Tuesday wasn't the best offensive night for Marina Mabrey, but the newest member of the Connecticut Sun hit an important bucket when it mattered most. With less than three minutes to go in the fourth quarter of a one-possession game against the Los Angeles Sparks, Mabrey received the ball from teammate Ty Harris, dribbled past a screening Brionna Jones and pulled up for the jump shot.
Mabrey went 2-for-6 on the evening, but that clutch shot was part of a run of 14 unanswered Sun points that clinched their historic victory in the first WNBA game hosted in Boston's TD Garden.
Midseason trades aren't typical in the WNBA because of the hard salary cap, but Connecticut's acquisition of Mabrey on July 17 made clear it would not sit idly by in the hopes of winning the franchise's first championship. The former Notre Dame standout was brought in to bolster the backcourt, particularly to add 3-point shooting: Her 2.3 3-point makes per game are more than any Sun player has averaged since Katie Douglas in 2006, ESPN's Kevin Pelton pointed out, but she is also a versatile guard with size and playmaking ability.
Three games into the beginning of the second half of the 2024 WNBA season, and things are still a work in progress, players and coach Stephanie White admitted. The Sun are figuring out which rotations work and which ones don't in real time, and White hasn't hesitated to tinker with lineups. She started Mabrey at the point and brought Ty Harris off the bench in Sunday's loss to Atlanta. On Tuesday, Mabrey started on the wing alongside Harris. DiJonai Carrington, who was absent the first game back due to personal reasons, and DeWanna Bonner came off the bench for the first time since 2016 -- Bonner's own suggestion, White said, because all the veteran wants is to find the best, winning combinations.
"It's not always perfect," Alyssa Thomas said, "but we're all working together because at the end of the day, we just want to win."
This particular lineup, which closed the game Tuesday, has a plus-24.9 net rating in 21 minutes even as White admitted after the game, "I don't know if I still like it." (For reference, the Sun's typical starting lineup has a plus-10.1 net rating on the season.) One of her season-long concerns has been her team's slow starts, and on Tuesday, Connecticut did trail the Sparks 20-17 at the end of the first quarter.
With the playoffs looming next month and seeding up for grabs, how effectively the Sun incorporate Mabrey into their system, and how efficiently she plays in her new role, will be one of the WNBA's defining storylines. Here are four other players who also will impact the second half of the season and their team's playoff push most.
Jordin Canada, Atlanta Dream
With an eight-game losing streak and a 7-17 record heading into the Olympic break, the Dream looked down and out. The script has flipped in August, though, and Atlanta is arguably the hottest team right now with wins over Connecticut, the Seattle Storm and the Phoenix Mercury. The returns of Canada and Rhyne Howard from injury have made all the difference. As the floor general who can create for herself and others, while taking some of the load off Howard and Allisha Gray, Canada has helped jumpstart an offense that, before the Olympic break, ranked last in the league with a 94.1 offensive rating. The post-break, now-healthy starting lineup of Canada, Howard, Gray, Tina Charles and Naz Hillmon boasts an offensive rating of 110.1 over three games. Not to mention the defensive presence Canada brings on the perimeter as a two-time all-defensive first team pick.
In her first year with the Dream, Canada should only get more comfortable playing alongside her new teammates, meaning the Dream might be poised to snag a coveted playoff spot.
Jordin Canada gets to the rim and finishes over Brittney Griner to give the Dream an early 6-0 lead over the Mercury.
Chelsea Gray, Las Vegas Aces
The Aces started the season 6-6 without Gray as she recovered from a foot injury and are 11-4 since her return; their net rating is second best in the league in those 15 games. And yet, Gray is still working to get back to her usual elite play. Her 7.4 points per game on 39.0% shooting (29.7% from 3) are among her career lows, while her 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio is below her 2022 and 2023 marks (2.65 and 2.88, respectively).
Las Vegas must play better on the defensive end (on Wednesday, it allowed the Minnesota Lynx to shoot 59.4% from the floor). But this is a team that has been overly reliant on its big four, and to get past a squad playing as well as the New York Liberty -- the Aces' biggest obstacle to winning a third straight title -- Gray will need to elevate her game closer to her 2022 and 2023 levels, and reemerge as another efficient scoring option. This summer has reinforced that Vegas is at its best when Gray is at her best.
Chelsea Gray makes a great defensive play for the steal
Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever
Since WNBA play resumed, the league's leading scorer is perhaps an unexpected name: Kelsey Mitchell (27.5 points per game). Take a step back, though, and her 20.3 points per game over the past 15 games are tied for sixth most in the league. Mitchell is shooting at a remarkable 50.2% clip (42.6% from 3) from the field.
Following a preseason ankle injury, she emerged in top form, and has improved her chemistry with Caitlin Clark as the season has gone on. As a result, the Fever have been the second-best offensive team in the league since mid-June. Defenses have their hands full now trying to guard both players in the backcourt or in transition. Plus, Aliyah Boston can make them pay down low.
If Mitchell, Clark and Boston can continue playing at this level offensively and the Fever continue to improve on defense, Indiana will enter the playoffs as a team no one wants to face, one capable of a first-round upset.
Kelsey Mitchell hits the triple for the Fever vs. the Storm.
Gabby Williams, Seattle Storm
Fans who watched Williams nearly knock off the dynastic Team USA last month in the Olympic finals got what they were hoping for: The former UConn star is on her way back to the WNBA, signing with the Seattle Storm on Tuesday. It will be her third season with the team. With the move, the Storm are hoping to cement themselves as championship contenders who can keep up with the likes of the Liberty, Sun, Lynx and Aces.
Williams won't have as large a role as she had for France, where she led Les Bleues in minutes played, points, assists and steals. But her defense will fit in perfectly with this Seattle team's identity, and her dynamism and playmaking could boost the Storm's offense, which currently ranks seventh in the league with a 101.5 offensive rating. Her mere presence should help Seattle, too, providing additional, much-needed depth.
Take a look back at Gabby Williams' best moments from the 2023 season with the Seattle Storm after she re-signed with the team.
Other games to watch this weekend
Las Vegas Aces at Minnesota Lynx
Friday, 9:30 p.m. ET, ION
The road team has prevailed in each game of this season series, most recently with Minnesota beating Las Vegas 98-87 on Wednesday. The Aces, who have lost three of their past four games, are hoping to avenge the defeat with a more disciplined defense in Friday's rematch at Target Center.
Connecticut Sun at New York Liberty
Saturday, 7 p.m. ET
The Sun have just one win over the Liberty over the past two seasons (including postseason play), and only one team -- the Chicago Sky, in May -- has knocked off New York at Barclays Center this year. Yet the Liberty have been banged up recently: Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is still sidelined after undergoing a mid-July knee procedure, and Sabrina Ionescu has missed two games due to neck issues. This could be Connecticut's chance.
Indiana Fever at Minnesota Lynx
Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, NBA TV
The big weekend for the Lynx continues Saturday when they host the surging Fever, who secured wins over two .500 teams, the Mercury and the Storm, after returning from break. Following the game, Minnesota will retire the legendary Maya Moore's No. 23 jersey -- the fifth jersey retired by the franchise.