Sky, Mercury Jockey for Position as WNBA Enters Final Month
Kevin Sweeney
Monday was a great day to watch tennis and make jokes about Bishop Sycamore, which is one of those stories that somehow gets wilder every time I open Twitter. Today's sports slate features more great action at the U.S. Open, a pair of fun WNBA games and a chance to watch Walker Buehler pitch. Plus, I'll tell you why you should check out a college volleyball game tonight.
Here's what I'm watching.
MUST WATCH
Chicago Sky at Phoenix Mercury
Kohjiro Kinno/Sports Illustrated
The Mercury have been as good as anyone in the WNBA since the league's restart, winning all six games this month and all but one of those by double figures. Part of that is a relatively light schedule: Phoenix hasn't played a team over .500 in that stretch. Still, the Mercury have looked dynamic on offense and appear to be a real threat to make a deep run in the playoffs, which begin next month.
Tonight's matchup against the Sky should be a good litmus test for the red-hot Mercury. The Sky have had an up-and-down second half, but are still clearly in playoff position and are coming off two wins over Seattle last weekend. That included a blowout win Sunday behind a season-high 25 points from Candace Parker. The winner of tonight's game will add to its momentum entering the season's final month.
10 p.m. ET, NBA TV, watch on fuboTV
READ MORE:
- The WNBA Is Finally Catching Up on Mental Health (Jackie Powell)
- Kahleah Copper Is the Sky's Elite Player-Coach (Ben Pickman)
- Candace Parker Is Shining in Many Roles (Michael Pina)
LINEUP
- U.S. Open | Day 1 in NYC lived up to the hype, including a five-set thriller between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andy Murray and three-set wins for Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka. Novak Djokovic gets his tournament started tonight. ESPN/ESPN+, watch on fuboTV
- Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Dodgers | Walker Buehler has been even more dominant than usual lately, with 1.13 ERA in his last seven starts. Can the Braves crack the code? 10:10 p.m. ET, SportsNet LA/Bally Sports South, watch on fuboTV
- New York Liberty at Minnesota Lynx | Four straight losses have jeopardized the Liberty's precarious playoff hopes, as the team currently sits in a virtual tie with the Mystics for the eighth and final playoff spot. The road doesn't get easier with a tough trip up to Minnesota, which has won eight of 10. 8 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video
- Paralympics | The games continue from Tokyo with wheelchair basketball and medal events in swimming and track and field. NBC Sports Network, watch on fuboTV
- Hard Knocks | I haven't found this season the most entertaining in the history of the show, but the camera work alone has made this worth watching. There have been some incredible scenes, including this drone shot. 10 p.m. ET, HBO/HBO Max
HIDDEN GEM
Women's Volleyball: Florida at Stanford
If you're like me and had a lot of fun watching volleyball at the Olympics in Tokyo, I recommend catching a college game or two this season. The games are exciting, the pace is great, and the season culminates with a 64-team NCAA tournament with plenty of madness. Tonight's matchup in Palo Alto is a good one to dive into—Stanford has more national championships than anyone in the sport and has won it in three of the last five years. Florida is currently the No. 5 team in the country and has high expectations this season.
8 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network, watch on fuboTV
Think we missed something worth watching? Reply to guide@si.com and let us know what we should be looking out for and why.
Happy streaming!
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