The WNBA keeps rising and grinding

Paige Bueckers, who sat on the Wings’ Sunday game due to rest, is expected to be back in the lineup on Monday night. | Photo by Thien-An Truong/Getty Images

While this week’s WNBA schedule features a number of marquee matchups, the games might not have the gusto anticipated, as they challenges presented by teams’ compacted schedules have resulted in injuries to key players.

Yep, the WNBA’s gauntlet got real.

On Saturday night, the New York Liberty not only lost to the Los Angeles Sparks on the second night of a back-to-back, but also lost Breanna Stewart, who exited the game with a hamstring injury after just three minutes.

The Liberty are back at it again on Monday night against the Dallas Wings (8 p.m. ET, ESPN), who will be on their own back-to-back after dropping their Sunday afternoon game against the Las Vegas Aces. While Stewart is expected to be with the team as New York begins a four-game road, she’s unlikely to play any time soon, as the team intends not to rush her back into action.

Breanna Stewart had imaging done on her right leg which showed she avoided significant injury after exiting last night’s game, sources told The Post. She’ll be with the Liberty on this four-game road trip, but the team plans to give her time to fully recover.

— Madeline Kenney (@madkenney) July 27, 2025

Paige Bueckers, however, should be back in the lineup for the Wings on Monday. In an attempt to preempt any problems that can be caused by playing on a back-to-back, Dallas rested the rookie on Sunday. She’s going to need it, as Monday’s matchup kicks off a three-game week for the Wings; they have a date with the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) and with the Indiana Fever on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET, ION).

The Dream, likewise, are managing an intensified schedule stretch, all without Rhyne Howard, who remains sidelined with a knee injury. On Sunday, Atlanta still served the Minnesota Lynx their first regular-season home loss of the season, hanging on for a four-point win behind a season-best effort from Brittney Griner.

Before heading to Dallas on Wednesday, BG and the Dream will jet back to Atlanta to host the Golden State Valkyries on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET, League Pass). The Valks appeared exhausted due to their compacted cross-country travel, laying an egg in Uncasville against the Connecticut Sun on Sunday afternoon, the first game of a five-game road trip. They struggled, to say the least, outside of the comfy confines of Ballhalla and without the out-for-the-season Kayla Thornton.

The Sun, unfortunately, cannot take time to celebrate their best win of the season, as they welcome the Seattle Storm on Monday (7 p.m. ET, ESPN3/League Pass). The Storm, as Zack Ward documented, continued to their trend of up-and-down play in DC against the Washington Mystics on Saturday. After starting July with two-straight wins, Seattle has since alternated wins and losses, with their latest result being a loss. They’re due to finish off their three-game road trip with a win on Monday.

Back in action on Monday ⛈️#NothingButStorm x @DeltaDentalWA pic.twitter.com/l1vXjUqSYP

— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) July 27, 2025

The Mystics were unable to navigate their Saturday-Sunday back-to-back, following up their win over the Storm with a loss against the Phoenix Mercury, who snapped a three-game losing streak behind a MVP-esque masterpiece from Alyssa Thomas. Washington takes the court again on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET, League Pass), when the struggling Chicago Sky arrive. Shorthanded for eventual losses to the Storm and Indiana Fever, the Sky certainly need Angel Reese and Ariel Atkins to return to prevent their losing streak from reaching six games.

The Fever, still without Caitlin Clark, fortunately avoided an injury disaster in that Sunday win in Chicago, as Kelsey Mitchell briefly appeared to have injured her groin at the end of the first half. Instead, she came back to polish off a 35-point performance. She’ll lead the Fever again on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN3/League Pass), when the aforementioned Mercury play the third game of their current five-game road trip in Indiana.

The Sparks may be the one team that is more than happy to play again. Riding a five-game winning streak due to Rickea Jackson’s game-winner in New York, they return to LA on Tuesday to face the Aces (10 p.m. ET, NBA TV), who will be concluding their four-game post-All Star road trip. The Sparks will be even more thrilled if Cameron Brink makes her debut; she’s been cleared to play and reportedly is nearing her return.

TFW you sweep your East Coast road trip. >>>>>>> pic.twitter.com/4aOxayLlbm

— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) July 27, 2025

Fresh off a rare home loss, the Lynx also might be roaring to return to the hardwood, eager to host the Liberty in the long-awaited Finals rematch on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). However, they might have to do so without Alanna Smith, who left their Sunday loss with an apparent leg injury.

As fans, it’s fun to have a schedule slammed with WNBA games (especially when they’re not all on at the same time). But, it’s even more fun when the basketball is at its best. Right now, it’s questionable if that can be the case. As ESPN’s Rebecca Lobo recently posted on X/Twitter, the average time between games during the 2025 season has been 2.7 days; the fewest over the last five seasons.

A priority of @TheWNBPA in the new CBA has to be addressing the condensed schedule. This season there are too many games in too short a period of time. (Research: Garrett Gastfield)AVERAGE # OF DAYS BETWEEN GAMES2021: 4.032022: 2.812023: 2.882024: 3.232025: 2.70

— Rebecca Lobo (@RebeccaLobo) July 27, 2025

In context of the ongoing CBA negotiations, it’s hard not to see this season’s schedule as the league treating players as revenue-generating assets that they’re seeking to exhaust for every cent during this apex of interest in the sport. Maybe that’s a sinister interpretation. But regardless of the reasons, the current state of affairs is not sustainable.

Keep that in mind when your faves sit out with what seem like minor injuries or don’t have enough juice on late-game 3s or make maddening mental mistakes down the stretch of close games.