{"id":111022,"date":"2025-08-26T10:13:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T10:13:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/111022\/"},"modified":"2025-08-26T10:13:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T10:13:10","slug":"wnba-tuesday-schedule-another-awesome-doubleheader-with-storm-fever-mercury-sparks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/111022\/","title":{"rendered":"WNBA Tuesday schedule: Another awesome doubleheader with Storm-Fever, Mercury-Sparks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tuesday night\u2019s WNBA slate ties four playoff hopefuls together, each caught in the league\u2019s late-summer stickiness. Entering this last week of August, the W\u2019s sixth and ninth seeds are separated by just 1 1\/2 games. That adds some weight to the Seattle Storm (20-18, No. 6 in the standings) at the Indiana Fever (19-18, No. 8). The Fever are treading in place as Caitlin Clark tries get back on the floor this season<\/a>; the Storm are coming off this steely buzzer-beating win in the nation\u2019s capital:<\/p>\n

The nightcap whisks us to downtown L.A., where the Los Angeles Sparks (17-18, No. 9) host the Phoenix Mercury (22-14, No. 4) in another crucial contest. Alyssa Thomas has been a triple-double revelation for Scorch\u2019s squad<\/a>; Kelsey Plum is balling out for the team she once was a ballgirl<\/a> for:<\/p>\n

How to watch WNBA\u2019s Tuesday TV slate<\/p>\n

Venues: Gainbridge Fieldhouse \u2014 Indianapolis | Crypto.com Arena \u2014 Los Angeles<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub.<\/p>\n

Seattle has been one of those storms that comes and goes with increasing intensity, letting up only to pour back down. Earlier this spring, it went through a flash stretch of three straight wins, then three straight losses, then three more Ws. Noelle Quinn\u2019s crew opened August at a disastrous 0-6, before the Storm won four of their last five tries (all on the road, too). Nneka Ogwumike was magnetic in Sunday\u2019s walk-off win; she finished with 30 points on 11-of-15 shooting and had a plus-12 mark in a two-point game.<\/p>\n

The Storm are ranked third in defensive rating, and they average the fewest turnovers per game. Four of their five starters have at least seven seasons of WNBA experience. They are sound and well-tested, if maddeningly inconsistent. Fortunately for them, 19-year-old rookie Dominique Malonga looks eminently comfortable: up to 14.4 points per game on 57.9 percent shooting across her last five games, adding 1.6 blocks and a plus-9 mark (better than Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins in that span).<\/p>\n

Indiana\u2019s volatility has been more pronounced, because cameras hover around the injured Clark throughout every broadcast. Clark\u2019s absence has proved seismic for the Fever, who are 2-6 in their last eight contests. There\u2019s no shame in losing consecutive draws against the world-beating Minnesota Lynx. Recent home Ls versus the Dallas Wings (Aug. 12) and Washington Mystics (Aug. 15) are harder to shake. At least Kelsey Mitchell continues to ball, averaging more than 23 points this month while making almost 44 percent of her 3s. Aliyah Boston, Natasha Howard and the league\u2019s best second-chance front court cleans up whatever she misses. Indy begins a three-game West Coast run (L.A., Golden State and Phoenix) after Tuesday\u2019s hosting.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

The late tipoff should run up the digits<\/a>. Los Angeles is third in offensive rating and second-to-last on defense. Plum and the Sparks sprint end-to-end with the creativity and breathlessness of a caffeinated chihuahua. Buckets and turnovers, wholesale. L.A. survived Paige Bueckers\u2019 thermonuclear breakout<\/a> in its last home game. For all their perimeter speed, the Sparks rank third in the league in paint scoring ratio. Rickea Jackson has gained a lot as a driver and slasher. Plum\u2019s twitchiness yields a lot of looks at the rim. Dearica Hamby is putting together a rare campaign in year No. 11, with career highs in scoring (17.9 ppg) and also efficiency (57 percent from the field).<\/p>\n

The Sparks will try to graft into the playoff picture, but Phoenix offers one of the sport\u2019s most balanced opponents. The Mercury are fourth in defensive rating and net rating and third in pace. Three lead options (Thomas, Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper) are each averaging between 15 and 17 points. Thomas, of course, is far more than just a scorer. After 11 seasons in Connecticut, \u201cThe Engine\u201d paces all players in assists per game (9.2). As it stands, that\u2019s the second-best mark in WNBA history, trailing Courtney Vandersloot\u2019s 9.95 apg in 2020.<\/p>\n

Nate Tibbetts and his Mercury have won three of their last four games. They get three uninterrupted home dates following this Sparks clash.<\/p>\n

2025 single-game scoring leaders playing Tuesday:<\/p>\n

2. Kelsey Mitchell, 38 points (Aug. 17)<\/p>\n

T3. Nneka Ogwumike, 37 points (Aug. 1)<\/p>\n

T3. Kelsey Plum, 37 points (May 16)<\/p>\n

T9. Sami Whitcomb, 36 points (July 7)<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Updated WNBA odds<\/p>\n

Streaming and ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of\u00a0The Athletic.\u00a0Restrictions may apply.\u00a0The Athletic\u00a0maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared in The Athletic<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, Indiana Fever, Phoenix Mercury, WNBA, Sports Betting, Fubo Partnership<\/p>\n

2025 The Athletic Media Company<\/p>\n