WNBA Recap | August 24, 2026
Monday's two-game slate delivered one of the more remarkable results of the season and a reminder that even a dominant season series has limits. Golden State finally beat Minnesota, the only team standing in the way of a perfect record against the rest of the league, snapping an 0-9 mark in the head-to-head series on the tenth try. And Angel Reese posted a historic rebounding night as Atlanta held off Los Angeles to complete a season sweep, though not with the comfortable margin the recent history suggested. Here's how it all went down, plus a look at how the preview predictions and season-to-date record held up.
Valkyries Finally Solve Minnesota on the Tenth Try
Minnesota Lynx 66, Golden State Valkyries 80
Golden State had lost all nine previous meetings against Minnesota this season, the only team the Valkyries hadn't beaten, and did so again without Napheesa Collier, who remained sidelined for the Lynx. Golden State's defense, generating 12 steals and forcing Minnesota into a brutal shooting night, finally broke through. Final: 80-66, Golden State snaps the 0-9 skid and improves to 26-11, while Minnesota falls to 31-8 despite the loss ending a six-game winning streak.
Veronica Burton was outstanding, going 6-of-11 from the field (2-of-4 from three) for 14 points at 63.6 percent true shooting with nine assists against just one turnover, a 9.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. Cecilia Zandalasini added 18 points on 7-of-17 shooting, and Gabby Williams contributed 15 points with three rebounds and two steals. Golden State's 31 bench points and their 12 steals, generating 21 points off Minnesota's 18 turnovers, reflected exactly the defensive identity that had troubled most of the league all season, finally showing up against the one opponent it hadn't worked against.
Minnesota, playing without Collier, never found any offensive rhythm. Kayla McBride struggled badly, going 2-of-11 from the field for 12 points, relying almost entirely on a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Natasha Howard added 13 points on 37.5 percent shooting. Olivia Miles managed just eight points on 3-of-12 shooting with four turnovers. Minnesota's 35.6 percent shooting as a team and their inability to solve Golden State's defense reflected a rare off night for the league's best roster, on the one occasion all season it mattered most for their opponent.
MIN 66 · GSV 80
Reese's Historic Rebounding Night Anchors Dream's Season Sweep
Atlanta Dream 78, Los Angeles Sparks 71
Atlanta completed a season sweep of Los Angeles for the third straight year, but this one came with far more resistance than the preview's dominant recent history suggested it would. Los Angeles led after the first quarter and stayed within striking distance for three quarters before Atlanta's defense closed it out. Final: 78-71, Atlanta improves to 25-13 and stays fourth in the East, while Los Angeles falls to 13-25 and stays 12th in the West.
Angel Reese delivered one of the most remarkable rebounding performances of the season, going 4-of-14 from the field for 11 points but pulling down 26 rebounds, eight offensive, for a double-double that will be remembered for the boards alone. Allisha Gray was far more efficient, going 7-of-11 from the field for 20 points at 75.8 percent true shooting with six assists. Rhyne Howard struggled with her shot but drew fouls and contributed 18 points. Atlanta's 15 offensive rebounds and their 18 points off Los Angeles's 15 turnovers reflected exactly the defensive control that has defined their dominance in this specific matchup all season, even in a game that never became the blowout the recent history implied.
ATL 78 · LAS 71
GSV & ATL Wins.
Monday delivered the upset of the season in Minneapolis, with Golden State finally breaking through against the only team it hadn't beaten, a genuine oddity this late into a schedule between two of the league's better rosters. Minnesota's loss, playing without Collier, snaps a six-game winning streak at the worst possible moment for the head-to-head history. Atlanta's season sweep of Los Angeles was never in serious doubt, but Reese's 26-rebound night, anchoring a game that stayed competitive far longer than the recent blowouts suggested it would, is the individual story that will be remembered from the second half of the doubleheader.
Star of the Night: Angel Reese, Atlanta Dream
11 points | 4-of-14 FG | 26 rebounds | 8 offensive rebounds | Double-Double
Twenty-six rebounds is one of the most remarkable individual rebounding performances of the WNBA season, and it came in a game Atlanta needed every possession advantage it could generate to close out a season sweep that was more competitive than expected. Burton's 9-assist, 1-turnover night for Golden State made a strong case, but a 26-rebound game is the kind of outlier performance that stands above everything else on the slate.
Dud of the Night: Kayla McBride, Minnesota Lynx
12 points | 2-of-11 FG | 18.2% field goal percentage
McBride's shooting struggles came at the worst possible time, in the one game all season Golden State needed to finally solve Minnesota. Two made field goals on 11 attempts, relying almost entirely on free throws to reach her point total, reflected a night where the Lynx's offense, playing without Collier, could not generate any consistent looks against Golden State's defense.
How We Did: Checking the Preview Predictions
Monday's picks went a rough 0-for-2 on sides, both driven by the same underlying theme.
Golden State @ Minnesota: The preview leaned Minnesota -4.5 with the under at 159.5, citing Minnesota's perfect 9-0 record in this exact matchup and their six-game winning streak. Golden State won outright, snapping the historic dominance in the most decisive way possible, meaning Minnesota did not come close to covering. The total came in at 146, comfortably under the number. The side missed as badly as a pick can miss, but the low-scoring framing behind the under lean held up perfectly.
Atlanta @ Los Angeles: The preview leaned Atlanta -9.5 with the under at 178.5, citing Atlanta's dominant recent history in this series including last week's 36-point rout. Atlanta won by only seven, meaning they did not cover the number, but the total came in at 149, comfortably under. The side missed as Los Angeles put up more resistance than the recent blowouts suggested, but the under call was accurate.
The headline takeaway: both games broke against recent-history-driven spreads, a reminder that even the most dominant head-to-head trends carry real risk of finally snapping, especially when a key absence like Collier's enters the equation. Both totals landing comfortably under is a continuation of a broader pattern in recent recaps.
Season Predictions Record
Tracking every graded pick against the spread and total from the preview articles this season, updated through August 24:
Spread / Side: 43-39
Total (Over/Under): 43-44
Eighty-two games graded so far across twenty-nine preview articles. The side calls sit at 52 percent after a rough night, while the totals have climbed to just under 50 percent. We'll keep this tally updated with every recap going forward.
The Playoff Picture
Minnesota, Golden State, Las Vegas, Indiana, and Atlanta have clinched playoff spots outright. New York and Washington have also officially clinched. Dallas remains the lone unconfirmed but effectively guaranteed spot: the Wings hold a seven-game cushion in the loss column over ninth-place Portland with just six games remaining, meaning Portland would need to win out and Dallas would need to lose every remaining game for the race to stay alive. Seeding among the clinched teams remains genuinely unsettled and continues to shift on a near-daily basis.
Chicago, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Toronto, Seattle, and Connecticut are all mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Portland remains the only team outside the current field with any mathematical path left, however narrow. With most teams now down to somewhere between 5 and 8 games remaining, Minnesota, Las Vegas, and Indiana all sitting at just 5, the stretch run is entering its final and most consequential phase, and Monday's result is a reminder that nothing is fully settled until it's mathematically confirmed.