WNBA Wraparound: Angel Reese is on fire, Caitlin Clark and the Fever are improving, and the Cup is set for Tuesday

We’re over a month into the WNBA season, and the same two players who took women’s basketball by storm in college are excelling in the WNBA. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are currently the two leading rookie scorers in the league, and each time their two teams have faced off this season, it’s been must-watch television. On Sunday, the Chicago Sky’s thrilling, come-from-behind win over the Fever was no exception. 

Meanwhile, we’re just a few days away from the WNBA’s Commissioner’s Cup — the annual midseason tournament in which one Eastern Conference team squares off against a Western Conference opponent. The Liberty, who won the Cup last season, will host the Lynx on Tuesday evening for the chance to repeat. 

Here’s everything you need to know. 

3 highlights from last week around the WNBA

Angel Reese broke a rookie record for most consecutive double-doubles: After a 16-point, 18-rebound performance in a Thursday night victory over the Wings, Reese set a rookie record for most consecutive double-doubles (seven). On Sunday, she somehow followed that up with an ever more dominant performance – a career-high 25 points (8-of-12 from the field) and 16 rebounds in a Sky win over the Fever. 

“I’m a dog,” she said after the big performance, in which she scored 15 fourth-quarter points. “You can’t teach that.” 

The win marked Reese’s ninth consecutive game with at least 10 rebounds, and marked her best offensive game of her career.  For the season, she’s averaging a double-double of 12.4 points and 10.8 rebounds. 

The Commissioner’s Cup is on Tuesday: The Liberty host the Lynx in the Commissioner’s Cup game on Tuesday night, but they won’t play in their usual home at Barclays Center. That’s because the NBA Draft begins on Wednesday night, and the league informed the Liberty it needs time to prepare. Instead, the game will take place on Tuesday night at the UBS Arena, and will be steamed on Prime Video. 

Still, this matchup should be a good one, as the Liberty won the in-season tournament last season and have been one of the top teams in the league this season as well. 

The Liberty are headlined by Breanna Stewart — who was named MVP last season — as well as Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. The Lynx, meanwhile, have been dominant this season, in large part thanks to the strong starts of Napheesa Collier (20.7 points, 10.1 rebounds per game) and Kayla McBride (16.5 points on 48.6 percent from 3). 

Chelsea Gray is back: Aces All Star point guard Chelsea Gray is back in the lineup after missing the first 12 games of the season with injury. The former Finals MVP suffered a left foot injury in October in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals, and has been out ever since without a ton of injury details out there. 

With Gray back in the lineup, the Aces are starting to look like the team that won back-to-back championships. Though she only shot 1-of-6 in a Friday night win over the Sun, she was a team-high plus-19 in 17 minutes. The Aces were 6-6 without Gray but are 2-0 with her in the rotation. 

"I probably went through every emotion leading up to today," Gray said after her first game back,  a win against the Storm. "I was a little anxious all day. It's been a long time since I've been out on that court. But the fans were amazing from the time I came out to warm up to the time I checked in the game. It was a rush and a feeling I missed a lot."

2 WNBA games to tune into this week 

Las Vegas Aces @ Chicago Sky – Thursday, June 27 at 7 p.m.

Las Vegas should be in the mix to win it all again this year, and any game they’re in includes some of the top guards in the league alongside Wilson — Gray, Jackie Young, and Kelsey Plum.  

Meanwhile, the Sky’s Angel Reese has looked like one of the top rookies in the class and a double-double machine. The Sky are in rebuilding mode rather than championship-contention mode, but Reese’s match-up with Wilson and the Aces frontcourt will be worth tuning into. 

Indiana Fever @ Phoenix Mercury – Sunday, June 30 at 3 p.m. 

The Fever are on fire, and Caitlin Clark is acclimating to life in the WNBA — so tuning into Indiana Fever games should be a lot more fun than it was earlier in the year. The Fever are largely led by a rookie (Clark) and a second-year player (Aliyah Boston), and the Mercury are on the opposite side of that coin, led by 42-year-old Diana Taurasi and 33-year-old Brittney Griner. 

Last week, media and fans debated whether Clark should have been named to the 2024 Women’s Olympic basketball roster instead of Taurasi — this matchup will serve as an opportunity for the youngest and oldest starting guards in the league to square off. Taurasi made headlines when she predicted Clark’s transition to the WNBA would be difficult, and on Sunday afternoon showdown, the pair will have a chance to go head-to-head. 

1 WNBA story to monitor this week: Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are turning things around

The hype that Caitlin Clark had around her entry into the WNBA was nearly impossible to live up to — but Clark and the Fever have managed to turn things around after a difficult start to the season. The Fever started the year with one of the league’s most difficult schedules and held a 1-9 record through May. 

But, so far in June, they’ve largely looked like a different team – racking up a 6-3 record and earning multiple wins against the Sky, Dream, and Mystics. The Fever were within reach of five consecutive wins but blew a double-digit, second-half lead to the Sky to snap the win streak. 

Clark set a franchise record for 13 assists in that one, and she’s largely settled into the offense.  Aliyah Boston, who struggled to begin her second year, has also been much better as of late. She exploded for a season-high 27 points in a June 13 win over the Dream and has scored in the double-figures in every game this month other than a blowout loss to the Liberty. 

Clark is now averaging 16.2 points, 6.2 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals, while Boston is averaging 12.7 points and 8 rebounds. Kelsey Mitchell has also grown increasingly comfortable offensively, en route to averaging 16 points. Clark also became the third-fastest player to reach 100 assists in WNBA history.