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There are three games on for Friday night.
Minnesota Lynx (2-3) vs. Phoenix Mercury (2-3)
When: Friday June 1 at 8 p.m. EST
Where: Target Center | TICKETS
How to watch: ESPN2 (television) | WatchESPN (US streaming) | WNBA League Pass (worldwide streaming)
Injuries: No teams have any injuries to report.
Storylines to follow
Both the Mercury and Lynx are trying to shake off slow starts. Most preseason predictions assumed that these two teams would be at least among the WNBA’s elite. Perhaps the winner of tonight’s game will gain some momentum for the weeks ahead.
How will Diana Taurasi bounce back from a poor showing on Wednesday? Taurasi failed to score in double digits against the Mystics during their May 30 loss, shooting 3-of-10 overall and just 1-of-8 from the three-point line. She has adjusted her diet and improved her conditioning, so expect a bounce-back game from her tonight.
Chicago Sky (2-2) vs. Connecticut Sun (3-0)
When: Friday June 1 at 9 p.m. EST
Where: Wintrust Arena | TICKETS
How to watch: ESPN3 (US streaming) | WNBA League Pass (worldwide streaming)
Injuries: Neither team has anything to report, though Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot is probable to make her season debut.
Storylines to follow
Courtney Vandersloot returns. Vandersloot missed the first four games of the season due to overseas commitments. The Sky haven’t played since last Friday.
Connecticut looks to remain undefeated. The Mystics and Storm have identical 5-1 records, but the Sun are still the WNBA’s lone undefeated team. Though Connecticut should be the favorite tonight, they also have a game against the Mystics on Sunday.
Las Vegas Aces (0-4) vs. Washington Mystics (5-1)
When: Friday June 1 at 10:30 p.m. EST
Where: Mandalay Bay Center | TICKETS
How to watch: WNBA League Pass (worldwide streaming) | Monumental Sports Network (DC area streaming)
Injuries: For the Aces, Moriah Jefferson (knee) is out indefinitely. For the Mystics, Elena Delle Donne is likely out due to illness while Natasha Cloud has kidney stones. Tayler Hill is still in rehab for her knee injury while LaToya Sanders is questionable.
Storylines to follow
Vegas still looking for first win. The Aces showed that they had a strong home-court advantage in their match against the Storm last Sunday. Can the hometown crowd keep them in position to beat a hobbled Mystics team whose record is likely a bit inflated at this point? After all, the Aces did race off to a strong start in their first matchup on May 22.
Kristi Toliver is on FIRE! Toliver was expected to be a complementary piece to a young core that includes Elena Delle Donne, Tayler Hill and Emma Meesseman last season. But this season, Toliver had to step up as the primary scoring option with all three of the aforementioned players out due to injury or personal reasons. And she answered the bell by scoring 16 or more points in all but one game this season. Toliver was a big-time free agent signing, and she is showing her best at a time when the Mystics need her the most.