WNBA News, Notes & Lineups 7/5

Jul 5th 2023

Cooper BoniJohn Raudebaugh

Phoenix Mercury at New York Liberty, 7pm ET

Mercury Injury Report: Skylar Diggins-Smith (maternity leave) is OUT.

Mercury Confirmed Lineup: Diana Taurasi, Moriah Jefferson, Sophie Cunningham, Brianna Turner, Brittney Griner

Liberty Injury Report: Stefanie Dolson (ankle), Han Xu (rest) are OUT.

Liberty Confirmed Lineup: Courtney Vandersloot, Sabrina Ionescu, Betnijah Laney, Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones

The Mercury have just one win in their last eight games as their season continues to spiral. After a long offseason, this team has arguably been the worst team in the league. Phoenix has the league's worst Net Rating (-10.8), and despite Brittney Griner's return, they're the worst rebounding team in the WNBA.

New York played well in the first half of the season and will look to keep building on their progress. They'll have a great opportunity to do that in this matchup, considering they're the league's second-best rebounding team (37.1 rebounds per game) this year. Their 87.1 points per game are also the second-most of any team.

Indiana Fever at Minnesota Lynx, 8pm ET

Fever Injury Report: Amanda Zahui B. is OUT.

Fever Confirmed Lineup: Erica Wheeler, Kelsey Mitchell, Lexie Hull, NaLyssa Smith, Aliyah Boston

Lynx Injury Report: Tiffany Mitchell (wrist), Jessica Shepard (illness), Aerial Powers (ankle), Natalie Achonwa (maternity leave) are OUT.

Lynx Confirmed Lineup: Lindsay Allen, Kayla McBride, Diamond Miller, Napheesa Collier, Dorka Juhász

Both of these teams are allowing the most made and attempted threes over the last five games. The matchup favors Kelsey Mitchell, who's averaged 7.8 attempts per game in that span, making 38.5% of them.

The Lynx are 3-0 since Diamond Miller's return. She has been aggressive and impactful, averaging 20.7 points and 2.3 steals per game while maintaining a 27.9% usage rate. While she's been more involved since returning, it appears not to have an effect on some of their other stars. For instance, Napheesa Collier had a 27.4% usage rate before Miller's return, and she's averaging a 28.6% usage rate since Miller came back.

Dallas Wings at Las Vegas Aces, 10pm ET

Wings Injury Report: Kalani Brown (head) is OUT.

Wings Confirmed Lineup: Crystal Dangerfield, Arike Ogunbowale, Satou Sabally, Natasha Howard, Teaira McCowan

Aces Injury Report: Kelsey Plum (illness), Riquna Williams (back) are OUT.

Aces Confirmed Lineup: Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, Alysha Clark, A'ja Wilson, Candace Parker

While Arike Ogunbowale gets most of the attention in Dallas, Satou Sabally has been even more impressive this season. She's currently averaging a career-high 19.1 points per game, and her 10.4 rebounds per game are the most by any player in the league. She and the Wings will get put to the test against the Aces, who are currently scoring more points per game (93.7) than any other team. If the Dallas defense can stand their ground, this game could be competitive. However, there hasn't been much competition at all this season for Las Vegas.

Atlanta Dream at Los Angeles Sparks, 10pm ET

Dream Injury Report: Aari McDonald (shoulder) is OUT.

Dream Confirmed Lineup: Danielle Robinson, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Nia Coffey, Cheyenne Parker

Sparks Injury Report: Lexie Brown (illness), Chiney Ogwumike (foot), Layshia Clarendon (foot), Nia Clouden (knee) are OUT.

Sparks Confirmed Lineup: Jordin Canada, Jasmine Thomas, Karlie Samuelson, Dearica Hamby, Nneka Ogwumike

Atlanta and Los Angeles played recently for the first time this season. In that game, the Dream dominated and ultimately won by 28 points. Their 112 points in that meeting marked their largest point total so far this year. Atlanta is scoring 86.7 points per game on the season, trailing only the Aces and Liberty.

With the Sparks dealing with consistent injuries and illnesses, it's been tough for them to string multiple good games together. Last game, Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby combined for 43 points, while the other three starters totaled just 11 points.