Bullet point summary by AI
- A high-stakes WNBA night features multiple marquee matchups, including the Dream battling a five-game losing streak.
- One contest carries extra intensity after a controversial incident involving Caitlin Clark and Alyssa Thomas sparked online backlash and suspensions.
- The emotional rematch will unfold without Clark, testing both teams’ resolve and resilience under pressure.
Tonight’s WNBA schedule is loaded with premium matchups and must-see games, including a suddenly struggling contender looking to end a five-game losing streak, one of the best teams in the league trying to survive without their best player — plus an emotional rematch between two teams that suddenly have some serious bad blood.
WNBA games for Thursday, July 9
|
MATCHUP |
TIME |
HOW TO WATCH |
|---|---|---|
|
Storm vs. Dream |
8:00 p.m. ET |
Prime |
|
Fever vs. Mercury |
10:00 p.m. ET |
Prime |
|
Aces vs. Fire |
10:00 p.m. ET |
League Pass |
Storm vs. Dream
The Atlanta Dream are in a rough spot, having lost five in a row and desperately needing to pick up a win against the Storm. Over this losing streak, their offense has absolutely cratered — they’re hitting just 26 percent of their 3-pointers and 38.4 percent from the field. The biggest problem has been a lack of outside shooting. Allisha Gray won the last two 3-Point Contests but is hitting just 30.1 percent this year. Rhyne Howard is over 36 percent on more than nine attempts per game but the rest of the team is hitting just 29.8 percent combined.
The Dream have a tough matchup against the Storm, with their massive frontline and strong defensive rebounding. Seattle has the size to limit Angel Reese’s advantage interior and really force Howard, Gray and company to make enough 3-pointers to beat them. They couldn’t manage that in their first meeting — a 15-point loss at the end of June that saw the Dream make just 7-of-29 from beyond the arc with Reese snagging a single offensive rebound.
Fever vs. Mercury
The last time the Mercury played the Fever, they came away with a two-point win and a whole lot of controversy. Caitlin Clark and Alyssa Thomas got tangled up in the pursuit of a loose ball and Thomas pushed Clark in the throat with her fist in the scramble. It didn’t receive a call at the time but was retroactively assessed as a flagrant foul, resulting in a one-game suspension for Thomas. That was followed by a slew of online hate directed at Thomas, including death threats.
That brings a lot of emotional heat to this rematch — even though Caitlin Clark will be out, managing her nagging back injury on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Mercury got off to a rough start this season but have won four of their last six games, including two of three since the win over Indiana. They’ve been getting some hot shooting from Lexi Held and Noemie Brochant with Valeriane Ayayi emerging out of nowhere as a viable second scoring option alongside Kahleah Copper. Over their last six games, Ayayi has averaged 15.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.
The Fever are coming off a brutal 16-point loss last night to the Sparks. Clark was 4-of-12 from the field, with more turnovers (4) than assists (3), and Aliyah Boston missed her second game of the season.
Even though Clark won’t be on the court, the drama from their last meeting will be present, with the Mercury almost certainly looking for some measure of revenge for what has happened to Thomas and Clark’s teammates looking to stand up for her as they have throughout the season.
Aces vs. Fire
The Aces are still locked in a battle with the Lynx for the top spot in the WNBA standings, even with A’ja Wilson missing the last two games — an overtime win over the lowly Sky and an embarrassing blowout loss to the Fever. She’s listed as questionable for this matchup with the Fire which certainly raises the level of difficulty.
If Wilson is out, she’ll likely be replaced in the starting lineup again but Jewell Loyd, with the Aces going small. Loyd has really struggled this season, shooting just 36.1 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. The good news for Vegas is that Portland is also a perimeter-oriented team, ranking near the bottom of the league in both field goal attempts and field goal percentage around the basket.
If the Aces can get some solid minutes from Loyd and strong performances from the rest of their starting backcourt — Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young — they should be able to steal another win even if Wilson can’t play.
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