Chelsea Gray just dropped a game-winning triple at the buzzer in overtime, sealing an improbable comeback for the Las Vegas Aces against the Indiana Fever on Thursday. It was an absolutely wild ride, with the Aces falling down by 20 points only to battle back, and Gray hitting a buzzer-beating three to send it to OT after Caitlin Clark’s free throw miscues, then another game-winner in the extra period. This kind of insane drama is exactly why the Aces’ matchup against the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET on CBS is the single most interesting game of WNBA Rivals Week, even if the league doesn’t officially agree they’re rivals.
What’s a Rivalry, Anyway?
Seriously, the WNBA needs to get its story straight on what makes a “rivalry.” This is Rivals Week’s second season, and the criteria are still as clear as a Seattle summer without a single cloud. It’s supposed to be a mix of geographic closeness, teams with historic clashes, or players with intense competitive relationships. Take the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky: the league still pushes them as rivals (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) because of their Midwest geography, even though the Clark-Angel Reese dynamic that fueled it is gone with Reese now playing for the Atlanta Dream. But hey, at least our own Pacific Northwest rivalry between the Seattle Storm and the Portland Fire is getting some love, revived by geography (8:30 p.m. ET, NBATV). That’s something to cheer about from the Emerald City!
The “Non-Rivalry” You Can’t Miss
But the biggest head-scratcher? The Aces and Lynx. These two have been two of the best teams in the league over the past two seasons, with their superstars locking up the top two MVP spots in 2024 and 2025. Yet, they somehow don’t qualify as league-approved rivals. Hold on a second, didn’t the Lynx hand the Aces a record 53-point home loss? And didn’t the Aces go on to win the 2025 WNBA title anyway? You’d think that kind of history, a humbling defeat followed by a championship run, would scream “rivalry.” Instead, we get this bizarre “non-rivalry” designation for what is arguably the most compelling matchup of the week.
On one side, you have the Aces riding high after Gray’s heroics. On the other, the Lynx are trying to bounce back from a truly disappointing performance against the Los Angeles Sparks. Minnesota was on a 10-game winning streak, their offense was electric, and then it just… evaporated. They went nearly five whole minutes without a field goal or a free throw, letting the Sparks walk away with a win and denying the Lynx an eleventh straight victory. So, while the league might not call them rivals, the stage is set for an epic showdown between a surging, comeback-kid Aces team and a Lynx squad looking to prove their recent stumble was just a fluke. Don’t miss it Saturday.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Swish Appeal.
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