WNBA Preview | July 6, 2026

Monday brings a three-game slate that spans the map. Golden State visits Washington in the early window, Connecticut faces a nearly impossible task against a Minnesota team that has been the class of the league all season, and Seattle closes the night in Los Angeles against a Sparks team looking to build on recent momentum. Here's what to watch.

Valkyries Look to Continue Their Climb in Washington

Golden State Valkyries @ Washington Mystics | 7:30 PM ET | WNBA League Pass

Golden State is 14-7 and 8-2 in the last ten, the West's third seed and one of the league's hottest teams over the last month behind Gabby Williams's first career All-Star selection. The Valkyries are -4.5 favorites at -192, implying approximately 66% win probability in a Washington building that has been competitive but inconsistent over the last ten games. Washington is 10-9 and 6-4 in the last ten, the East's eighth seed, a team that has shown real fight but has not had the roster depth to consistently beat quality opponents from the Western Conference. The total at 157.5 is the lowest on Monday's card, a signal that both defenses are expected to control tempo.

Golden State's 8-2 stretch over their last ten games has been built on a defensive identity anchored by Kiah Stokes's interior rim protection and a perimeter unit led by Williams and Tiffany Hayes that has been difficult for opposing backcourts to solve. Williams has been the engine of the Valkyries' recent surge, and her ability to generate offense in isolation situations gives Golden State a first option that Washington's perimeter defenders have not faced this consistently from a single player. Shakira Austin and Kiki Iriafen remain Washington's best interior weapons, and their ability to control the glass against a smaller Golden State frontcourt is the structural variable that could keep this game competitive into the fourth quarter.

Georgia Amoore's perimeter scoring has been Washington's most reliable individual weapon in recent games, and her ability to create offense against Golden State's defensive pressure will determine whether the Mystics can stay within striking distance. The Valkyries have been one of the league's more disciplined defensive units in recent weeks, and if that continues, Washington's offense may struggle to generate the kind of easy looks it needs against a team playing with this much confidence.

Washington wins if Austin and Iriafen dominate the interior and limit Golden State's second-chance opportunities, Amoore generates the kind of perimeter scoring volume that has kept the Mystics competitive against quality opponents recently, and Washington's home crowd provides the emotional lift needed to upset a Valkyries team playing with genuine momentum.

Golden State wins if Williams continues her recent stretch of dominant offensive performances, Stokes anchors the interior defense well enough to neutralize Washington's frontcourt advantage, and the Valkyries treat Monday as another step in building on the form that has made them one of the West's most dangerous teams over the last month.

Prediction: Golden State -4.5. The Valkyries are playing the best basketball of any team in the league not named Las Vegas or Minnesota right now, and Williams's individual form gives them the offensive floor to win consistently on the road. Computer models project Golden State at approximately 66% win probability, consistent with the -192 moneyline. The under at 157.5 is the more defensible market call given both teams' recent defensive identities. Valkyries win and cover.

Lynx Face a Massive Mismatch Against Connecticut

Connecticut Sun @ Minnesota Lynx | 8:00 PM ET | WNBA League Pass

Minnesota is 15-5 and 7-3 in the last ten, tied with Las Vegas atop the Western Conference and one of the two best teams in the league all season. The Lynx are -14.5 favorites at -1350, implying approximately 93% win probability against a Connecticut team that is 4-16 and 2-8 in the last ten, the East's 15th seed and one of the league's most clearly outmatched rosters. The total at 166.5 reflects what Minnesota's offense is capable of generating against a Sun defense that has struggled all season, particularly with Brittney Griner's continued absence limiting Connecticut's interior resistance.

This is as lopsided a matchup as the WNBA schedule produces this season. Minnesota's collective depth, led by Napheesa Collier's two-way dominance, has made the Lynx nearly impossible to beat regardless of opponent, and Connecticut's 2-8 form over their last ten games reflects a roster that has been unable to sustain competitive stretches against any level of opponent, let alone the league's co-best team. Collier's ability to control the game on both ends, combined with Minnesota's depth at every position, makes a 14.5-point spread a conservative number if the Lynx are fully engaged from the opening tip.

Connecticut's only realistic path to covering runs through Minnesota experiencing the kind of letdown that occasionally happens against significantly weaker competition, or DiJonai Carrington producing an outlier individual performance that keeps the score respectable. Neither is likely against a Lynx team that has treated every game this season as an opportunity to build on its case as the league's best roster.

Connecticut wins if Carrington has a career-level scoring performance that Minnesota's defense simply doesn't respect early, the Lynx experience a rare letdown against a significantly overmatched opponent, and Connecticut's bench contributors outperform their season averages by a significant margin.

Minnesota wins if Collier plays her normal allotment of minutes and Minnesota's depth overwhelms Connecticut at every position, the Lynx's defensive pressure forces the kind of turnovers that have made Connecticut's offense one of the league's least efficient, and Minnesota treats Monday as a professional dispatching of the East's worst team.

Prediction: Minnesota -14.5. The talent gap here is as significant as any game on the WNBA schedule this season, and the Lynx have shown no signs of taking their foot off the gas against inferior competition. Computer models align closely with the market's 93% implied win probability. The under at 166.5 is worth watching if Minnesota's starters are pulled early in a blowout. Lynx win and cover.

Storm Travel to Los Angeles Looking to Build on Recent Form

Seattle Storm @ Los Angeles Sparks | 10:00 PM ET | WNBA League Pass

Seattle is 5-17 and 2-8 in the last ten, the West's 14th seed, but Dominique Malonga's recent individual form has given the Storm a legitimate interior scoring threat that makes them more competitive than their record suggests. The Storm are +3.5 underdogs at +142, implying approximately 41% win probability against a Los Angeles team that is 8-10 and 4-6 in the last ten, the West's 10th seed. The total at 174.5 is the highest on Monday's card and reflects what both offenses can generate in a game that projects as an up-tempo affair between two teams without elite defensive identities.

Los Angeles has been a middling team for most of the season, but the Sparks have shown flashes of the offensive upside that comes with a healthy and engaged roster. Kelsey Plum's scoring efficiency has been the Sparks' most consistent individual weapon, and her ability to control tempo against Seattle's perimeter defense will be central to whether Los Angeles covers a modest home spread. The Sparks' 4-6 last-ten form reflects some inconsistency, but their offensive ceiling when Plum is aggressive has produced some of the season's more entertaining individual scoring performances.

Malonga's recent stretch, averaging over 24 points and 11 rebounds across her last three games, has made Seattle a team capable of hanging with anyone if she's aggressive from the opening tip. The +142 represents real live underdog value if Malonga continues her recent form against a Los Angeles frontcourt that has had its own interior consistency questions this season. Flau'jae Johnson's perimeter development alongside Malonga gives Seattle a two-player combination that has made the Storm considerably more watchable in recent weeks than their record indicates.

Los Angeles wins if Plum controls the game's tempo and generates the kind of scoring efficiency that has made her the Sparks' most reliable offensive weapon, Los Angeles's interior defenders limit Malonga's post touches enough to keep Seattle's offense predictable, and the Sparks' home environment provides the energy needed to close out a game against a team that has been more competitive of late than earlier in the season.

Seattle wins if Malonga continues her recent Player of the Week-level production and dominates the interior against a Los Angeles frontcourt that has had its own defensive questions, Johnson generates enough perimeter offense to keep the Sparks from loading up on Malonga in the post, and the Storm carry the competitive momentum from their recent stretch into a building where Los Angeles has been inconsistent.

Prediction: Los Angeles -3.5. The Sparks are at home and Plum's offensive consistency gives them a slight edge, but Malonga's recent form makes Seattle live in a game that should be one of Monday's most entertaining matchups. Computer models see this as close to a coin flip given Malonga's trajectory. The over at 174.5 is the most actionable market on the board if both bigs are aggressive early. Sparks win and cover.

What to Watch For Tonight.

Minnesota's matchup against Connecticut is the night's biggest mismatch on paper, and with the Lynx now tied with Las Vegas atop the Western Conference at 15-5, every game the rest of the way carries playoff seeding weight. Golden State's continued surge behind Gabby Williams remains one of the league's best stories heading into the back half of July, and a road win in Washington would extend the Valkyries' hot stretch to eight wins in their last ten. In Los Angeles, Dominique Malonga's recent individual form is the number to watch against a Sparks team that has had its own defensive consistency questions, making Storm-Sparks the most unpredictable game on Monday's slate.

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