WNBA: Aces take on Valkyries with A’ja Wilson’s status in question

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We have a pair of nationally televised WNBA games to look forward to this Saturday, July 11. Two of the WNBA’s best power forwards, Napheesa Collier and Angel Reese, will meet when the league-leading Minnesota Lynx (18-3) visit the Chicago Sky (6-13) at 1 p.m. ET on ABC. Later on CBS at 4 p.m. ET, the Golden State Valkyries (10-9) will take on the Las Vegas Aces (9-11), a matchup that will depend heavily upon the status of reigning MVP A’ja Wilson.

Angel Reese and the Sky look to slow down Napheesa Collier and the Lynx

Angel Reese is no stranger to putting up big numbers, but she’s raised her game even higher lately, and the Sky have needed every bit of it.

Reese, who quickly established herself as one of the WNBA’s top rebounders in her rookie season, is currently working on a streak of seven-consecutive double-doubles. During that span, she’s averaging 17.4 points and 16.1 rebounds per game—the latter of which, to no one’s surprise, leads the league by a healthy margin.

Where Reese has truly grown, though, is as a playmaker. The Sky have been in dire need of value-added passing since starting point guard Courtney Vandersloot went down with a season-ending knee injury, and they’ve compensated by running more of their offense through Reese: she’s averaging a team-best 4.5 assists per game in the 12 games Chicago has played without Vandersloot.

The Sky’s Angel Reese will have her hands full defending the Lynx’ Napheesa Collier.

Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images

Granted, this isn’t an ideal situation for the Sky, who are currently in 10th place in the WNBA standings and will be hosting the league’s top team, the Lynx, on Saturday. Minnesota has only gotten better since its WNBA Finals run last season, though its formula for success remains largely the same: The Lynx’ offense is both selfless and efficient, leading the league in assisted shot rate (75.5 percent) and effective field goal percentage (53 percent), and they’ve been outstanding on defense, too, allowing a WNBA-best 94.7 points per 100 possessions.

While much of that statistical dominance is driven by a team-first culture established by head coach Cheryl Reeve and her staff, the Lynx also have the best player on the court in most of their games. Forward Napheesa Collier is putting together one of the finest all-around seasons of her career, averaging 23.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game to go along with 1.6 steals and blocks apiece. The WNBA’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Collier has also been highly efficient shooting the ball, shooting a career-best 58.3 percent on 2-pointers and 95.6 percent at the free throw line.

There’s a lot of things that the Lynx do well that the Sky will have to contend with, but keeping Collier at bay must be their top priority if they’re going to earn an upset. Reese will likely draw the assignment in what will be a matchup between two of the WNBA’s premier power forwards.

Can the Aces turn things around without A’ja Wilson?

The Aces’ most recent setback in what has already been a disappointing season is one that they can ill-afford. Wilson, the WNBA’s back-to-back reigning MVP, suffered a wrist sprain in the team’s recent loss to the New York Liberty, and according to head coach Becky Hammon, there is no timetable for her return.

A’ja Wilson (right wrist) is questionable for tomorrow’s game vs. the Golden State Valkyries.

Based on Becky Hammon’s comments yesterday, I’d anticipate the 3-time MVP will continue her recovery and be ruled out closer to tipoff.

— Callie Fin (@CallieJLaw) July 11, 2025

This doesn’t mean that Wilson is guaranteed to miss extended time, of course, but the Aces must at least prepare to be without her. That’s an unnerving scenario; the Aces are 1-3 in games that Wilson has missed so far, and they’re getting outscored by 13.1 points per 100 possession when she sits.

WNBA: JUL 06 Las Vegas Aces at Connecticut Sun — A’ja Wilson missed the Aces’ last game with a sprained wrist, and the team hasn’t given much information on when she’s anticipated to return.

In fairness to the Aces’ next opponent, the Valkyries, things didn’t go much better the last time they met—and that was with Wilson playing. Back on June 7, the Valkyries came out on top, 95-68, holding the Aces to 35.5 percent shooting from the field and more turnovers (13) than assists (11).

Such defense has become a hallmark of the Valkyries’ success in their inaugural WNBA season. Golden State ranks second in the league in defensive rating, allowing 97.3 points per 100 possessions, and first in opponents’ effective field goal percentage at 46.2 percent. Being an expansion team, the Valkyries don’t yet have many household names on their roster (save, perhaps, for 2025 All-Star Kayla Thornton and reigning Sixth Woman of the Year Tiffany Hayes), but former Aces assistant Natalie Nakase has them playing hard, and they’ve clearly leaned into a defense-first identity under their first-year head coach.

The Aces will have their work cut out for them against the Valkyries defense, especially if Wilson doesn’t play. Las Vegas will be relying on bounce-back games from guards Jackie Young and Jewell Loyd, who shot a combined 2-for-14 from the field in their last game against Golden State, to help the Aces get back into the win column. They’ll have the advantage of playing at home, where they’ve performed slightly better (5-4) than they have on the road, but the Valkyries don’t play scared, and they’ll be smelling blood in the water if Las Vegas takes the court without its biggest weapon.