WNBA News, Notes & Lineups 8/29

Aug 29th 2023

Cooper BoniJohn Raudebaugh

Phoenix Mercury at Atlanta Dream, 7pm ET

Mercury Injury Report: Diana Taurasi (toe) is AVAILABLE. Sophie Cunningham (jaw), Shey Peddy (concussion), Skylar Diggins-Smith (maternity leave) are OUT.

Mercury Confirmed Lineup: Diana Taurasi, Moriah Jefferson, Michaela Onyenwere, Brianna Turner, Brittney Griner

Dream Injury Report: Nia Coffey (hand) is OUT.

Dream Confirmed Lineup: Danielle Robinson, Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, Monique Billings, Cheyenne Parker

The Mercury were eliminated from playoff contention after losing their last game. Now they'll face an Atlanta team that is still in the postseason mix. The Dream have arguably been the league's worst team in August, made apparent by their league-worst -9.4 Net Rating and 76.7 points per game. They've lost eight of their 10 outings this month and are in the midst of a three-game losing streak. Atlanta and Phoenix both have one win against each other this season, but the Dream have scored just 74.5 points per game in those contests.

Minnesota Lynx at Washington Mystics, 7pm ET

Lynx Injury Report: Jessica Shepard (ankle), Lindsay Allen (thumb), Natalie Achonwa (maternity leave) are OUT.

Lynx Confirmed Lineup: Tiffany Mitchell, Kayla McBride, Diamond Miller, Napheesa Collier, Dorka Juhász

Mystics Injury Report: Natasha Cloud (illness), Kristi Toliver (foot) are AVAILABLE.

Mystics Confirmed Lineup: Natasha Cloud, Ariel Atkins, Brittney Sykes, Elena Delle Donne, Shakira Austin

Minnesota won two straight contests before the Liberty beat them by 35 points last game. The Lynx gave up 111 points in that outing as New York shot 55.4% from the field. That lack of defensive success for Minnesota should come as no surprise considering their 106.9 defensive rating in August has been the league's second-worst. They haven't been much better offensively as they've scored the league's third-fewest points per game (78.3) this month. They'll need to improve their play quickly as they're set to face a Mystics team that has gotten healthier over the last couple of weeks.

Chicago Sky at Los Angeles Sparks, 10:30pm ET

Sky Injury Report: Alanna Smith (concussion protocol), Isabelle Harrison (knee), Rebekah Gardner (foot) are OUT.

Sky Confirmed Lineup: Marina Mabrey, Courtney Williams, Kahleah Copper, Morgan Bertsch, Elizabeth Williams

Sparks Injury Report: Layshia Clarendon (health protocols), Lexie Brown (illness), Chiney Ogwumike (foot), Nia Clouden (knee), Katie Lou Samuelson (maternity leave) are OUT.

Sparks Confirmed Lineup: Jordin Canada, Jasmine Thomas, Karlie Samuelson, Nneka Ogwumike, Azurá Stevens

The Sky have won two of their three games against the Sparks this season. However, Chicago has lost six of their last eight and teams have scored the fourth-most points per game (84.4) against them during that span. Their 43.3% field goal percentage and 32.2% three-point percentage over that stretch have both been bottom-four marks. The Sparks lost their last game which snapped a six-game win streak. Nneka Ogwumike scored a team-high 18.7 points per game during the streak but was held to 11 points on 40% shooting last game against the Sun.