Today’s WNBA Games: A’ja Wilson and Aces face Angel Reese and Sky, Sun take Storm, and more

Good morning WNBA fans — after one day off, the league is back in action, and we’ve got a four-game slate:

The Sun and Storm play the second game in a row against one another, with the Sun emerging victorious on Sunday. The Storm have looked like a different team since returning from the Olympic break — they’ve lost 6 of their last 8 games, after finishing the first half of the season 17-8. The trio of Nneka Ogwumike, Jewell Loyd, and Skylar Diggins-Smith has had a fair amount of individual success this season, but it hasn’t translated to the win share Seattle had hoped for.

The Sun, meanwhile, have won 5 of their last 6 games, with Marina Mabrey serving as a massive offensive boost since she was acquired last month. Mabrey is averaging 18.2 points in her last 5 games, and the Brionna Jones, who’s been quiet for stretches this season, exploded for a season-high 26 points on 9-13 FG. The Sun will look to make it back-to-back wins tonight as they try to fend off the Minnesota Lynx for the #2 seed.

It will take a lot for either the Mystics or Wings to rise up in the standings and secure the final playoff spot, and both teams are probably headed for the lottery at this point. Still, though the Mystics’ three-game win streak was snapped against Connecticut on Saturday, they’ve looked like a much more complete team with Brittney Sykes back in the lineup.

On the other side, Arike Ogunbowale did everything in her power to help get the Wings a win on Sunday against the Fever — she exploded for 34 points on 9 made three-pointers — but Dallas still couldn’t get it done. Ogunbowale is having an inefficient shooting year (37.6% from the field), which hasn’t helped Dallas, and Satou Sabally missed the first half of the season. Sabally has been really good in her return (20.6 points per game on 45.8% shooting) but the Wings have still lost 4 of their 7 games with her in the lineup.

Last time the Sky and Aces faced off, A’ja Wilson had a buzzer-beating layup to win the game after Chennedy Carter hit two three-pointers in the final 40 seconds to tie things up. Chicago — losers of six straight — haven’t won a game since, and Carter, who’s been out in health and safety protocols, also hasn’t played since the last Sky-Aces game.

The big story heading into this one is that Wilson has been on another level in this most recent stretch and has all but secured MVP. She’s averaging 27.5 points and 12 rebounds this season, and is fresh off of a 41-point, 17-rebound outing against the Mercury.

Can the young but promising front court of Angel Reese and Kamila Cardoso contain her? That will be something to watch in tonight’s matchup. Reese also recently set a new record for most rebounds in a single WNBA season (418).

The Phoenix Mercury have slipped to the #7 seed after losing three straight games. Brittney Griner has been a bright spot — she’s averaging 19.5 points in her last four games — but Phoenix hasn’t looked like the team many fans hoped they would become when they signed Kahleah Copper. A lot of it’s been on the defensive side of the ball — Mercury have had the league’s fourth-worst defense this year.

Due to the Sky’s recent struggles, the Dream have a clear pathway toward the 8th and final playoff spot — but so far, they haven’t taken advantage, having lost 4 of their last 5 games. Hall of Famer Tina Charles has been excellent for Atlanta, and watching her and Griner face off should be fun.

All of today’s games will be on the local broadcast as well as on WNBA League Pass.