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Game Recap: Washington Mystics 79, Toronto Tempo 62 (07/14/2026)

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Game Highlights: Washington Mystics vs. Toronto Tempo (7/14/26)

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Washington Mystics @ Toronto Tempo - July 14, 2026 - Away

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Washington Mystics @ Toronto Tempo - July 14, 2026 - National Broadcast

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Washington Mystics @ Toronto Tempo - July 14, 2026 - Home

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Top Plays of the Day, 07/14/2026

Top Performer

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Kiki Iriafen with 25 Points vs. Toronto Tempo

5 Things I Like

It feels unfathomable, but the player to monitor for a near-nightly triple-double is not Alyssa Thomas &#8211; it’s Jessica Shepard. 
The sixth-year veteran forward is hitting her stride in a major way with the Dallas Wings this season, posting three triple-doubles so far this season. That’s good for the most in the league so far this year, outdoing even Thomas, who’s known for easily hitting that benchmark thanks to her playmaking and rebounding abilities. 
Shepard’s been a key cog to the Wings’ dominance in year two of the Paige Bueckers era, and it’s in major thanks to her that Dallas is on a five-game winning streak as we head towards the All-Star break. 
This, and five other things, really caught my eye from week eight of WNBA action. 
<hr />
<h2>Commissioner’s Cup Hangover</h2>
After the New York Liberty took out the Las Vegas Aces for another Commissioner’s Cup title, it felt like perhaps they’d start to hit their stride ahead of the All-Star break. A nice streak could set them up for a comfortable spot atop the league standings and keep them afloat despite a very slow start from the team and their stars. 
Instead, New York has once again become inconsistent on offense and is struggling to get stops when it matters. They’re right in the middle of the league in three-point percentage (34.5) despite having shooters like Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and Marine Johannès in tow, and are averaging just 87.8 points per game. That’s close to the output from teams like the Connecticut Sun, Portland Fire, and Chicago Sky. 
That, coupled with very little rim protection, average rebounding, and a third-lowest 6.3 steals per game, New York is lacking pop on either side of the ball. 
Since beating the Aces, the Liberty have lost three of their last four games. It feels like they have some identity issues to once again work out with a new head coach in tow, and with another new-look bench that doesn’t seem prepared to back up the starting unit. 
<hr />
<h2>Indiana Fever Surging</h2>
<div id="attachment_266146" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-266146" class="wp-image-266146" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2282658317-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="720" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2282658317-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2282658317-300x240.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2282658317-1024x819.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2282658317-768x614.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2282658317-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2282658317-2048x1638.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />The Indiana Fever huddle during the game against the Phoenix Mercury</div>
The Fever had two key contests this past week: road games against the Phoenix Mercury and the Las Vegas Aces. The Aces present the largest challenge on paper to the Fever, with A’ja Wilson being a thorn in the side of any team that doesn’t have an experienced big ready to challenge her in the paint. 
Of course, Indiana did not have to worry too much about that, with Kelsey Mitchell simply putting the team on her back in both games. The star guard averaged 28.3 points per game over Indiana’s games this past week, along with shooting ridiculously efficiently from behind the arc. Despite a slower start to the year for the Fever, it seems like they’re beginning to pick things up thanks to Mitchell, the return of Caitlin Clark more consistently to the floor following a back injury, and star center Aliyah Boston honing in on her defensive stalwart-ness this past week. They’re sitting in 5th place now, just behind the Wings, and are proving they can make even the sharpest teams look silly with their core of Mitchell, Boston, and Clark. Consistency will be key for them. 
<hr />
<h2>Tempo Trip to Montreal</h2>
I had the pleasure of venturing across the border to go watch the Tempo’s two games hosted at the Bell Center over the weekend as part of their Cross Canada series, and they gave fans two exhilarating games against the Wings and Liberty. While they went 1-1 on the “road” trip, you couldn’t really tell that was the case. Fans were unbelievably supportive of the squad during both games, and, of course, Marina Mabrey put on a show against Dallas and New York. 
Mabrey, a first-time All-Star this year, averaged 32 points over the weekend, in addition to shooting 9-17 from three across both games. Her step backs in both games just always seemed like they were going to find the net, and more often than not, that was the case. 
Some underrated performances from the Tempo’s Maria Conde and Laura Juskaite deserve flowers, as well. Both played as excellent co-stars to Mabrey’s offensive explosion over this past weekend. Conde was confidently letting it fly from three, while Juskaite seemed to keep finding all of the Liberty’s pain points on her drives. 
Toronto did a great job of feeding off the energy from the Montreal crowd. 
<hr />
<h2>Valkyries Continue to be a Brick Wall</h2>
<div id="attachment_266147" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-266147" class="wp-image-266147" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2284687221-1-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="646" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2284687221-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2284687221-1-300x215.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2284687221-1-1024x735.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2284687221-1-768x551.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2284687221-1-1536x1103.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2284687221-1-2048x1470.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Veronica Burton #22 of the Golden State Valkyries</div>
The Valkyries scored 62 points against the Washington Mystics on July 6. That’s 20 points lower than their season average of 82, and typically the kind of offensive output you’d see from the losing team. 
Of course, they held the Mystics to just 49 points to secure the win, anyway. 
Golden State has been the best overall defensive unit in the WNBA this year, and that’s a huge testament to the work of Veronica Burton as one of the league’s best two-way guards. She’s the head of a snake that is neck and neck with the Minnesota Lynx in defensive rating (100.4), and while also allowing the least amount of points in the paint per game in the league (31.8 per game). 
Burton is also one of the league leaders in defensive win shares, which measures how much an individual player impacts their team’s wins on the defensive end of the floor only. 
Despite not being the flashiest team when it comes to their defense &#8211; they aren’t hauling down rebounds or getting blocks at a huge clip &#8211; their collective effort on the floor to make life miserable for opponents on defense is what’s helping land Golden State right in the conversation for contention ahead of the All-Star break. 
<hr />
<h2>Juhasz’s Return Comes with Huge Reeve Milestone</h2>
Dorka Juhasz had been out all season with a foot sprain suffered overseas, keeping her out of the Lynx’s lineups until July 6. The forward, while missed, wasn’t necessarily returning to a downtrodden team. Minnesota’s been one of the best stories of the season so far, with rookie Olivia Miles helping lead the Napheesa Collier-less team to a first-place record and a stronghold on the standings. So, Juhasz’s return was a welcome addition to Minnesota&#8217;s frontcourt depth, but the team has been managing just fine in her absence. 
Still, her contributions as a stretch 4 who can rebound efficiently and operate in the pick and roll with Miles are great for the Lynx, and even without Miles on July 9, Juhasz flashed all of that ability in the Lynx’s win over the Sun. That win carried head coach Cheryl Reeve over the hump to get the league record for most regular-season wins by a coach in history. 
It was also a clutch three from Juhasz that sealed the victory for Minnesota, on a night where the team was unbelievably shorthanded thanks to Miles’ calf injury and the ramp-up for Collier still ongoing. 
As if the Lynx needed to get any scarier, Juhasz&#8217;s ability to keep up this level of play off the bench could end up being huge for Minnesota as they seek to gain 100% health by the second half of the season. Minnesota’s bench play could use some work &#8211;  their second unit is averaging a league-low 15.7 points per game, along with just 8.7 rebounds per game, 4.2 assists, two steals, but is holding the best net rating (4.7). 
Juhasz can, at a minimum, be the remedy for their rebounding and bench shooting.

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Five Things I Like: Week Eight 2026

Top Plays 2026

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Top 10 Plays of the Week

Since our last Power Rankings on June 29, the 2026 WNBA season has officially passed its midpoint. Through Sunday, 174 games have been played, with 156 more to go.
The first half of the season has already delivered historic moments, a promising rookie class, two expansion teams that have each racked up double-digit wins, and the first-ever two-time WNBA Commissioner’s Cup champions.
Before the stretch run toward the playoffs begins, the league’s top players will converge on Chicago next week to showcase their skills at the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game.
Let’s take a look at how the teams stack up against one another coming out of the season’s midpoint and ahead of the All-Star break.
Note: All stats and records are through games played Sunday, July 12.
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<h2>1. Minnesota Lynx (17-6) ↔️</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-266067" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-13T115150.644.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-13T115150.644.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-13T115150.644-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-13T115150.644-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-13T115150.644-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-13T115150.644-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 1</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Schedule Until All-Star Break: Mon. vs. PHX, Wed. vs. LAS, Sat. vs. POR, 7/20 at SEA, 7/22 at SEA</li>
</ul>
Not only did Cheryl Reeve become the WNBA’s all-time leader in coaching wins, but she’s also guided the Lynx to the best record in the league through the season’s midpoint. And she’s done it with her best player — last year’s MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier — sidelined after offseason ankle surgeries. However, reports say Collier is “really close” to returning, which should only make the Lynx more formidable. 
<hr />
<h2>2. Las Vegas Aces (17-7) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 2</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Schedule Until All-Star Break: 7/20 at TOR, 7/22 at WAS</li>
</ul>
The Aces are coming off a wild 24-hour period. After matching the third-largest margin of victory in league history (48 points) on Saturday against Phoenix, the Aces followed it with their largest loss of the season (34 points) against Indiana. That 82-point swing from one game to the next is the largest in league history and is emblematic of Las Vegas’ season. Of the 15 games across the league this season that have been decided by more than 25 points, the Aces have been involved in six of them — the most of any team — with three wins and three losses.
<hr />
<h2>3. Golden State Valkyries (17-7) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 3</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Schedule Until All-Star Break: Wed. at IND, Sat. vs. WAS, 7/20 vs. WAS</li>
</ul>
Riding a league-high (and franchise-record) seven-game win streak, it is tempting to put the Valkyries at the top of the power rankings as they currently hold the title of “hottest team in the league.” However, the Valkyries have yet to solve either the Aces (0-3) or Lynx (0-2), which are the only teams to beat Golden State since May 22. This season, the Valkyries are 0-5 against Las Vegas and Minnesota, and 17-2 against everyone else. The good news for Golden State: only two of its remaining 20 games come against either of those teams (both against Minnesota in August).
<hr />
<h2>4. Dallas Wings (16-8) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 6</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Schedule Until All-Star Break: Thu. vs. NYL, Sun. vs. LAS, 7/22 at POR</li>
</ul>
Another contender for the “hottest team in the league” title, the Wings have won five straight games. One more win (against New York on Thursday) would give the Wings their longest winning streak of the Dallas era, which began a decade ago. If the Wings can sweep their final three games heading into All-Star, they would tie the franchise record for consecutive wins in a season (eight), which they accomplished in 2015 in Tulsa and 2003 in Detroit.
<hr />
<h2>5. Indiana Fever (14-9) ⬆️</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-266069" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-13T115551.629.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-13T115551.629.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-13T115551.629-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-13T115551.629-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-13T115551.629-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-13T115551.629-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 7</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Schedule Until All-Star Break: Wed. vs. GSV, Fri. vs. SEA, Sat. vs. NYL, 7/22 vs. CON</li>
</ul>
After a 3-1 road trip, the Fever will close out their pre-All-Star schedule with a four-game homestand, beginning Wednesday against red-hot Golden State. Who else has been red hot? Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell — one of three Fever players who will start in next weekend’s All-Star Game. Over the past five games — a stretch where Indy went 4-1 with two wins against Vegas — Mitchell has averaged 27.6 points on 49.4% FG, 47.4% 3P, 94.4% FT shooting splits.
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<h2>6. Atlanta Dream (13-10) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 5</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Schedule Until All-Star Break: Mon. vs. LAS, Fri. at TOR, Sun. vs. CHI</li>
</ul>
Following their promising 12-4 start to the season, the Dream have now dropped six of their last seven games, falling to 13-10. Can they use their final three games before the All-Star break to build some momentum before sending their trio of All-Stars — Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, and Angel Reese — to Chicago for next weekend’s festivities?
<hr />
<h2>7. New York Liberty (13-11) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 4</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Schedule Until All-Star Break: Thu. at DAL, Sat. at IND, 7/22 vs. CHI</li>
</ul>
Since defeating the Aces on June 30 to become the first team ever to win the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup more than once, the Liberty have gone just 1-3. When it comes to collecting basketball trophies, New York holds the most recent NBA Cup, the Larry O’Brien Trophy as NBA champs, and the most recent WNBA Commissioner’s Cup. The first step in keeping that streak going is to get the regular season back on track.
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<h2>8. Washington Mystics (11-10) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 8</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Schedule Until All-Star Break: Tue. at TOR, Thu. vs. POR, Sat. at GSV, 7/20 at GSV, 7/22 vs. LVA</li>
</ul>
The Mystics have tiptoed both sides of .500 all season long, including hitting the mark eight times already: 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 7-7, 8-8, 9-9, and 10-10. While their record is nearly always on balance, the Mystics are imbalanced on both ends of the court. Washington ranks third in defensive efficiency (allowing just 102.8 points per 100 possessions), but is tied for last in offensive efficiency (scoring just 98.8 points per 100 possessions). After tying the second-highest scoring game of the season on June 28 (124 points vs. Portland), the Mystics had the lowest-scoring game of the season just eight days later (49 points vs. Golden State). Can the Mystics find consistency on offense down the stretch?
<hr />
<h2>9. Los Angeles Sparks (10-11) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 10</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Schedule Until All-Star Break: Mon. at ATL, Wed. at MIN, Fri. at CHI, Sun. at DAL, 7/22 vs. PHX</li>
</ul>
Following a three-game slide after Kelsey Plum was ruled out for at least a month with a lower leg injury, the Sparks won consecutive games over Indiana and Chicago to close out last week. Nneka Ogwumike led the team in scoring in both games, with 24 and 25 points, respectively. Keep an eye on Ogwumike’s point totals moving forward. The Sparks are 7-1 when she scores at least 20 points this season. They are just 2-10 when she’s held under 20.
<hr />
<h2>10. Toronto Tempo (10-13) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 9</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Schedule Until All-Star Break: Tue. vs. WAS, Fri. vs. ATL, 7/20 vs. LVA</li>
</ul>
Sunday&#8217;s win over New York snapped both a four-game skid and a dismal 2-8 run in their previous 10 games for the Tempo. Marina Mabrey became the franchise’s first All-Star when she was named one of the 12 reserves by the league’s coaches. It makes sense since Mabrey’s scoring has given opposing coaches nightmares in recent weeks. Over her last 10 games, Mabrey has averaged 26.1 points per game on 48.6% shooting overall and 47.2% from 3-point range on 8.9 attempts per game. 
<hr />
<h2>11. Portland Fire (10-13) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 13</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Schedule Until All-Star Break: Tue. at CON, Thu. at WAS, Sat. at MIN, 7/22 vs. DAL</li>
</ul>
After dropping a heartbreaker in their four-overtime marathon matchup against the Mystics on June 28, the Fire bounced back by winning two of their three games this past week, earning victories at Seattle and Atlanta to double their road win total on the season (now 4-7). Portland faces three more road games this week before closing out its pre-All-Star schedule with a home game against Dallas. That includes a rematch with the Mystics in Washington on Thursday. Can these two teams deliver another instant classic?
<hr />
<h2>12. Phoenix Mercury (8-16) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 11</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Schedule Until All-Star Break: Mon at MIN, Fri. vs. CON, Sun. vs. CON, 7/22 at LAS</li>
</ul>
The promise of Phoenix’s stretch of four wins in five games was dashed by a three-game skid last week, culminating in a blowout loss against the Aces (106-58) on the road. The Mercury will look to get back on track over their final four games before the All-Star break. That run begins Monday with a Semifinals rematch against the Lynx in Minnesota. The Lynx won the first two matchups this season; can the Mercury avoid a series sweep?
<hr />
<h2>13. Connecticut Sun (5-18) ⬆️</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-266068" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-13T115430.260.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-13T115430.260.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-13T115430.260-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-13T115430.260-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-13T115430.260-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-13T115430.260-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 15</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Schedule Until All-Star Break: Tue. vs. POR, Fri. at PHX, Sun. at PHX, 7/22 at IND</li>
</ul>
While the Sun went just 1-3 since our last rankings, their split in a home-and-home set with league-leading Minnesota stood out. The Sun eked out a 90-89 road win on Monday behind a season-high 29 points from Brittney Griner to prevent Cheryl Reeve from breaking former Sun coach Mike Thibault’s all-time coaching wins record. However, two days later, Reeve topped Thibault’s mark despite a strong effort from the shorthanded Sun, who were without Griner and Aneesah Morrow, and lost Saniya Rivers after just nine minutes.
<hr />
<h2>14. Seattle Storm (6-19) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 14</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Schedule Until All-Star Break: Wed. at CHI, Fri. at IND, 7/20 vs. MIN, 7/22 vs. MIN</li>
</ul>
Before sending sophomore center Dominique Malonga to Chicago for her first WNBA All-Star Game next week — she was voted in as a reserve by the league’s coaches — the Storm will look to end a run of four losses in their last five games this week. Seattle visits Chicago and Indiana before returning home to host two games against the Lynx before the break. 
<hr />
<h2>15. Chicago Sky (7-16) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 12</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Schedule Until All-Star Break: Wed. vs. SEA, Fri. vs. LAS, Sun. at ATL, 7/22 at NYL</li>
</ul>
In the offseason, the Sky overhauled their roster, making acquisitions including Skylar Diggins, DiJonai Carrington, Azurá Stevens, Rickea Jackson, and Jacy Sheldon. Diggins (missed the last three games with a knee injury) joins Carrington (who has yet to play this season due to a foot injury) and Jackson (lost to a torn ACL after only four games) on the sidelines. As the missed games have added up, so have the losses, with Chicago dropping four of its last five games.

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2026 WNBA Power Rankings: Week 8

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Pick	Name	Position	College/Country
6	Kiki Rice	Guard	UCLA / United States
22	Teonni Key	Guard-Forward	Kentucky / United States
26	Saffron Shiels	Guard	Australia
36	Charlisse Dunn	Guard	Davidson / Australia

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