WNBA Recaps: Expansion Tempo Beat Sky, and the Sparks Snap a Skid

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Sunday featured a light but highly impactful two-game slate in the WNBA. Both matchups carried significant weight for the Commissioner’s Cup standings and saw double-digit blowouts driven by stellar defense and dominant individual performances.

Here is the breakdown of yesterday’s action.

Toronto Tempo 85, Chicago Sky 68

Venue: Coca-Cola Coliseum (Toronto, ON)

The expansion Toronto Tempo (6-5) protected their home court in style, using an explosive opening frame to completely bury the Chicago Sky (4-7) and push their record back over .500.

How It Happened

The First-Quarter Blitz: Toronto completely caught the Sky sleeping out of the gate. The Tempo shot a blistering 52.4% in the opening quarter while choking out Chicago’s offense, holding them to just 26.7% shooting. Toronto walked out of the first period with a massive 29-15 lead and never looked back, heading into halftime up 48-33.
Balanced Execution: While Chicago found a brief spark in the second quarter via a pair of Jacy Sheldon three-pointers, Toronto’s roster depth was too much to handle. The Tempo finished the game with five players scoring in double digits.

Star Performers

Brittney Sykes (TOR): Game-high 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists to lead the charge for the Tempo.
Azurá Stevens (CHI): The lone bright spot for Chicago, carrying the load with a massive 18-point, 12-rebound performance to secure her second consecutive double-double.
Gabriela Jaquez (CHI): Provided a nice silver lining for the Sky, returning from a four-game injury absence to score 11 points and grab 2 steals off the bench.

Los Angeles Sparks 89, Portland Fire 72

Venue: Crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles, CA)

The Los Angeles Sparks (5-6) snapped a painful three-game losing streak by flexing their muscles down low against the Portland Fire (6-7), handing the expansion franchise their third straight loss.

How It Happened

A Tale of Two Halves: The first half was an absolute dogfight. Portland actually took a 43-41 lead into the locker room, leaning on paint scoring and transition buckets. But the third quarter belonged entirely to LA.
The Defensive Lockdown: The Sparks, who entered the game giving up a league-worst 93 points per game, put on an absolute defensive clinic in the third quarter. They held Portland to just 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting while forcing 9 turnovers (including 6 steals). Kelsey Plum scored 9 of her 16 points in the quarter, anchoring an 11-2 run capped off by a Plum-to-Hamby fastbreak layup that effectively iced the game.
Ice-Cold Fire: Portland simply couldn’t buy a bucket from deep, tying a season-low with only three made 3-pointers and shooting a dismal 10.7% (3-of-28) from beyond the arc.

Star Performers

Dearica Hamby (LA): Led all scorers with 22 points and added 12 rebounds.
Nneka Ogwumike (LA): Was an absolute monster on the glass, logging 20 points and a season-high 17 rebounds for her third consecutive double-double.
Megan Gustafson (PDX): Fought hard in the loss, putting up 16 points and 12 rebounds to log her first WNBA double-double since 2023.

Commissioner’s Cup Impact & Up Next

Yesterday’s games shake up the mid-season tournament race as teams scramble for the financial incentives of the Commissioner’s Cup.

The Chicago Sky will look to regroup quickly as they head home to host the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Toronto Tempo face a quick turnaround and a massive test as they host the powerhouse Connecticut Sun on Wednesday.