WNBA games today: Paige Bueckers isn't the only reason to watch tonight

The top of the WNBA standings gets tighter every week. Tonight, the Dallas Wings have the opportunity to make it a little more cramped. But the Golden State Valkyries will be trying to extend the gap at the same time. With these two teams on the longest active winning streaks in the league, there's no doubt you'll want to fire up two screens to watch both these games go down.

While the Wings and Valkyries try to lengthen their streaks against the Tempo and Sun, two more teams will look to get something going. Both the Sparks and Sky are coming off big wins; one will extend that streak to two tonight, while the other is forced back to the drawing board. Here's everything you need to know about the battles tonight.

WNBA games for Friday, July 10

Golden State Valkyries at Connecticut Sun

It's no secret the Valkyries are walking into this game as the favorites. They're on a six-game winning streak and show no signs of slowing down. There's a good chance the Valkyries walk into Mohegan Sun and have an easy night, showing off their strong defense and elite scoring. But the Connecticut Sun have strung together some impressive wins recently. After starting the season off with a 2-15 record, they've won three of their last five matchups.

In addition, the injury report could make for an interesting night. The Valkyries' leading scorer, Gabby Williams, is listed as questionable due to a back injury. There's a chance they let her rest tonight given who they're facing. Connecticut will be without its leading scorer, Brittney Griner, its leading rebounder, Aneesah Morrow and Saniya Rivers, who brings her own defensive spark.

The Sun just had back-to-back games against the Minnesota Lynx, who were also missing their leading scorer, rookie Olivia Miles. They won the first matchup due to a dominant performance by Griner. Griner sat out the second matchup, but the rest of the Sun squad still gave the Lynx a run for their money, keeping the final score to a six-point deficit. They will look for the same energy tonight. Connecticut's guards, specifically Leila Lacän, will need to have big nights — especially against Golden State's lethal 3-point shooting.

Dallas Wings at Toronto Tempo

These two squads just faced off on July 5, when the Wings handed the Tempo an 89-76 loss. Dallas got off to a hot start, leading 30-19 after the first quarter. Toronto was able to go on a couple of different runs but never took the lead. The Wings had a fairly successful night when it came to shutting down the Tempo's star, Marina Mabrey. She headed into halftime with 14 points, but Dallas was able to hold her to only 5 points in the second half — halting the Tempo's chance at a comeback.

The Wings will be coming in intending to keep Mabrey's production to a minimum again and extend their winning streak to four. On the other hand, Mabrey will be coming in with one mission: ending Toronto's three-game losing streak. Although she'll need help from her teammates. Toronto starters María Conde and Tima Pouye combined for six points, only shooting 12.5 percent from the floor in the first matchup. That will simply have to improve to keep up with a player at Paige Bueckers' caliber, who had 22 points and 7 assists against the Tempo.

All of the Dallas starters had productive nights, actually — Azzi Fudd sank 5 3-pointers and Jessica Shepard recorded 15 rebounds. Shutting down this offense is an uphill battle for the Tempo, who have the second-worst defensive rating across the league. But if their offense, which is ranked in the top five, can keep up, we could have a game on our hands.

Chicago Sky at Los Angeles Sparks

This matchup between two bottom-half teams could be more entertaining than you think. The Sparks are currently trying to stay above water without their MVP-caliber star at the helm. Kelsey Plum has missed the last four games due to a leg injury — the Sparks went 0-3 without her before winning their latest matchup against the Fever. The Sky are in a similar position, playing their last two matchups without Skylar Diggins. They lost the first, but won the most recent against the Phoenix Mercury.

Typically, the Sparks' defense is their downfall. But their offense is one of the highest-scoring offenses in the league. So, when they play teams that also don't thrive on defense, we see this Los Angeles team really thrive. While this is definitely not a sustainable strategy to get through the season, it could help them again tonight. The Sky allow the fifth-most points by their opponent in the league, while having a middle-tier offense. Nneka Ogwumike, Rae Burrell and Dearica Hamby are all coming off 20+ point performances. I imagine they will come in tonight with the same goal; Chicago will have to find a way to counteract this — either with tough defense or a dominant offense.

Without Skylar Diggins, the Sky's top scorer is Kamilla Cardoso. She and Azurá Stevens will have a tough night defending the paint. However, the Sky might be able to rely on their guards to score in volume. Rookie Sydney Taylor has had some incredibly productive nights. Natasha Cloud's role also increases with Diggins on the bench; she'll likely need big numbers tonight. This game could be worth watching if you're a fan of offense.

WNBA Schedule through the weekend

Saturday, July 11 - Sunday, July 12

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