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Preview: Lynx host Storm, Sparks host Wings in Tuesday’s late games

Two powers meet for the first time this season, while two teams with something to prove meet for the second time in five days.

Seattle Storm v Las Vegas Aces Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

The Lynx and the Storm come into their first meeting of the season on similar hot streaks, while the Sparks try to avenge a huge and very recent loss to the Wings. Here are the stories of tonight’s late games and how to watch.

Minnesota Lynx (7-6) vs. Seattle Storm (10-4)

When: Tuesday, June 26 at 8 p.m. ET

Where: Target Center | TICKETS

How to watch: WNBA League Pass (worldwide streaming), Fox Sports Go (U.S. streaming)

Injuries: For the Storm, Alysha Clark (ankle) is questionable.

Storylines to follow

Last meeting: This is the first meeting between these two teams of the season.

In stark contrast to how their season began, the Lynx now own the league’s longest winning streak at four games. But the one Western Conference foe they have yet to face, the Storm, also come into this game having won four of their last five. In the past five games, despite a mini-slump where they failed to break 80 points twice in a row, the Storm still put up 89 points per game in a period where the Lynx scored 84.4 points per game.

Star power will be the order of the day for both teams, as Minnesota’s Maya Moore (the Western Conference Player of the Week) and Sylvia Fowles as well as Seattle’s Breanna Stewart are coming off 20-plus-point performances, while Sue Bird added 10 assists in the Storm’s Sunday night win. Of course, a good portion of Seattle’s points come from beyond the arc, including the 13 threes made in their previous game, so the Lynx will have to contend with this aspect of Seattle’s game—as the Aces did in their June 19 victory over the Storm, holding them to just 4 made threes—if they want to come out on top.


Los Angeles Sparks (10-3) vs. Dallas Wings (6-6)

When: Tuesday, June 26 at 10:30 p.m. ET

Where: Staples Center | TICKETS

How to watch: Twitter (worldwide streaming), Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles-area TV)

Injuries: For the Sparks, Sydney Wiese (knee) is out. Theresa Plaisance (knee) is out for the Wings.

Storylines to follow

Last meeting: Wings 101, Sparks 72 (June 22)

Just four days after the Wings blew out the Sparks in Arlington, it’s possible the slates have already been wiped clean. While Los Angeles swung right back to their winning ways on Sunday, blowing out the Liberty 80-54, the Wings suffered a 21-point home loss to Seattle. Now, the teams move to Los Angeles, where the Sparks have already had time to settle back into their rhythm that just barely keeps them the No. 1 team in the league.

During their previous meeting, only Nneka Ogwumike saw double figures for the Sparks, while Liz Cambage led the way for the Wings with 20 points. Azurá Stevens earned her first career start in that game and added a career-high 13 points, and there’s a chance Tuesday’s game could mark her third straight start. The Sparks saw Riquna Williams come off the bench to score a game-high 25 points in Sunday’s win, and with Karlie Samuelson recently re-added to the roster, the Sparks could rely more on their bench to come up big if they find themselves in another difficult game—that is, if the Wings can muster another high-scoring effort.