WNBA News & Fantasy Basketball Notes 6/25

Jun 25th 2024J.J. Calle

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

  • Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (knee) — Not on injury report

  • Courtney Vandersloot (conditioning) — Not on injury report

  • Diamond Miller (knee) — Out

Follow us on Twitter at @Underdog__WNBA for notifications.

Minnesota Lynx News

Confirmed Lineup: Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride, Bridget Carleton, Napheesa Collier, Alanna Smith

  • Diamond Miller (knee) — Out

The Lynx enter the Commissioner's Cup final with a league-best six-game winning streak. They also beat the Liberty 84-67 earlier this season and hold a league-best +13.0 Net Rating on the road.

Miller underwent a surgical procedure at the end of May and has been upgraded from out for the first time since. Her replacement in the starting lineup, Carleton, is one of three Lynx who has converted at least 47.4% of their three-point attempts since the surgery -- all three are in the top 10 in accuracy among rotation players over that span.

New York Liberty News

Confirmed Lineup: Sabrina Ionescu, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Kayla Thornton, Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones

  • Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (knee) — Not on injury report

  • Courtney Vandersloot (conditioning) — Not on injury report

  • Nyara Sabally (back) — Out

The Liberty have won 11 of their last 12 games, but only two of those wins came against teams with winning records. Despite missing Vandersloot over the previous eight games, the Liberty have led the league with a +15.8 Net Rating in June. They've also played more games than any other team this month, and they'll play their fifth game in eight days as opposed to the Lynx, who last played on Saturday and just three times over the last week.

Before Sunday's win, coach Brondello said of Laney-Hamilton:

"It'd be nice to have her in the Commissioner's Cup...Because an extra body and our schedule's a little bit probably more grueling."

Brondello added the Liberty are not a team to rush players back, as evidenced by Sabally missing every game in June and Vandersloot missing the last two games for conditioning. Because of Laney-Hamilton's absence, the Liberty have played with the minimum of eight active players in three straight contests.