Who Ran The WNBA This Week: Atlanta Is For Real, Azzi Fudd Arrives & Caitlin Clark Keeps Indiana Moving

Two full weeks into the 2026 WNBA season, the league is already starting to show us which hot starts might be real and which teams are still figuring themselves out. Every team has played between five and seven games now, which means we’re past the “it’s only been one weekend” stage but still early enough that one big week can completely change the conversation. That’s exactly what happened over the last few days, with the Dream climbing near the top of the league, the Fever finding their rhythm, the Liberty hitting their first real speed bump, and the expansion teams continuing to give the season a different kind of energy.

According to the WNBA’s Week 2 Power Rankings, the Aces still hold the No. 1 spot despite a weird trend: Las Vegas is 4-0 when it is not celebrating last year’s title, but 0-2 during banner/ring celebration nights. Atlanta jumped to No. 2 after improving to 4-1, Indiana climbed to No. 3 at 4-2, and Golden State moved up to No. 4 while continuing to look like one of the league’s most dangerous defensive teams. The Liberty, meanwhile, dropped from No. 2 to No. 7 after back-to-back double-digit losses, a reminder that even championship-level teams can look shaky when injuries, new pieces and poor shooting all hit at once.

The week had a little bit of everything: Azzi Fudd’s first real “oh, she’s here” game, Kelsey Plum dropping 38 against her former team, Brittney Sykes and Marina Mabrey making expansion history for Toronto, Angel Reese continuing to stack double-doubles in Atlanta, and Portland winning the first-ever matchup between the Fire and Tempo. The league is still settling in, but the headlines are already moving fast.

TEAMS & PLAYERS TO HIGHLIGHT THIS WEEK

Atlanta Dream

The Dream might be the biggest early statement team in the league. Atlanta entered the new week at 4-1, tied for the best record in the WNBA, and the way it got there says a lot about the toughness already forming around this group. The Dream beat Dallas by double digits on Friday, then followed that up with an 82-80 comeback win over Phoenix on Sunday behind Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, Angel Reese and Jordin Canada. Reese recorded her third double-double of the season in that Mercury win. At the same time, Canada also added a double-double of her own, giving Atlanta the kind of balance that makes this start feel more sustainable than fluky.

Angel Reese

Angel Reese is still doing Angel Reese things. Last week, the conversation was about her becoming the fastest player in league history to reach 50 career double-doubles. This week, she kept the glass work going and helped Atlanta push to the top of the standings. In the Dream’s win over Phoenix, Reese finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, giving her a third double-double with her new team and another reminder that her value travels no matter what jersey she has on.

Azzi Fudd

Azzi Fudd picked the perfect stage fr her first major WNBA breakout. Dallas beat New York 91-76 on Sunday, and Fudd exploded for a career-high 24 points off the bench, including 17 points in the third quarter and six made threes. Her six threes tied for the second-most by a rookie ever. For a No. 1 pick who opened the season with people already comparing her to Olivia Miles, that was the kind of game that quiets a lot of noise.

Indiana Fever

Indiana had one of the strongest bounce-back weeks in the league. The Fever beat Portland without Caitlin Clark, then got Clark back and beat Golden State 90-82 to keep climbing the standings. The big takeaway is that Indiana is not just a one-player show, even if Clark is still the engine. Aliyah Boston gave the Fever 24 points in the win over Portland, while Clark returned against Golden State with 22 points as Indiana improved to 4-2.

Caitlin Clark

Caitlin Clark’s week was about health, attention and response. She missed the Portland game with back stiffness and soreness, which also put the Fever under the microscope because of the late scratch and WNBA injury-reporting rules. But when she returned against Golden State, she gave Indiana 22 points in a win and kept the Fever rolling into the top three of the WNBA’s official power rankings. The numbers still speak loudly: through Week 2, the Fever had two of the league’s top four scorers in Clark at 23.8 points per game and Kelsey Mitchell at 22.3.

Brittney Sykes & Marina Mabrey

Toronto had one of the best moments of the week when Brittney Sykes and Marina Mabrey both went off in the Tempo’s 98-90 win over Phoenix. Sykes finished with 31 points, while Mabrey added 30 points and six threes, giving Toronto the kind of high-powered backcourt moment expansion teams dream about early. They became the first teammates in WNBA history to each score 30 points in a game during a franchise’s inaugural season.

Kelsey Plum

Kelsey Plum had herself a revenge-game masterclass. Facing the Aces in Las Vegas, Plum dropped 38 points, nine assists and four rebounds to lead the Sparks to a 101-95 win over the defending champs. She shot 12-of-17 from the field, 6-of-7 from three and 8-of-8 at the free throw line, and she left the week as the WNBA’s leading scorer at 26.8 points per game. That is exactly the kind of performance that makes the Spurs seem more dangerous than people thought after their slow start.

Golden State Valkyries

The Valkyries are not just a cute early-season story. They went into New York and beat the Liberty 87-70, using balanced scoring, defense and physicality to make the champs look uncomfortable. Gabby Williams led Golden State with 16 points, and the Valkyries turned New York’s turnovers into easy offense while holding the Liberty to just 6-of-24 from three. The official WNBA power rankings had Golden State at No. 4 after the week, and that feels right for a team that already looks like it has a real identity.

STORYLINES OF THE WEEK

1. Atlanta’s Hot Start Is Becoming Impossible To Ignore

The Dream are not just winning, they are winning in different ways. They can survive close games, they can defend, they can rebound, and they have enough shot creation between Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray and Jordin Canada to avoid putting everything on one player. Angel Reese’s rebounding gives them a nightly floor, and the Dream’s late push against Phoenix showed why this start should be taken seriously.

2. The Rookie Class Is Already Shaping The League

Last week was heavy on Olviia Miles, and she still deserves all the attention she’s getting. But this week, Azzi Fudd answered back with her best game as a pro, while Paige Bueckers continues to settle in for Dallas and Awa Fam made her Storm debut with 10 points off the bench. Miles is one of only two players in the league averaging at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists, alongside Alyssa Thomas. That is not normal rookie behavior.

3. The Liberty Are Officially In “Figure It Out” Mode

New York started the season looking like it might cruise through the early schedule, but this past week got ugly. The Liberty lost by 17 to Golden State, then lost by 15 to Dallas, with their offense dropping from 100 points per game over the first four games to just 70 and 76 in the next two. Sabrina Ionescu made her season debut Sunday and Satou Sabally returned earlier in the week, but New York is still working through injuries, chemistry, and rhythm. It is way too early to panic, but it is not too early to say the Liberty have some real cleanup to do.

4. Expansion Is Giving The League Real Juice

Portland and Toronto already feel like more than just new names on the schedule. Toronto got its first major backcourt explosion with Sykes and Mabrey combining for 61 points against Phoenix, while Portland beat Toronto 99-80 in the first-ever meeting between the Fire and Tempo. Portland’s win was especially impressive because it came on the road and showed how tough the Fire can be when their defense, ball movement and shooting line up.

BEST GAMES OF THE LAST WEEK

Toronto Tempo 98, Phoenix Mercury 90 — May 19

This was Toronto’s first real “we’ve got hoopers too” game. Brittney Sykes dropped 31, Marina Mabrey added 30 and six threes, and the Tempo beat a Phoenix team that is still trying to stabilize after its opening-night win over Las Vegas. For a new franchise, having two guards make league history this early is a moment worth building around.

Los Angeles Sparks 101, Las Vegas Aces 95 — May 23

Kelsey Plum against her former team was always going to be interesting, but she turned it into one of the best individual performances of the young season. Plum finished with 38 points, nine assists, and six threes, and Erica Wheeler hit a clutch three late to help the Sparks close it out. The win also added to the Aces’ strange early trend of losing both nights tied to celebrating last year’s championship.

Atlanta Dream 82, Phoenix Mercury 80 — May 24

Atlanta’s comeback win over Phoenix was another proof-of-concept game for the Dream. Rhyne Howard scored 21, Allisha Gray added 17, Angel Reese posted 17 and 10, and Jordin Canada had 11 points and 14 rebounds. Atlanta used a late 9-0 run to tie the game, then finished the job, moving to 4-1 and keeping the Mercury sliding.

GAMES TO LOOK FORWARD TO THIS UPCOMING WEEK

Atlanta Dream at Minnesota Lynx — Wednesday, May 27

This is one of the best tests of the week. Atlanta enters as one of the league’s hottest teams, while Minnesota has Olivia Miles playing like a star in the making and Natasha Howard producing at a high level while the Lynx wait on Napheesa Collier. If the Dream want people to buy in, beating Minnesota on the road fully would say a lot.

Indiana Fever at Golden State Valkyries — Thursday, May 28

The rematch should be fun. Indiana beat Golden State in Indianapolis, but now the Fever have to go to Chase Center, where the Valkyries will get another shot at Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and the league’s highest-scoring offense. Golden State’s May schedule specifically circled home matchups against Clark’s Fever and A’ja Wilson’s Aces as major early-season tests.

Las Vegas Aces at Dallas Wings — Thursday, May 28

This is a good measuring-stick game for Dallas. The Wings just had Azzi Fudd’s breakout game, Paige Bueckers is still settling in, and now they get the defending champs coming off a tough loss to the Sparks. For Vegas, it is a chance to steady things and remind everybody why the Aces are still No. 1.

Las Vegas Aces at Golden State Valyries — Sunday, May 31

This might be the best game of the upcoming week. A’ja Wilson and the defending champs going into Golden State against one of the league’s best early defenses has real statement-game potential. If the Valkyries want to show they belong in the top tier, this is the kind of game that can do it.

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