WNBA: 3-point leaders Plum, Gray meet when LA Sparks host Atlanta Dream

Kelsey Plum leads the WNBA with 19 made 3-pointers. Allisha Gray is second with 15 triples.

The WNBA’s 3-point leaders will meet on Tuesday in Southern California (10 p.m. ET), when Plum’s Los Angeles Sparks host Gray’s Atlanta Dream.

That the two are at the top of the WNBA’s 3s leaderboard reflects the instant philosophical impact of new head coaches Lynne Roberts and Karl Smesko. The pair were imported to the W from the collegiate ranks by Los Angeles and Atlanta due to the modern, 3-point-centric offensive systems they established at Utah and FGCU.

Even as both offenses remain a work in progress, Roberts’ and Smesko’s prioritization of 3-point shooting is evident. Last season, LA shot 22.6 3s per game, making just 32 percent as a team. Atlanta shot only 19.4 3s per game, converting 30.8 percent. Roberts and the Sparks have upped their volume to almost 26 3s per contest, while shooting nearly 38 percent. Smesko has Atlanta taking nearly 31 3s per game, albeit at a less-stellar 31.8 percent.

Plum is shooting 43.2 from behind the arc on 8.8 attempts per game on her way to her league-leading 19 3s. Azurá Stevens has been the most accurate Spark from deep, realizing her full potential as a stretch big by making 47.1 percent of her 3.4 3s per game. For the Dream, Gray is shooting 39.5 percent on her 7.6 3s per game. She is outpaced by Rhyne Howard, whose 10 3-point attempts per game lead the league. Thus far, however, Howard hasn’t found her range, converting only 24 percent; she’s still made 12 triples, tied for the third-most in the league. Atlanta’s 3-point attack also has been boosted by Nia Coffey, who has increased her 3-point volume and is shooting almost 45 percent from downtown through five games.

So, expect the triples to be flying in LA on Tuesday night. Here’s what else to watch as WNBA action resumes:

The Westbeld sisters meet out West

One of the WNBA’s sneaky-good stories should get some shine in Phoenix on Tuesday, as the WNBA’s lone current pair of sisters—the Westbelds—face off, with Kathryn and the Mercury welcoming Maddy and the Chicago Sky to the Valley (10 p.m. ET).

The younger Maddy was drafted No. 16 overall by Chicago in the 2025 draft after five years at Notre Dame, where she accumulated three All-ACC honors.

The 29-year-old Kathryn also is a WNBA rookie. A member of Notre Dame’s 2018 national championship team as a senior, she went undrafted in the 2018 WNBA Draft. After spending training camp with the Sparks in 2018, she since has carved out a pro career overseas, playing in Puerto Rico, Spain, Australia, France, Italy and, most recently, Hungary. The 2024-25 season was her second with the Hungarian club Szekszárd. In EuroCup Women competition, she averaged 17.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest.

Her persistence has now paid off with not just an opportunity with Phoenix, but an essential role. She’s a starter for the Mercury, playing 23.5 minutes per game due to her value as a stretch big. She’s taking 4.5 3s per game and making them at 38.9 percent. That includes her effort on Sunday afternoon, when she was 1-for-8 from deep until she drained the go-ahead 3-pointer as the Mercury held off the Washington Mystics.

Phoenix Mercury forward Kathryn Westbeld started 1–for-8 from the field before her go-ahead 3 with 1:30 left.

She said, “Yes, I wasn’t making my shots … but it’s about the next one.”#WNBA pic.twitter.com/CHL34TIFG5

— Desert Wave Media (@DesertWaveCo) May 26, 2025

Kathryn could again prove impactful on Tuesday night.

Through three games, the Sky have been blistered from behind the arc. While opponents are shooting an unsustainable 47.6 percent from 3 against the Sky, Chicago’s personnel makes them prone to relinquishing favorable 3-point opportunities to opposing frontcourt players, as the team’s more traditional bigs—Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso and Elizabeth Williams—have struggled to contest such shots. Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart combined for five 3s in the New York Liberty’s record-setting 3-point performance against Chicago, while Azurá Stevens was 2-for-4 from 3 in the Sparks’ win over the Sky. That a league-high 37 percent of the Mercury’s points have come off 3-pointers does not bode will for the Sky.

So far, Maddy is outside Chicago’s regular rotation. Like her older sister, she is a stretch big who could introduce floor spacing from the frontcourt for Chicago—or possibly help the Sky more effectively defend Kathryn and other floor spacing bigs.

Paige returns to Connecticut

Paige Bueckers and the UConn Huskies lost just three games on their way to the 2025 national championship. Bueckers and the Dallas Wings already have lost four.

That’s not necessarily surprising; top picks usually go to bad teams. And even though the Wings imported additional talent over the offseason, the team is still searching for an identity. After new head coach Chris Koclanes had played Bueckers 37 minutes in the prior two contests, she saw 28 minutes in Saturday’s loss to the Dream, with just 10 coming in the second half. Other starters DiJonai Carrington, NaLyssa Smith and Myisha Hines-Allen also received limited minutes in Saturday’s second half, as Koclanes chose to rely on Maddy Siegrist, Ty Harris, Kaila Charles and Teaira McCowan. The drastically different rotations are indicative of Dallas’ struggle to find…something.

A prime-time Paige performance in her return to Connecticut, possibly buoyed by some curmudgeonly encouragement from Geno Auriemma, may be the team’s best chance of earning a win. That the likewise winless Connecticut Sun will be across the court should also help the Wings’ cause (7 p.m. ET).

Top teams take the court

Both the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx will be looking to extend their perfect starts to the 2025 season.

The Liberty should have an easier time doing so, hosting the Golden State Valkyries as the expansion team makes their first trip to the East Coast (7 p.m. ET). The Lynx likely will face a tougher test when they welcome the Seattle Storm, fresh off spoiling Jewell Loyd’s return game with a hyper-efficient 102-point offensive performance (8 p.m. ET).