WNBA games today: Alyssa Thomas and the Phoenix Mercury try to save their season

Today's WNBA schedule consists of a lot of bottom-of-the-standings play. Time is running out, and those squads are desperate to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Indiana Fever and the Atlanta Dream are both looking to take advantage of facing teams that are in the bottom half of the standings. There's no doubt that they would both love to head into the All-Star break back in the top four of the standings and grouped in with the contenders.

It's a guarantee that at least one team will find itself back in the winning column tonight, which is enough to make the night intriguing. Here's everything you need to know about tonight's matchups.

WNBA games for Friday, July 17

Fever vs. Storm

The Seattle Storm have traveled to Indiana to take on the Fever for the second time this season. The first matchup didn't go their way, as they were handed an 89-78 loss. However, tonight's landscape will look a little different for this young Storm squad.

At the time of the first matchup, rookie Awa Fam had yet to join the team and Dominique Malonga was still out with an injury. Jordan Horston and Stefanie Dolson were in the starting lineup instead — they combined for only 8 points against the Fever. With Malonga and Fam averaging a combined 26.6 points per game, the Storm will be able to rely heavily on their activity in the paint. The Fever outscored the Storm 30-50 in the paint during the first matchup. It's also important to note that Seattle lost the rebound battle 38-24 without Malonga and Fam — that should be a much closer battle tonight.

If Seattle hopes to end its three-game losing streak, it will take more than just good performances from their bigs. The Fever have a great backcourt in Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell, who combined for 38 points in the first meeting. Sophie Cunningham also scored 17 points off the bench. While Fam and Malonga will likely be able to limit their ability to go straight to the basket, the other Storm guards will need to play well. Natisha Hiedeman and Flau'jae Johnson have put on promising performances lately; they'll likely each need high-scoring games tonight.

One more thing the Storm can capitalize on are the Fever's turnovers; they average 14.5 per game. During the first meeting, Seattle scored 22 points off of Indiana's 20 turnovers.

Tempo vs. Dream

The Atlanta Dream are eyeing a season sweep tonight in Toronto. They are the favorites in this matchup, but haven't had a great stretch of recent games. The Dream are 2-6 over their last eight matchups. Tonight, they will look to take advantage of not only a team they've already beaten twice this season but also one that's 1-5 over its last six games.

The Tempo have struggled a bit since losing Brittney Sykes. A lot of the weight has fallen on the shoulders of Marina Mabrey, who is averaging 26.9 points per game over her last eight appearances. The first matchup between these two teams was a blowout, 102-77 in Atlanta's favor. The second was a bit of a different story. The Tempo got off to a slow start, trailing by 15 after the first quarter. However, they were able to either tie or win the final three quarters. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough, but they lost by only a 7-point margin.

I can imagine the Tempo have been talking all week about which foot they start this game on. If they hope to pull off a win, they must get going early — this has been hit or miss for them all season, especially since Slim has been out with injury. In their most recent win, over the Liberty, we saw a cohesive version of this team — four players scored in double digits, and they finished the game with 22 assists. That is the type of energy they'll want tonight.

Lately, two things have debilitated the Dream: 3-point shooting and free throws. They have shot only 24.8 percent from beyond the arc and 74.7 percent from the free-throw line over their last six losses. If Atlanta can keep those two things in check, they should be fine tonight. But Toronto is a team that can get hot from 3-point land, especially with Mabrey at the helm.

Sky vs. Sparks

After losing six in a row, the Chicago Sky are 4-4 over their last eight games. Tonight, they look to stay in the winning column against the Sparks. However, these two squads faced off only a week ago when the Sparks sent the Sky home with a 102-87 loss.

In the first matchup, Los Angeles put on a stellar offensive performance. All five starters scored 15+ points. Nneka Ogwumike led the team with 25 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists. The whole team put on a clinic from 3-point land, landing 14 of them. To put it plainly, this Sparks team is one of the worst defensive teams in the league but has players that can score in volume. So, when they face a team like the Sky, who also struggle defensively, we get to see their offense on full display.

The Sky are still without Skylar Diggins, so it's likely that they'll need their other guards to step it up. Rookies Sydney Taylor and Gabriela Jaquez have been saving graces for this team multiple times this season. They combined for 30 points in the first meeting, while veterans Courtney Vandersloot and Natasha Cloud combined for only 15. If they want to even this season series up, it will have to be a full team performance.

The Sparks will likely have the advantage in the paint as well. Kamilla Cardoso is listed as questionable for tonight's matchup. If she's unavailable, it will be up to Azurá Stevens and Elizabeth Williams to hold things down in the paint against Ogwumike, Dearica Hamby and Cameron Brink. However, forward Chloe Bibby put on a promising performance in her Chicago debut against the Storm. She recorded 14 points and 4 assists. She could help the Sky a lot off the bench. While it's hard to predict exactly what will happen between these two squads, we know it will likely be another high-scoring matchup.

Mercury vs. Sun

This could be the most intriguing matchup of the night. To be frank, both of these teams have struggled this season. The playoff hopes are definitely slipping, but in this league you can never count a team out until you can statistically rule them out. Both Phoenix and Connecticut have shown glimpses of success and have the pieces to produce really great wins. Tonight could be an absolute battle.

The Mercury are on a four-game losing streak after winning three in a row. The Sun are 4-3 over their last seven games. Connecticut is coming off a win over the Portland Fire; they had four players score in double digits, including Brittney Griner and Aaliyah Edwards, who held things down in the paint as they combined for 41 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists.

Both of these squads' defensive ratings are in the bottom half of the league. If this becomes a high-scoring matchup with few defensive stops, the Mercury will likely have the upper hand. That's simply because Phoenix has more players who we've seen score in volume. While it still resulted in a loss, they went toe-to-toe with the Minnesota Lynx in their most recent matchup. DeWanna Bonner, Alyssa Thomas, Kahleah Copper and Monique Akoa-Makani all scored 15+ points; Copper led the helm with 26. Tonight, the Sun will have to find an answer for those players — even if all of them don't get going, you can almost always expect AT and Copper to score in volume.

WNBA Schedule through the weekend

Saturday, July 18 - Sunday, July 19

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