WNBA Recap | August 25, 2026
Tuesday's three-game slate delivered a genuine franchise milestone and two results that reinforced the season's late-stage storylines. Connecticut closed out its season series with Chicago on a win. Dallas clinched its first playoff spot since 2023, tying the franchise's single-season wins record along the way. And Washington continued its pivotal six-game road trip with a win in Phoenix. Here's how it all went down, plus a look at how the preview predictions and season-to-date record held up.
Sun Close Out Season Series With Win Over Sky
Chicago Sky 81, Connecticut Sun 87
Connecticut, playing loose in a season-series finale with nothing to lose, jumped out to a 16-8 first quarter and built a lead as large as 20 before holding on through a Chicago fourth-quarter push. Final: 87-81, Connecticut improves to 10-27 but remains last in the league, while Chicago falls to 15-24.
Aaliyah Edwards was outstanding, going 11-of-16 from the field for 26 points at 69.7 percent true shooting with 10 rebounds for a double-double. Diamond Miller added 21 points on 54.5 percent shooting (4-of-5 from three). Connecticut's 21 assists and their 74.1 percent free throw shooting on 27 attempts reflected exactly the loose, pressure-free basketball the preview flagged as the Sun's best path to closing out the series with a win.
Chicago fought back but never fully closed the gap. Kamilla Cardoso posted a double-double with 24 points and 13 rebounds on a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line. Azura Stevens added 18 points on 66.7 percent shooting. But Chicago's continued fallout from Sunday's blowout loss to Indiana, the exact scenario the preview flagged as a risk, showed up again, with the Sky's 24 bench points not enough to overcome Connecticut's dominant first half.
CHI 81 · CON 87
Wings Clinch First Playoff Spot Since 2023
Portland Fire 78, Dallas Wings 96
This was a genuine franchise milestone. Dallas, tying the single-season wins record just two days earlier, needed one more win to clinch its first playoff appearance since 2023, and the Wings delivered from the opening tip, building a lead as large as 26. Final: 96-78, Dallas clinches its playoff spot and improves to 23-16, while Portland falls to 15-23 and if officially eliminated from the playoffs.
Paige Bueckers delivered a near triple-double on the night of the clinch, going 8-of-15 from the field (3-of-7 from three) for 22 points at 67.4 percent true shooting with 11 assists against just one turnover, an 11.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. Jessica Shepard added 21 points on 66.7 percent shooting. Dallas's 26 assists on 38 made field goals and their 11 steals reflected exactly the clinching performance at home the preview anticipated from a franchise-record team with the moment in front of them.
Portland competed hard in a game that carried real weight for the opponent, exactly as the preview flagged given their near-upset of Washington just two days earlier. Emily Engstler posted a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Karlie Samuelson added 14 points at 90.2 percent true shooting. But Portland's 14 turnovers, converted into 23 Dallas points, and their inability to slow down Dallas's balanced attack reflected a team that could not spoil the Wings' franchise moment.
PDX 78 · DAL 96
Mystics Continue Road Trip With Win in Phoenix
Washington Mystics 94, Phoenix Mercury 84
Washington's superior statistical profile, the storyline the preview built its entire lean around, showed up in full force. The Mystics built a 20-point lead through three quarters before Phoenix's third-quarter response made the final margin closer than it had been. Final: 94-84, Washington improves to 23-15 and stays sixth in the East, continuing its pivotal six-game road trip, while Phoenix falls to 13-25 and stays 12th in the West.
Sonia Citron was excellent, going 5-of-10 from the field (3-of-6 from three) for 19 points at 72.6 percent true shooting with nine assists. Kiki Iriafen posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Shakira Austin added 16 points on 63.6 percent shooting with two steals and two blocks. Washington's 21 assists and their rebounding edge, generating 11 second-chance points, reflected exactly the defensive discipline and possession control the preview identified as central to the Mystics' road trip form.
Phoenix competed but could not overcome the early deficit. Natasha Mack was efficient, going 9-of-12 from the field for 19 points at 76.4 percent true shooting with eight rebounds. Alyssa Thomas posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists, though four turnovers were part of the story. But Phoenix's 17.6 percent three-point shooting and their inability to find offensive consistency at home, exactly the issue the preview identified with the Mercury's 5-12 home record, kept them from completing the comeback.
WAS 94 · PHX 84
CON, DAL, & WAS Wins.
Tuesday's headline belongs to Dallas, whose win over Portland officially clinched the franchise's first playoff appearance since 2023, a genuine milestone that came two days after tying the single-season wins record. Bueckers's near triple-double on the night of the clinch is the kind of performance that will be remembered as this Wings team's turnaround story continues. Washington's win in Phoenix keeps their pivotal road trip on track, and Connecticut closing out its season series with a win over Chicago, however small in the standings, reflects a Sun team playing loose basketball down the stretch.
Star of the Night: Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings
22 points | 8-of-15 FG | 67.4% true shooting | 11 assists | 1 turnover | 11.0 assist-to-turnover ratio
Bueckers delivered a near triple-double on the night Dallas clinched its first playoff spot since 2023, and the significance of the moment combined with elite ball security gives her the top spot. Edwards's 26-10 double-double and Citron's 72.6 percent true shooting night both made strong cases, but a franchise-clinching performance carries extra weight.
Dud of the Night: Kelsey Plum, Phoenix Mercury
10 points | 4-of-12 FG | 33.3% field goal percentage | minus-18
Plum's shooting struggles in a game Phoenix needed offense to stay competitive against Washington's early lead reflected a night where the Mercury's primary scoring option could not find any rhythm. Her minus-18 was the worst individual plus-minus of the entire slate, in a game that continued Phoenix's difficult home stretch.
How We Did: Checking the Preview Predictions
Tuesday's picks went 2-for-3 on sides, with the totals splitting evenly.
Chicago @ Connecticut: The preview leaned Chicago -5.5 with the under at 168.5, citing Chicago's talent gap even after Sunday's blowout loss. Connecticut won outright, meaning Chicago did not cover, and the total came in at 168, just under the number by half a point. The side missed as Connecticut's loose, nothing-to-lose basketball carried the day.
Portland @ Dallas: The preview leaned Dallas -8.5 with the over at 176.5, citing the franchise-record season and clinching stakes. Dallas won by 18, comfortably covering, but the total came in at 174, just under the number. The side hit clean on the night of the clinch.
Washington @ Phoenix: The preview leaned Washington -2.5 with the under at 167.5, citing the Mystics' superior ATS profile and rebounding edge. Washington won by 10, comfortably covering, but the total came in at 178, over the number. The side hit clean as the road trip form continued.
The headline takeaway: two of three sides hit, with Connecticut's season-series-finale upset the lone miss. The Dallas clinching game delivering exactly as the preview anticipated is a nice bookend to a genuine franchise milestone night.
Season Predictions Record
Tracking every graded pick against the spread and total from the preview articles this season, updated through August 25:
Spread / Side: 45-40
Total (Over/Under): 44-47
Eighty-five games graded so far across thirty preview articles. The side calls sit at 53 percent, while the totals sit at 48 percent. We'll keep this tally updated with every recap going forward.
The Playoff Picture
Minnesota, Golden State, Las Vegas, Indiana, Atlanta, New York, and Washington have all clinched playoff spots outright. Dallas officially joins them as of Tuesday's win over Portland, the franchise's first playoff berth since 2023, coming just two days after tying the single-season wins record. Seeding among the clinched teams remains genuinely unsettled and continues to shift on a near-daily basis with only a handful of games left for most teams.
Portland is now eliminated from playoff contention, joining Chicago, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Toronto, Seattle, and Connecticut as teams officially out of the race. With every playoff spot now filled and confirmed, the remainder of the regular season is entirely about seeding for the eight qualified teams. Most teams are down to somewhere between 5 and 7 games remaining, with Minnesota, Las Vegas, Indiana, Chicago, Wings, and Sky all sitting at just 5 or 6, meaning the final stretch will move quickly from here.