is large, but not insurmountable. However, time is of the essence for those teams to make their move.</li>
</ol>
Note: All stats and records are through games played Sunday, Aug. 2.
<hr />
<h2>1. Minnesota Lynx (25-6) ↔️</h2>
<div id="attachment_267927" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267927" class="wp-image-267927" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288660081-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="676" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288660081-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288660081-300x225.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288660081-1024x769.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288660081-768x577.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288660081-1536x1154.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288660081-2048x1539.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Napheesa Collier #24 and Kayla McBride #21 of the Minnesota Lynx</div>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 1</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Thu. vs. LAS, Sat. vs. LVA, Sun. vs. DAL</li>
</ul>
The Lynx are rolling, picking up their 10th straight win on Sunday for their longest win streak in a decade. The keys to the run:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Kayla McBride is on fire, averaging 22.7 points on 53.3% FG, 48.7% 3P, 95.8% FT shooting splits over the past 10 games.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">There is no rookie wall for Olivia Miles, who continues to elevate her game as the season progresses, averaging 22.3 points, 6.1 assists and 50% 3-point shooting during the streak.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Napheesa Collier has seamlessly fit back into a winning squad, averaging 18.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks while playing only 25 minutes per game over her first four contests of the season.</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2>2. Golden State Valkyries (20-9) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 2</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Tue. vs. TOR, Fri. at DAL, Sun. at LAS</li>
</ul>
After squandering a 13-point lead in a loss to Phoenix in their first game after the All-Star break, the Valkyries bounced back with a win over Toronto on Sunday. Golden State opens this week with a rematch with the Tempo before heading to Dallas on Friday looking to clinch the season series against the Wings with a victory.
<hr />
<h2>3. Las Vegas Aces (20-9) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 4</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Mon. at ATL, Thu. at IND, Sat. at MIN, Sun. at NYL</li>
</ul>
The Aces won their first two games following the All-Star break before falling to the Sky on a last-second shot on Saturday despite A’ja Wilson’s 36-point effort. It was Wilson’s third 30+ point performance in her last four games and 10th of the season, double any other player’s total this season. Wilson and the Aces will be tested this week with a four-game slate all against teams in the top two tiers.
<hr />
<h2>4. Indiana Fever (19-11) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 5</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Thu. vs. LVA, Sat. at CHI</li>
</ul>
Kelsey Mitchell’s season-high 37 points were not enough for the Fever to cool down the Lynx on Sunday in a clash of hot teams. Indiana’s five-game win streak was snapped, while Minnesota extended its run to 10 in a row. The Fever find themselves in the middle of Tier 2, surrounded by teams with similar records battling for playoff positioning.
<hr />
<h2>5. Atlanta Dream (18-10) ⬆️</h2>
<div id="attachment_267928" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267928" class="wp-image-267928" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288657676-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288657676-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288657676-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288657676-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288657676-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288657676-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288657676-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Angel Reese #5 and Naz Hillmon #00 of the Atlanta Dream</div>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 6</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Mon. vs. LVA, Wed vs. PHX, Fri. at WAS</li>
</ul>
The Dream entered the All-Star break on a high note — winning three straight games before sending three players to Chicago for the midseason festivities — and have picked up right where they left off. Atlanta won its first two games coming out of All-Star, including a victory over Dallas on Wednesday to complete a 3-0 season sweep, extending its win streak to five. Allisha Gray (21.6 ppg, 56.3% FG) and Angel Reese (19.4 ppg, 11.0 rpg) have combined for 40 points per game during this run.
<hr />
<h2>6. Washington Mystics (16-12) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 8</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Wed. vs. DAL, Fri. vs. ATL, Sun. vs. PHX</li>
</ul>
On June 28, the Mystics outlasted the Fire in a four-overtime instant classic. Starting with that game, Washington has gone 8-3 over its last 11 games to climb from ninth to seventh in the standings. The Mystics enter this week riding a four-game win streak, looking to close out their six-game homestand strong as they host the Wings, Dream and Mercury.
<hr />
<h2>7. Dallas Wings (19-11) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 3</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Wed. at WAS, Fri. vs. GSV, Sun. at MIN</li>
</ul>
The Wings dropped their first two games coming out of the All-Star break before getting back on track with a win over Connecticut on Sunday despite a season-low six points from Paige Bueckers in 25 minutes. While Dallas is eight games over .500, its last win over a .500 team came on July 7 against New York. Among teams in the top two tiers, Dallas has the worst record (7-10) against winning teams.
<hr />
<h2>8. New York Liberty (17-13) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 7</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Mon. vs. SEA, Wed. vs. SEA, Sun. vs. LVA</li>
</ul>
Over a 10-game stretch from June 19 to July 18, the Liberty went just 2-8, including an 0-4 mark in games that featured clutch time — defined as the score within five points in the game’s final five minutes. Since that 2-8 stretch, New York has bounced back, going 4-1 over its last five games, with all five decided by five points or less. Can the Liberty remain on the upswing and improve their position in the playoff picture?
<hr />
<h2>9. Chicago Sky (11-18) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 11</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Mon. vs. PHX, Wed. vs. LAS, Sat. vs. IND</li>
</ul>
After hosting All-Star weekend, Chicago opened its post-All-Star slate with wins over the Sun and Aces. The win over Las Vegas came via Sydney Taylor’s last-second game-winning 3-pointer to stun the defending champs. The Sky are 4-2 in their last six games as they try to make the leap from Tier 3 to Tier 2 with 15 games to play.
<hr />
<h2>10. Phoenix Mercury (11-19) ⬆️</h2>
<div id="attachment_267929" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267929" class="wp-image-267929" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288642692-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288642692-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288642692-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288642692-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288642692-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288642692-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2288642692-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Kahleah Copper #2 of the Phoenix Mercury</div>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 13</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Mon. at CHI, Wed. at ATL, Fri. at CON, Sun. at WAS</li>
</ul>
The Mercury made the biggest splash at Sunday’s trade deadline by acquiring All-Star guard Kelsey Plum from the Sparks. At 11-19, the Mercury sit six games back of the Liberty, who currently hold the eighth and final playoff spot. Can the addition of Plum ignite a late postseason push? That quest begins with a four-game road trip this week. Here’s the key question: How soon will Plum, who has been out since June 21 with ankle and lower leg injuries, suit up for the Mercury?
<hr />
<h2>11. Los Angeles Sparks (11-17) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 12</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Wed. at CHI, Thu. at MIN, Sun. vs. GSV</li>
</ul>
On the other end of the biggest deal of the trade deadline are the Los Angeles Sparks, who beat Portland on the same day the Plum deal became official to snap a six-game skid. The Sparks are now 4-12 without Plum this season, compared to 7-5 when their former leading scorer was in the lineup. With the trade saga behind them, the ninth-place Sparks sit five games back of the final playoff spot with 16 games to play. Can they make a late-season push to get into Tier 2?
<hr />
<h2>12. Portland Fire (11-19) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 9</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Thu. vs. TOR, Sat. vs. SEA</li>
</ul>
The Fire have dropped five straight games and have gone just 5-15 over their last 20 following a promising 6-4 start through the first 10 games of their revival season. Despite their recent struggles, there have been many bright spots for the Fire so far this season, including the play of Carla Leite, who became the youngest player in WNBA history (22 years, 106 days old) to have multiple games with 20+ points and 10+ assists. Her second such game came Friday against Indiana and Caitlin Clark, who previously held that distinction.
<hr />
<h2>13. Toronto Tempo (10-19) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 10</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Tue. at GSV, Thu. at POR</li>
</ul>
The Tempo opened their post-All-Star slate against the top two teams in this week’s rankings, dropping two games to Minnesota and one to Golden State to extend their losing streak to six. Toronto has four games remaining on a five-game road trip, as the Tempo look to improve on their 4-8 road record and get back into the win column. First up is a rematch with the Valkyries in the Bay Area before heading to Portland in a clash of expansion teams. Will the newly-acquired Aneesah Morrow make her Tempo debut this week after joining Toronto at the trade deadline?
<hr />
<h2>14. Connecticut Sun (7-23) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 14</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Fri. vs. PHX</li>
</ul>
Connecticut closed out a six-game road trip on Sunday with a loss to Dallas. The Sun will look to snap their five-game skid when they host the Mercury on Friday in their only game of the week. That contest begins a four-game homestand for the Sun, who are 4-10 at home with eight home dates remaining in their Sunset season.
<hr />
<h2>15. Seattle Storm (6-25) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 15</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">This Week: Mon. at NYL, Wed. at NYL, Sat. at POR</li>
</ul>
The Storm have dropped eight straight games, are 1-10 since the start of July, and risk becoming the first team officially eliminated from postseason contention. Seattle opens this week with back-to-back games in New York — the team that currently holds the final playoff spot. The Storm trail the Liberty by 12 games in the loss column with 13 games left to play. With the Liberty leading the three-game season series 1-0, a Seattle loss in either game against New York will seal the Storm’s lottery fate.

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Week 9: Western Conference Player of the Week Kayla McBride

Latest

Kayla McBride

Career:
2025:
<ul>
<li>Concluded her fifth season in Minnesota (12th in the WNBA) by starting 39 games, tallying 14.2 ppg (41.6%), 2.3 rpg, 3.5 apg and a career-high 1.26 spg in 31.3 mpg</li>
<li>Ranked 4th in the league in FT accuracy (90.5%) and 12th in three-point accuracy (39.5%); her 103 treys were the league&#8217;s 2nd- highest total</li>
<li>Added 20.0 ppg (46.6%), 3.7 rpg and 2.7 apg in six postseason outings, highlighted by a playoff career-best 31 points Sept. 28 at Phoenix</li>
<li>Scored a season-high 29 points Aug. 22 at Indiana</li>
<li>Set a WNBA record by going 8-for-8 from long distance in the 1st half Aug. 2 at Las Vegas</li>
<li>Surpassed the 5000-career-point plateau June 27 in Atlanta</li>
<li>June 14 vs. L.A. stopped her run of 63 consecutive games with a made 3-pointer, tying the 2nd-longest streak in WNBA annals (Latta 66, Ionescu 63)</li>
</ul>
 
2024:
<ul>
<li>Started 39 games while averaging 15.0 ppg (42.0%), 2.6 rpg and 3.2 apg in 31.7 mpg</li>
<li>Set a club single-season record with 105 triples; she ranked 8th in three-point accuracy (40.7%) and 5th in free throw accuracy (89.3%)</li>
<li>Added 15.3 ppg (44.1%), 2.3 rpg and 3.8 apg in 12 playoff starts</li>
<li>Played in the WNBA All-Star Game on July 20 in Phoenix</li>
<li>Netted a season-high 32 points June 9 vs. Seattle</li>
<li>Sank a career-high and club-record eight 3-pointers June 7 at Phoenix</li>
<li>Grabbed her 1000th career rebound May 17 vs. Seattle</li>
</ul>
 
2023:
<ul>
<li>Averaged 14.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 2.2 apg in 31.8 mpg</li>
<li>Appeared in 38 games and hit 42.4% from the field, 34.2% from three-point range and 86.7% from the line</li>
<li>Signed to a two-year contract extension on Sept. 8</li>
<li>Hit her 500th career 3-pointer Aug. 24 at Dallas</li>
<li>Reached the 4000-career-point mark July 30 at Connecticut</li>
<li>Tied her career high with five steals June 29 at Seattle</li>
</ul>
 
2022:
<ul>
<li>Started 31 games and averaged 13.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.1 apg and 1.03 spg in 29.8 mpg</li>
<li>Shot 40.5% from the field, 35.6% from long range and 90.9% from the line; the latter ranked 5th in the league</li>
<li>The five steals June 21 at Phoenix matched her career best</li>
<li>Made her season debut May 17 at L.A., leading all scorers with 24 points and sinking the game-winner with :02.1 left</li>
</ul>
 
2021:
<ul>
<li>Concluded her first season in Minnesota by starting all 32 games and averaging 13.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 2.3 apg in 31.6 mpg</li>
<li>Ranked 20th in scoring, 18th in three-point accuracy (37.9%) and 4th in FT accuracy (91.0%); she shot 43.3% overall</li>
<li>Collected a season-best nine rebounds Aug. 31 vs. New York</li>
<li>Saw her run of consecutive FTs made halted at 38 on July 7, the 4th-longest streak in club history</li>
<li>Scored her 3000th career point June 17 at Dallas</li>
<li>Signed as an unrestricted free agent to a three-year contract on Feb. 1</li>
</ul>
 
2020:
<ul>
<li>Tallied 12.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg and 2.4 apg while starting all 22 games (26.7 mpg) in her seventh WNBA season</li>
<li>Shot 42.5% from the field, 34.2% from long range and 89.7% from the line</li>
<li>Tacked on 9.5 ppg (40.0%), 3.4 rpg and 2.9 apg in nine playoff starts during Las Vegas&#8217; run to the WNBA Finals</li>
<li>Matched her career high with five steals vs. Minnesota on Aug. 13</li>
</ul>
 
2019:
<ul>
<li>Started all 34 games, netting 13.3 ppg, a career-high 4.1 rpg and 2.6 apg while logging 29.1 mpg</li>
<li>Hit 42.5% from the floor, a career-high 42.8% (62-for-145) from beyond the arc and 90.6% from the FT line; she ranked 5th in three-point accuracy</li>
<li>Chipped in 14.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 3.0 apg in five playoff starts</li>
<li>Played in the All-Star Game on July 27 in Las Vegas</li>
</ul>
 
2018:
<ul>
<li>Enjoyed a notable debut season in Las Vegas, averaging a career-high 18.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg and a career-best 3.5 apg in 31 games (32.3 mpg)</li>
<li>Shot a career-high 44.9% from the field, 39.3% from long range and 91.7% from the line; she was 8th in the WNBA in scoring and 3rd in FT accuracy</li>
<li>Handed out a career-high 12 assists Aug. 17 at Dallas</li>
<li>Played in the All-Star Game on July 28 at Target Center</li>
<li>Exploded for a career-high 38 points June 27 vs. Dallas</li>
<li>Re-signed by Las Vegas to a three-year contract on Feb. 28</li>
</ul>
 
2017:
<ul>
<li>Played in 30 games, tallying 15.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg and 2.6 apg in a career-high 33.2 mpg</li>
<li>Shot 38.1% from the floor, 31.0% from long range and a career-best 92.5% (124-for-134) from the line (3rd in the WNBA)</li>
<li>Had 28 points and a career-high 11 rebounds Sept. 2 at Indiana</li>
<li>Erupted for a season-high 31 points Aug. 1 vs. New York and dished a season-best eight assists Sept. 1 at New York</li>
</ul>
 
2016:
<ul>
<li>Started the first 17 contests before having her season ended by a fractured right foot at Minnesota on July 2</li>
<li>Averaged 17.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg and 1.9 apg while logging 30.8 mpg; she shot 36.7% from the floor, 30.5% from three-point range and 85.3% from the FT line</li>
<li>Notched her first career double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) June 21 at Chicago</li>
<li>Poured in a season-best 29 points May 21 at Dallas</li>
<li>San Antonio exercised her 2017 contract option on Mar. 29</li>
</ul>
 
2015:
<ul>
<li>Appeared in 27 games, averaging 13.8 ppg (38.2%), 3.1 rpg and 1.6 apg in 28.0 mpg</li>
<li>Tallied a season-high 29 points June 11 in Atlanta and sank six 3-pointers Aug. 8 vs. Seattle</li>
<li>Played in the All-Star Game on July 25 in Uncasville</li>
<li>Swiped a career-high five steals June 30 at Phoenix</li>
</ul>
 
2014:
<ul>
<li>Named to the WNBA&#8217;s All-Rookie Team after starting all 34 games and averaging 13.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg and 1.7 apg in 26.0 mpg</li>
<li>Shot 40.6% from the floor, 39.6% from long range (6th in the league) and 84.6% from the line</li>
<li>Added 22.5 ppg (59.3%) in the Stars&#8217; playoff series vs. Minnesota</li>
<li>Tallied 30 points twice (May 28 vs. Tulsa, July 9 vs. New York) among six 20+ efforts</li>
<li>Signed to a three-year contract on Apr. 17</li>
<li>Selected by San Antonio in the 1st round (3rd overall) of the 2014 WNBA Draft</li>
</ul>

Kayla McBride signed a Contract with the Minnesota Lynx.

Adds 15 points in defeat

Buries four triples Tuesday

Nets 20 points in road win

Scores 33 points in win Monday

Leads Minnesota with 24 points

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