WNBA News & Fantasy Basketball Notes 5/17

May 17th 2024Ryan Schwepfinger

Each day, this column will provide live updates for all WNBA news. Enjoy up-to-the-minute alerts for injuries and lineup confirmations. The Key News to Watch section will highlight notable injuries to monitor for the current WNBA slate.

Key WNBA News to Watch

  • Shakira Austin (hip) — In

  • Moriah Jefferson (ankle) — In

Follow us on Twitter at @Underdog__WNBA for notifications.

Washington Mystics News

Confirmed Lineup: Brittney Sykes, Ariel Atkins, Karlie Samuelson, Shakira Austin, Stefanie Dolson

  • Shakira Austin (hip) — In

Connecticut Sun News

Confirmed Lineup: Tyasha Harris, DiJonai Carrington, DeWanna Bonner, Alyssa Thomas, Brionna Jones

  • Moriah Jefferson (ankle) — In

  • Olivia Nelson-Ododa (illness) — In

The WNBA world revolved around the Sun on opening night, as one of the biggest stories in the league was Carrington's phenomenal defensive effort on Caitlin Clark in the latter's debut. Clark recorded 10 turnovers and went 5-15 from the field as Connecticut got the win on Tuesday. The 10 turnovers set the all-time record for the most by a WNBA player in her first game. Carrington briefly left the contest due to a lower leg cramp, but returned to the game and is not on the injury report for Friday.

Thomas also starred on Tuesday by notching a triple-double with 13 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds. It was her ninth career regular-season triple-double, and her 12th with postseason games included. All 12 performances have come since July 22, 2022. Before her first triple-double, there were just 16 such games in the history of the league, regular-season and playoffs. Thomas is the runaway leader for the most all-time WNBA triple-doubles. Sabrina Ionescu is in second place with four.

Seattle Storm News

Confirmed Lineup: Skylar Diggins-Smith, Jewell Loyd, Victoria Vivians, Nneka Ogwumike, Ezi Magbegor

  • Nika Muhl (pending visa approval) — Out

The Storm will meet the Lynx once again to complete a home-and-home series after facing off on opening night. Seattle had a balanced attack on Tuesday, with four starters scoring in double figures, but Diggins-Smith and Loyd went a combined 7-32 from the field (21.9%) in the loss to Minnesota.

Jordan Horston (eight points, seven rebounds, four steals) was effective off the bench, mostly in relief of Vivians.

Minnesota Lynx News

Confirmed Lineup: Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride, Diamond Miller, Napheesa Collier, Alanna Smith

  • Sika Kone (overseas commitment, personal) — Available

While Collier's monster double-double (20 points, 12 rebounds) stands out from opening night's box score, Williams was a below-the-radar star as well, putting up a 14-point, seven-assist, five-rebound effort in a win over the Storm to go along with a league-leading five steals.