WNBA resumes, so do the dominant Breanna Stewart and the Liberty

The first-place New York Liberty picked up where they left off before the Olympic break, dominating the Los Angeles Sparks 103-68 as the WNBA returned to action Thursday. The Washington Mystics got two welcome returns personnel-wise — though not a victory — and the Phoenix Mercury’s three Olympians were among the Paris gold medalists who looked fresh and ready to go.

The league is back in action with the push for the playoffs on everyone’s minds. With about a month left in the regular season, teams know every game from here on has an impact. The Liberty, seeking the franchise’s first WNBA title, are focused on the No. 1 seed as the goal.

For the third-place Minnesota Lynx, who won the Commissioner’s Cup final in June, facing a closer-to-full strength Mystics squad was a good test to get the rest of their schedule started. Their 79-68 win was the closest game of the night, and Olympic gold medalist Napheesa Collier got things going with her 13th double-double of the season.

The sixth-place Mercury, who hovered around a .500 record for much of the first part of the season, got an 85-65 victory at Chicago on Thursday that moved them to 14-12 and — they hope — a chance to perhaps catch up with the WNBA’s top five. Sky forward Angel Reese (11 points, 15 rebounds) got her 18th double-double, moving her closer to Tina Charles’ rookie record (22, set in 2010).

Five other teams, including the Indiana Fever with rookie standout Caitlin Clark, will get back to action Friday, while the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces return Saturday as they host last season’s WNBA Finals foe New York. Here’s a look at what stood out as the WNBA hit the hardwood again.

How did the Olympians play?

Philippou: The Olympians showed few signs of jet lag. All U.S. national team members who played Thursday scored in double figures, including the major stars of the night — Kahleah Copper (29 points), Brittney Griner (23), Breanna Stewart (27) — helping their WNBA teams cruise to victories in their first games back. New York’s starters didn’t need to play major minutes with the team pulling ahead by as many as 40, while Phoenix’s main five each played at least 30.

Whether fatigue hits over the course of the second half is something to monitor, but with the way the Liberty and Mercury came out Thursday, they could be making statements about what’s in store in the coming weeks and months. The Mercury in particular are a team to monitor — if their core is all finally healthy at the same time, can they make a late run?

Voepel: Griner was 10 of 12 from the field, with 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks — one of her most complete games of the season. Injuries limited her to 15 of the Mercury’s first 25 games. But if Griner, Copper and Diana Taurasi (11 points, 4 assists) are leading the way, Phoenix can be dangerous.

“After this [Olympic] break, there’s a lot of teams, a lot of people that are hungry,” Griner said. “I know we’re ready to make that push. The Sky’s the limit for this team. I think we’ll do really, really good.”

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Which teams looked rusty?

Philippou: Chicago left a lot to be desired, though that might have had to do more so with personnel changes: This was its first game since Marina Mabrey was traded to Connecticut, while Chennedy Carter was ruled out earlier Thursday due to a non-COVID illness. The lack of floor spacing without Mabrey on the court, plus the absence of Carter’s explosiveness and ability to create, really spelled trouble for the Sky: Their 65 points were their second fewest on the season.

It’ll take some time for their return in the Mabrey trade — Rachel Banham (7 points, 26 minutes) and Moriah Jefferson (2 points, 12 minutes) — to settle into things, but even if Carter is back soon, Chicago will need them to help jump-start the offense and find ways to open things up in the paint as they eye a playoff berth in Year 1 under Teresa Weatherspoon.

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Will a team like Washington impact the playoff picture?

Voepel: Perhaps so, even though the Mystics themselves — in last place at 6-20 — aren’t going to make it, they could have an impact on other teams as a spoiler of sorts. Injuries devastated the Mystics in the season’s first half, but center Shakira Austin (9 points, 10 rebounds) returned to action Thursday for the first time since May 31 and guard Brittney Sykes (11 points, 4 rebounds) was back for her first action since June 11.

While Washington realistically might be looking more toward the 2025 draft and season, seeing the team looking closer to what it hoped to be finish out this season can be a boost. And the Mystics should be playing without much pressure.

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What’s one thing to watch as more teams resume?

Philippou: Speaking of Mabrey, we’ll get our first look at how she is incorporated into the Sun offense Friday when she faces another one of her former teams in the Dallas Wings. Will her 3-point shooting elevate the Sun’s offense as they’d hoped when they traded for her? That game will also mark Satou Sabally‘s first contest for the Wings this season after she was sidelined with a shoulder injury, but if she can play like she did at the Olympics for Germany, she could help Dallas make some noise in the second half.

Voepel: It will be interesting to see the Liberty face the Aces again. New York really took it to the Sparks on Thursday, even without Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who is still recovering from knee surgery, and the Liberty really want to send the message that they are the league’s best.

The first meeting this season between the Liberty and Aces was June 15 at Las Vegas, a 90-82 Liberty win that moved Aces star A’ja Wilson to tears in the postgame as she promised she would help inspire her teammates to play better. The Aces dropped to 6-6 with that loss; they are 10-2 since. This will be the second of the three regular-season meetings between New York and Las Vegas. The last is in Brooklyn on Sept. 8.