WNBA: Can the Liberty start their title defense 2-0 against the Sky?

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We have six WNBA games on deck for Thursday and Friday as we inch closer to the weekend.

Thursday features a matchup between the Indiana Fever and Atlanta Dream at 7:30 p.m. ET on Prime Video, followed by the New York Liberty playing the Chicago Sky at 8 p.m. ET on WNBA League Pass.

Friday is an ION day with all four games on the network. The Connecticut Sun visit the Minnesota Lynx for the 7:30 p.m. ET game, while the Washington Mystics and Las Vegas Aces, the Golden State Valkyries and Los Angeles Sparks, and Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm all tip off at 10 p.m. ET.

With so much action to keep up with, here are the key storylines to watch during these games:

Can the Liberty start their title defense 2-0?

During their first game of the season, New York celebrated their 2024 title by raising their banner, receiving their rings and dominating the Aces, 92-78.

They’ll be looking to show that this performance was not an outlier and that they are prepared to go back-to-back.

Standing in their way is a scrappy Sky team led by Angel Reese. The Sky lost badly against the Fever in their season debut, but they are expected to be a good, playoff-caliber team.

An authoritative victory by the Liberty would demonstrate their seriousness about another title run, while a win by the Sky would prove that their first loss was not an indicator of bigger problems with the team.

Are the Mystics this good? Are the Aces still good?

Last season, the Mystics were one of the worst teams in the WNBA. They started 0-12 and finished 14-26; this year, fans didn’t have much optimism that things would be different. However, they’ve exceeded expectations early on, winning their first two games before falling by two points in Golden State on Wednesday night.

The reason for the turnaround? The rookies Kiki Iirafen and Sonia Citron have been producing. Iriafen is averaging 15.5 points and nine rebounds per game, and Citron is scoring 17 points per game. When you add in Brittney Sykes leading the team with 24.5 points per game, suddenly the Mystics have a fun offense that can cause problems.

The Aces, on the other hand, have been on a slow decline. They were unable to win the championship in 2024 and have started the season with a 1-1 record.

Yes, they have the MVP in A’ja Wilson and the Gold Mamba in Jewell Loyd, but bench scoring has been a struggle. With so many teams improving, perhaps the league is passing over the juggernaut that once was the Aces.

A dominant win over the Mystics would quiet these thoughts, and if Washington can rebound from their first loss and beat Las Vegas, they might be a legitimately good team this year.

Fever-Dream rematch headlines other action

The first round of Fever-Dream went to Atlanta as they won by the slimmest of margins. Rhyne Howard and Brittney Griner combined for 41 points, and Caitlin Clark led all scorers with 27 points. The immediate rematch should make this a must-see event.

The Lynx will take on the struggling Sun, who have yet to win a game this year. Connecticut seems to be a team having trouble finding their identity early on. Golden State takes on Los Angeles for the second time this year, except in LA this time around.

Similar to the Mystics, the Mercury have surprised people by starting the year off 2-0. They’ll test that winning streak against the Storm on Friday. They’ve already beaten Seattle 81-59 during their season opener, so it’s a chance for them to replicate that result while the Storm will be looking to flip the script.