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The second annual WNBA Rivals Week Presented by Ally returns with 20 video games from Aug. 8-14, highlighting traditional and rising rivalries between groups and gamers throughout the league.
Check out just a few must-see matchups beneath that won’t solely affect these rivalries, however may even have playoff implications because the race to the postseason continues to warmth up.
Note: All stats and data are by way of video games performed on Aug. 5
Saturday, Aug. 8, 3 p.m. ET, CBS/Paramount +
This rivalry heated up over the previous two seasons when 2024 draftees Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese introduced their school rivalry to the skilled ranks. While Reese left Chicago within the offseason and now performs for Atlanta, these two Midwest squads — separated by lower than 200 miles — have begun a brand new chapter of their head-to-head historical past.
Their first assembly of the season — a 114-106 extra time win for Indiana — produced a little bit of historical past because the Fever’s Aliyah Boston (34 pts, 12 reb) and Clark (32 pts, 10 ast) turned the primary teammates in league historical past to publish 30-point double-doubles in the identical recreation. Chicago had a 30-point scorer of its personal as rookie Sydney Taylor posted a then-career-high 30 in simply 21 minutes off the bench.
The Fever (19-11) have received the final seven conferences with the Sky (11-19). Chicago’s final victory got here on June 23, 2024, in Chicago — the positioning of this Rivals Week conflict.
Saturday, Aug. 8, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV
Friday, Aug. 14, 10 p.m. ET, ION/League Pass
We go from the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest because the Portland Fire and Seattle Storm play a Rivals Week home-and-home set to shut out their season sequence.
While the Storm and Fire every entered the WNBA as growth groups in 2000, the Fire ceased operations in 2002, leaving Seattle because the area’s solely workforce. The Storm went on to grow to be one of many league’s most profitable franchises, tying the Houston Comets and Minnesota Lynx with a file 4 WNBA titles.
Now, after 24 years, the Fire have returned to Portland as considered one of two growth groups this season, renewing this regional rivalry with Seattle. The Fire received the primary two matchups in opposition to the Storm this season by 5 factors apiece — 94-89 on June 17 in Portland and 77-72 on July 4 in Seattle — extending their all-time sequence result in 7-4.
Sunday, Aug. 9, 12:30 p.m. ET, ABC
This is the ultimate matchup of the 2026 common season between two groups which have outlined championship pedigree over the previous 5 seasons and gone head-to-head in three marquee occasions since 2023.
While the regular-season sequence is tied at 1-1 — with New York incomes an 87-76 win on June 23 and Las Vegas profitable the latest matchup 104-99 on July 30 — this would be the fourth time they’ve confronted off in below seven weeks.
On June 30, the Aces and Liberty met in Brooklyn for the championship recreation of the Commissioner’s Cup. Despite enjoying with out reigning MVP A’ja Wilson, the Aces held a 71-69 lead early within the fourth quarter earlier than New York went on a 15-2 run to grab management and held off Las Vegas the remainder of the best way to grow to be the primary workforce to win a number of Commissioner’s Cup championships.
This rivalry not solely options two groups which have collected a ton of {hardware} lately, however it additionally options the one three lively gamers to win league MVP since 2018:
Las Vegas’ Wilson (4x) and New York’s Breanna Stewart (2x) and Jonquel Jones. Wilson and Stewart are additionally each two-time Finals MVPs, whereas Stewart is the one participant to win a number of Commissioner’s Cup MVPs. Meanwhile, Jones is the one participant in WNBA historical past to win each MVP award: Regular Season (2021), Commissioner’s Cup (2023), Finals (2024) and All-Star (2026).
Sunday, Aug. 9, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
On May 16, 2025, the Los Angeles Sparks spoiled the primary recreation in Golden State Valkyries historical past with an 84-67 win at Chase Center in San Francisco. The Bay Area squad has not misplaced to its rivals from SoCal since, profitable the final 4 conferences between the league’s two California squads.
Year 2 of this budding rivalry started on June 15 when the Valkyries defeated the Sparks 78-58 inside Ballhalla, with All-Star Gabby Williams main the best way with a game-high 16 factors. The Valkyries can clinch the season sequence with a win on Sunday or when the groups meet once more on the ultimate day of the common season, in Los Angeles on Sept. 24.
Friday, Aug. 14, 7:30 p.m. ET, ION/League Pass
If you want buckets blended along with your rivalries, then that is the matchup for you.
There are at present seven gamers averaging at the very least 20 factors per recreation this season, and three of them can be featured on this recreation: Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell (24.0 ppg, 2nd) and Caitlin Clark (21.5 ppg, third), and Dallas’ Paige Bueckers (20.3 ppg, seventh).
If you want No. 1 picks blended along with your rivalries, that is additionally the matchup for you.
This recreation options every of the final 4 high general picks within the WNBA Draft: Indiana’s Aliyah Boston (2023) and Clark (2024), and Dallas’ Bueckers (2025) and Azzi Fudd (2026).
This is the primary assembly between these squads since their season opener on May 9. The stars confirmed out in that extremely anticipated matchup, with six gamers scoring 20-plus factors: Indiana’s Mitchell (30), Boston (23), and Clark (20), in addition to Dallas’ Arike Ogunbowale (22), Bueckers (20), and Odyssey Sims (20).
Dallas earned a 107-104 win, that means a win on this Rivals Week matchup or of their closing assembly on Aug. 20 would clinch the season sequence for the Wings. That head-to-head tiebreaker may very well be essential, as each groups enter this week neck-and-neck in the midst of the playoff race with matching 19-11 data.
This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its unique location you’ll be able to go to the hyperlink bellow:
https://www.wnba.com/news/2026-wnba-rivals-week-key-games
and if you wish to take away this text from our web site please contact us
This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its unique location you…
This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its authentic location you…
This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its authentic location you…
This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its unique location you…
This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its authentic location you…
This web page was created programmatically, to learn the article in its unique location you…