The end of another week in the WNBA means a night full of hoops on ION, the league’s home for Friday night games. Tonight, there’s a triple-header on the network. The surging Washington Mystics take on the Connecticut Sun, the Atlanta Dream look to get their lick back in the Bay against the Golden State Valkyries, and the Portland Fire have a rematch in Chicago against the Sky. Let’s dive into it.
Winners of four of their last six games, the Mystics are starting to look like a team worthy of the playoff buzz that many think they can create down the stretch. Buy-ins down the roster have Washington sitting at .500 with a favorable schedule. Michaela Onyenwere has produced a career-scoring year with efficiency to match, averaging 11 points on 55 percent on twos and 44.1 percent on threes, and three FTAs per game. The offense still runs through Sonia Citron and Kiki Iraifen, who have shouldered much of the responsibilities as they did as rookies in 2025.
Kiki Iriafen embraces big moments‼️
She puts the @WashMystics up 77-76 with less than 20 seconds left!
WAS-MIN | NBA TV | WNBA Pride | @Coach
Tap to watch: https://t.co/DeKtpqFjMS pic.twitter.com/MhhnyuW58x— WNBA (@WNBA) June 22, 2026
After nearly a month since their last win, the Sun thrashed the Chicago Sky by 29 points. It’s fair to say that Connecticut will look to make it two in a row as they build chemistry with an assortment of talents. These two teams last played on June 19, where the Mystics took a seven-point lead home, 88-81. This matchup should be as close as the previous affair.
It was quite the ugly game for the Dream in their last meeting against the Valkyries. Atlanta’s starters combined to shoot 14-for-34 from the field. Rookie Madina Okot scored 16 points in 19 minutes, matching the efforts of All-Stars Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray combined. Golden State’s defense is near the top of the league for a reason and has proved to be a pest for even the most disciplined units in the league.
Dawg, I have *loved* watching Rhyne Howard on defense this year. Cannot say enough good things about her start to the season. pic.twitter.com/jUl3HIdB5y
— Nekias (Nuh-KAI-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) June 6, 2026
However, that has been an issue for Atlanta against teams considered championship contenders. At 11-7, the Valkyries are right where most thought they would be, which says a lot about a team one year removed from its inaugural season and playoff appearance. Some of the best wings in the league take the floor in this game tonight, and it will be a treat indeed.
Since losing Rickea Jackson for the season, Chicago has been by far one of the worst teams I’ve ever seen play professional basketball. That simply shouldn’t be the case with the level of talent at Sky head coach Tyler Marsh’s disposal and a talented, veteran staff on the sidelines. Since Jackson went down with a torn ACL, the Sky have dropped 11 of their last 13 games, with many of those losses by 10 or fewer points. Before the blowout win over the Fire on Wednesday, the Sky lost two straight games in the waning moments to end them. Portland won’t come unprepared again tonight, so it will be interesting to see how Chicago handles the Fire’s pressure again.
Welcome back to another edition of Swish Happens Here, powered by Fearless SC. What a week it has been in the WNBA. Though perennial All-Star Napheesa Collier and EuroLeague […]
