WNBA Recap | August 29, 2026
Saturday's two-game slate delivered a bounce-back and a blowout, with one more day of action still on the schedule before the FIBA World Cup break. New York snapped a season-low shooting slump to close out its season series with Chicago on CBS. And Phoenix, resting several rotation pieces down the stretch, ran roughshod over a shorthanded, road-weary Toronto team playing the second half of a back-to-back. Here's how it all went down, plus a look at how the preview predictions and season-to-date record held up, and where the playoff seeding picture stands.
Liberty Snap Slump to Close Out Season Series With Sky
Chicago Sky 66, New York Liberty 85
New York needed to reset after Thursday's season-low 60-point performance in a loss to Golden State, and the Liberty did exactly that, building a 24-point cushion and cruising through a slow, physical fourth quarter. Final: 85-66, New York improves to 24-17 and moves ahead of Dallas for the East's seventh seed, while Chicago, already eliminated and missing Skylar Diggins and Rickea Jackson, falls to 15-25 and stays 11th.
Han Xu was electric off the bench, going 6-of-8 from the field (2-of-3 from three) for 19 points at 93.1% true shooting with two blocks. Breanna Stewart added 13 points and nine rebounds with two steals and two blocks. Rebekah Gardner chipped in 11 points on 62.5% shooting. New York's 90.9% free throw shooting as a team and their 27 points in the paint reflected exactly the offensive reset the preview flagged as necessary for the Liberty to feel normal again, delivered against a Chicago team that had given them trouble in three of their four meetings this season.
Chicago, closing out the season series after winning the most recent meeting, could not sustain the fight without two rotation pieces. Natasha Cloud went 6-of-8 from the field for 14 points at 78.8% true shooting. Kamilla Cardoso added nine points and four rebounds. But Chicago's 22.2% three-point shooting and their 11 total turnovers reflected a shorthanded roster that could not keep this fourth meeting as tight as the first three, even with the Sky playing loose as an eliminated team.
NYL 85 · CHI 66
Mercury Rout Depleted, Road-Weary Tempo
Toronto Tempo 69, Phoenix Mercury 101
This one was over early. Phoenix, resting Kelsey Plum among several regulars down the stretch, still built a lead as large as 47 against a Toronto team on the fourth stop of a western road trip and the second night of a back-to-back. Final: 101-69, Phoenix improves to 14-26, while Toronto, missing Marina Mabrey, Brittney Sykes, Aaliyah Morrow, and Julie Allemand, falls to 11-29 and stays last in the East.
Noemie Brochant led the way with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting (76.8% true shooting) with four steals. Alyssa Thomas dished a remarkable 12 assists against just two turnovers despite a quiet four-point scoring night. Sami Whitcomb added 14 points on 62.5% shooting, and Lexi Held contributed 11 points with three steals. Phoenix's 27 assists on 37 made field goals, 28 fast-break points, and 12 team steals reflected exactly the healthier rotation and home-legs advantage the preview flagged as the Mercury's path to wearing down a depleted Tempo roster.
Toronto, down to the Isabelle Harrison-Temi Fagbenle frontcourt after a brutal stretch of absences, competed early before the fatigue and attrition caught up. Harrison posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds despite 33.3% shooting. Kiki Rice added 14 points but committed eight turnovers. Toronto's 16 total turnovers, converted into 24 Phoenix points, and their 18.2% three-point shooting reflected exactly the road-weary, shorthanded profile the preview identified heading into a game against a Mercury team that, even without several regulars of its own, had more than enough healthy bodies to pull away.
TOR 69 · PHX 101
NYL & PHX Wins.
Saturday's results carried real seeding stakes, with New York's bounce-back win moving the Liberty ahead of Dallas for the East's seventh seed and setting up a first-round date with either Minnesota or Golden State. Phoenix's blowout of a depleted Toronto team was as lopsided as the injury reports suggested it could be. One more day of games remains on Sunday's four-game slate before the league pauses for the FIBA World Cup break and resumes September 17.
Star of the Night: Alyssa Thomas, Phoenix Mercury
4 points | 12 assists | 2 turnovers | 6 rebounds
Thomas's scoring line was quiet, but 12 assists against just two turnovers in a 32-point blowout reflects elite playmaking that set the table for everyone else. Han Xu's 93.1% true shooting night for New York and Brochant's four-steal, 15-point game both made cases, but Thomas's complete control of Phoenix's offense stands out above the rest of Saturday's slate.
Dud of the Night: Kiki Rice, Toronto Tempo
14 points | 8 turnovers | minus-17
Rice's eight turnovers were the most costly number of the night for any player, reflecting a shorthanded Toronto team that could not take care of the ball against Phoenix's pressure. In a game decided early, her giveaways compounded an already difficult night for a Tempo roster down to its final healthy pieces.
How We Did: Checking the Preview Predictions
Saturday's picks went a rough 0-for-2 on sides, though both totals hit clean.
Chicago @ New York: The preview leaned Chicago +8.5 with the under at 179.5, citing the tight history in this series and New York's shooting slump. New York won by 19, meaning Chicago did not cover, and the total came in at 151, well under the number. The side missed as New York's offensive reset was more emphatic than the preview anticipated, but the under call held up.
Toronto @ Phoenix: The preview leaned Toronto +8.5 with the under at 177.5, citing Phoenix's recent struggles against a depleted Tempo roster. Phoenix won by 32, meaning Toronto did not come close to covering, and the total came in at 170, under the number. Both calls leaned the right direction on pace, but the side missed as Phoenix's healthy rotation overwhelmed Toronto's from the opening tip.
The headline takeaway: both unders hit, continuing a pattern of these late-season games trending toward the lower end of their projected totals, but the two underdog covers both missed as the favored teams asserted themselves more completely than either matchup history suggested they would.
Season Predictions Record
Tracking every graded pick against the spread and total from the preview articles this season, updated through August 29:
Spread / Side: 50-47
Total (Over/Under): 50-51
Ninety-seven games graded so far across thirty-four preview articles. The side calls sit at 52%, while the totals have climbed to just under 50%. One more day of games remains before this tally pauses for the FIBA World Cup break.
The Playoff Seeding Picture
All eight playoff spots remain filled: Minnesota, Golden State, Las Vegas, Indiana, Atlanta, Dallas, New York, and Washington. Saturday's biggest seeding shift came in New York's win, which moved the Liberty ahead of Washington into the East's sixth position as they own the tie-breaker over the Mystics. Indiana and Atlanta remain closely bunched in the middle of the East.
In the West, Las Vegas sits a game and a half back of Golden State for the conference's second seed. Minnesota remains comfortably atop the West. With most teams now down to somewhere between 3 and 5 games remaining, Sunday's four-game slate will be the last look at this field before the FIBA World Cup break, and every one of those games carries real seeding weight.