WNBA Scores Tonight: Live Updates, Top Highlights & How They Shape the Playoff Race

The WNBA’s playoff push is heating up, and Thursday night’s scoreboard delivered fresh twists that fans and bettors are already dissecting. Below is a quick-hit roundup of every game that moved the needle, the live contests still unfolding, and a look ahead to Friday’s high-stakes clashes. Key Final: Dream 86, Sky 65 Atlanta out-scored Chicago 58-31 after halftime to notch a fourth straight victory, powered by Allisha Gray’s 25-point explosion and a +13 rebounding margin. The win keeps the Dream within half a game of the second seed in the East. Live Scoreboard – Games in Progress • Sun 48, Sparks 45 — Halftime at Crypto.com Arena. Veteran Tina Charles has 12 points for Connecticut while rookie Rickea Jackson’s 17 keep L.A. close. • Mercury 47, Fever 36 — Phoenix hit six first-half threes to stay ahead of Caitlin Clark’s squad, which needs a second-half surge to avoid a costly Western loss. What Tonight’s Results Mean for the Standings • Dream surge: Atlanta (19-11) is now two games behind New York for the conference lead and owns the tiebreaker over Indiana. • Sky slump: Chicago (8-22) drops three games behind Los Angeles for the final play-in berth. • Western logjam: A Phoenix win would tighten the 2-6 seeds to within two games, putting added pressure on Seattle and Las Vegas in Friday’s showdown. Friday, Aug. 8 — Games to Watch and Betting Lines 1. New York Liberty (-7.5) at Dallas Wings, 7:30 p.m. ET, ION. Sabrina Ionescu meets Paige Bueckers in a guard duel as New York tries to extend Dallas’ skid to four. 2. Washington Mystics at Minnesota Lynx, 7:30 p.m. ET. The league-best Lynx look to stay perfect at home while rookie JuJu Watkins continues her ROY push. 3. Seattle Storm at Las Vegas Aces, 10 p.m. ET. Breanna Stewart remains out, so Jewell Loyd squares off with A’ja Wilson in a potential playoff preview. Fantasy & Prop Watch • OVER/UNDER trend: Four of Atlanta’s last five have gone under; Friday’s Liberty-Wings total sits at 172.5. • Player prop to monitor: Wilson has averaged 28.4 PPG across her last seven; Seattle allows the league’s third-highest paint percentage. • Sleeper pickup: Sparks forward Zia Cooke is averaging 17.2 PPG over her last five and remains <30 % rostered. How to Stream Tonight’s Action • ION: Liberty-Wings, Mystics-Lynx dual-window. • Prime Video: Fever-Mercury second half. • ESPN+ replays: Dream-Sky, plus condensed games posted by 3 a.m. ET. Stay locked to our live WNBA scores page for real-time updates, highlight clips, and advanced box scores throughout the stretch run.