Sidelines with Lily

  A heavily anticipated contest that came right after the All-Star break, this matchup between the Dallas Wings and Atlanta Dream delivered as it came down to the final buzzer. Inside the Wings-Dream Matchup Fresh out of a break and record-breaking All-Star Weekend, WNBA fans across the globe were in for a treat when the Dallas Wings faced off against the Atlanta Dream earlier this evening (July 29, 2026). Neck and neck with each other, the Wings and Dream were separated by one game in the WNBA standings with Dallas at 18-10 and Atlanta with a 17-10 record. Not only was this matchup crucial to where these teams stand in the W, but it also played a huge factor into the trajectories of their seasons in the final stretch before the playoffs. To start this contest, the Wings and Dream went back-and-forth exchanging buckets in the first quarter with Jessica Shepard leading the way for Dallas with 8 points. Although Atlanta's Allisha Gray would get started early offensively, it was the g...

  In a star-studded All-Star Weekend, so much history was made from the largest attendance in WNBA All-Star history (19,783) to record breaking winners in the events. 2026 All-Star Weekend did not disappoint. Team Washington Dominates in Shooting Stars Contest Understanding the Shooting Stars Contest Format In the 2026 WNBA Shooting Stars Contest, each team consisted of a WNBA legend, current WNBA player, and rising high school star. In the First Round, each team had one minute and ten seconds for each player to shoot one shot from each of the seven marked spots. When a shot is made, a set number of points are awarded depending on the location of the marked shot. Shots made inside the paint are worth one point, shots made inside the arc are worth two points, shots outside of the arc are worth three points, and only shots made at Spot 7 are worth four points. Once the team makes it to the seventh shot, they may continue to shoot there until their time is up. That said, they must mai...

  After opening her sophomore season with confidence and emerging as one of the Portland Fire's brightest young contributors, Sarah Ashlee Barker saw her breakout campaign interrupted by an injury against the Dallas Wings. Sarah Ashlee Barker's Journey: From Rookie to Rising Star Finding Her Role: SAB's First Season in Los Angeles Even from her 45-point performance in the Second Round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament (March Madness), people knew Sarah Ashlee Barker was something special. The Ninth-Overall Pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Barker was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks. Playing behind LA's lead point guard and 5x All-Star Kelsey Plum, Barker would only start 8 games in her rookie season while averaging just over 14 minutes per game. Making the most of the minutes she earned, SAB averaged 3.1 points and 1.9 assists per game in her rookie season for LA. In the Sparks' final game of the season, Barker would put up a career-high (at the time) of 15 points followe...

  In the Chicago Sky's final game before WNBA All-Star Weekend, rookie guard Sydney Taylor proved being undrafted says nothing about your ability to compete with the best in the world. The Growth Behind Taylor's Breakout An undrafted rookie out of Louisville, Sydney Taylor has been looking to prove herself as a competitor in the WNBA since day one. After being invited to their training camp in April of 2026, the Chicago Sky would go on to sign Sydney Taylor as they saw her potential. To start the season, many were unsure of how far Taylor's impact could go due to the fact that she was playing behind some of the league's most elite guards in Skylar Diggins, DiJonai Carrington, and Natasha Cloud. Not to mention she would also be competing with 2026 Fifth-Overall Pick, Gabriela Jaquez for playing time. In Chicago's second and final preseason game, Sydney Taylor showed great potential in her 23-point performance shooting nearly 54% from the field. This not only gave the...

  Having played her first game in 299 days after enduring and rehabbing from double ankle surgery, Napheesa Collier hasn't missed a beat. Collier's Long Road to Recovery Sustaining a major injury in Game 3 of the WNBA Semifinals last postseason, it was clear that Napheesa Collier would be sidelined for a period of time, but many fans did not expect it to nearly reach 300 days off the court. In their Game 3 matchup with the Phoenix Mercury in the 2025 WNBA Semifinals, Collier tore three ligaments in her left ankle as well as a muscle in her left shin. This gruesome injury would immediately sideline Collier for the remainder of the 2025 WNBA Playoffs, leaving the Minnesota Lynx to fight without their MVP. In Game 4 of their series with the Mercury, the Lynx would fall short of victory, and their 2025 playoff run would end. Following the 2025 WNBA season, Napheesa Collier would also miss the 2026 Unrivaled season, an offseason league that she founded alongside New York Liberty sta...

  Despite continuing her hot streak, Paige Bueckers sustained an injury late in the fourth quarter in the Dallas Wings' matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks that has fans wondering her status in upcoming games. Breaking Down Bueckers' Game vs. Los Angeles On an absolute heater the past 8 games prior to the Dallas Wings' matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks, Paige Bueckers has been nothing short of dominate. This stretch of elite basketball didn't end for Bueckers against the Sparks as she put up yet another 25-point game. Including her performance in this matchup with the Sparks, Bueckers now averages 24.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game in her incredible 9-game stretch. To start off this contest with LA, Bueckers had it all going for Dallas from creating and knocking down her own shots to being the efficient ball facilitator is to lead her teammates to succeed. A consistent and reliable first half, Bueckers would contribute 12 points and 4 assists of her o...

  As 2026 WNBA All-Star Weekend continues to take its form, the rosters are set as Teresa Spoon and Cynthia Cooper have made their selections. Official 2026 WNBA All-Star Draft Rosters Team Spoon With a goal coming into the draft to select a well-rounded team of playmakers, scorers, rebounders, and defenders, GM of Team Spoon, Teresa Weatherspoon did just that. Team Spoon's 2026 WNBA All-Star roster is as followed: Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever A'ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever Jessica Shepard, Dallas Wings Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream Jonquel Jones, New York Liberty Courtney Williams, Minnesota Lynx Kiki Iriafen, Washington Mystics Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles Sparks Team Coop Similar to Teresa Weatherspoon, Cynthia Cooper came into the 2026 WNBA All-Star Draft with the goal of selecting scorers and rebounders that can push the pace up and down the court. Competing against a stacked Team Spoon, Team Coop also has their fair shar...

  With the WNBA releasing that the 2026 WNBA All-Star Draft will take place at 3:30 pm EST tomorrow (July 15) on ESPN, it's time to make some final last minute predictions. Setting the Stage Taking place in Chicago, Illinois, the final pieces of the 2026 WNBA All-Star Weekend are falling into place. Kicking off the weekend on July 24, 2026, the State Farm 3-Point Contest and Kia WNBA Shooting Stars events will take place in Wintrust Area on Friday night. The participants in both of these events are not announced but are expected to be in the near future. Following the skills-based events on Friday night, the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game will take place on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at 8:30 pm EST in United Center. Although the league has announced the head coaches of the teams to be the Minnesota Lynx's Cheryl Reeve and the Las Vegas Aces' Becky Hammon, one thing is missing and that's the rosters. As previously stated, the 2026 WNBA All-Star Draft will take place tomorrow at 3...

  In a comeback that came down to the final few minutes, the Dallas Wings win their fifth straight game in a 96-91 victory against the Chicago Sky. The Wings Soar Past the Sky Breaking Down the Fifth Straight Win On a heater and hungry for more, the Dallas Wings have proved doubters wrong in numerous ways. Whether it's through their 15 wins and 4-game win streak (both prior to this matchup) or the chemistry that they have formed in so little time, the Wings have turned around the trajectory of their once falling franchise. Entering this matchup with the Chicago Sky with not just a target on their back, but a chip on their shoulder, the Dallas Wings were ready. Although the Sky controlled majority of this matchup with another career performance from undrafted rookie, Sydney Taylor, the Wings were able to collect themselves and prevail in crunch time. Although Dallas' Jessica Shepard was doing her thing and even put up a 19-point 10-rebound double-double, the Wings' ability t...

  Just one game after defeating the Phoenix Mercury with a 48-point margin of victory, the Las Vegas Aces fall to the Indiana Fever in a 34-point loss as Indiana's big three took over. From a 48-Point Victory to a 34-Point Defeat Recapping the Aces' 48-Point Blowout Against the Mercury Coming into this matchup with the Phoenix Mercury, it was clear that the Las Vegas Aces did not come to mess around. In her second game back since her brief sidelining with an ankle injury, A'ja Wilson had a seamless return. From putting up a 32-point 10-rebound double-double on July 9, 2026, to a 21-point 15-rebound double-double against the Mercury, her dominance was never in jeopardy. With both Chelsea Gray connecting on 3 three-pointers and Wilson already contributing 12 out of her 21 total points in the first quarter, the Aces were able to easily jump to a 20-point lead to end the opening quarter. Las Vegas' control didn't stop there as the lead grew to 54 points with over half o...

  If you haven't started considering Paige Bueckers as a 2026 WNBA MVP candidate, then you better start now. A 7-Game Run that Demands Attention Why This Stretch Strengthened Her MVP Case The past 7 games for Paige Bueckers have been nothing short of impressive. Averaging 24.7 points per game during this run, Bueckers has had a chip on her shoulder as she looks to increase her stocks in the MVP race. With recent MVP front-runners and top two in the W in scoring, A'ja Wilson out for the Las Vegas Aces' last few games as well as Los Angeles Spark's lead point guard, Kelsey Plum out for an extended period, all eyes have turned to Bueckers. Showing off every tool in her skillset, Bueckers has lit up the league and during her 7-game run of complete dominance, she has led the Dallas Wings to 5 victories. As electrifying as Bueckers' scoring ability has always been, she continues to put the world on notice with her ability to knock down shots in the midrange. It is in thes...

  Despite the recent loss of their superstar floor general, Kelsey Plum, the Los Angeles Sparks have found their groove recently with back-to-back wins. Back-to-Back Double-Digit Wins July 8 vs. Indiana Fever Prior to this matchup with the Indiana Fever, the LA Sparks were on a 3-game losing streak, the third loss coming at the start of their 3-game homestand against the Seattle Storm. Each of these previous three losses were hard as the Sparks lost by 18+ points in each matchup. In one of those matchups, the Los Angeles Sparks took a 24-point loss to the Indiana Fever, making this second contest with the Fever a must-win as they already lost to them twice this season. If there was a mindset coming into this matchup for the Sparks it would simply be to play comfortably on offense and attack on defense. This is exactly what LA did as they shot a team field-goal percentage of 51%, three-point percentage of 45%, and 85% from the charity stripe. This was huge for the Sparks and a gamec...

  After experiencing a challenging run of games, the Atlanta Dream defeated the Seattle Storm to snap their 5-game losing streak and start their 3-game homestand strong. A Much-Needed Breakthrough Game Recap This matchup with the Seattle Storm was a must-win for the Atlanta Dream. Not only had the Dream lost their last 5 games, but they were looking to even the series with Seattle as they previously lost to them on June 27, 2026, by 15 points. With the odds stacked against them, the Atlanta Dream were not only able to come out victorious with an 89-78 win but also return to the style of Dream basketball that we all know and love. To start the game, the Storm would go on a 5-0 run in the 90 seconds of the game. As seen in previous matchups, this wasn't a good sign for the Dream as they hadn't done well when starting the game down several points. That said, Angel Reese got Atlanta going with a deflection that turned into a breakaway layup. It was only up from there for the Dream ...

  The 2026 WNBA All-Star player pool is complete, but as with every year, several deserving players were left off the list. Some of the Most Deserving Non-Selections Alyssa Thomas, Phoenix Mercury One of the few players close to averaging a triple-double, it's a complete shock that Alyssa Thomas isn't an All-Star this year period. After the 2026 WNBA All-Star Starters were announced, many WNBA fans were surprised to find out that AT wasn't on the list, let alone not an All-Star at all. Regardless of how the voting finished, one cannot deny the force that Thomas is for the Mercury. Thomas currently averages 14.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. Such dominance in every area is why fans are not only confused but also infuriated at the matter. Azzi Fudd, Dallas Wings An underdog, but also a deserving player to say the least, both Dallas Wings fans and WNBA fans were also uncertain about Azzi Fudd not finding a spot as a 2026 WNBA All-Star. Although he...