WNBA gameday discussion: Can the Las Vegas Aces extend their regular-season winning streak to 17 games?

Will the Wings or Fever offense be more impressive?

The day’s action begins with the Dallas Wings visiting the Indiana Fever at 1 p.m. ET on ABC. The storylines abound in this one, headlined by the last four No. 1 draft picks—Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark for the Fever and Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd for the Wings—taking the court. However, I’m most interested in evaluating both teams’ offenses, something Josh Felton discussed in his preseason takeaways. How will the Wings’ more sophisticated offense function, especially with Arike Ogunbowale, who missed all of Dallas’s preseason games, in action? For the Fever, will Caitlin Clark become even more activated off the ball with Aliyah Boston, also sidelined for preseason, in the lineup? What are your thoughts on this one? Are you confident that the Wings’ seemingly swift improvement is real? Or, will the Fever show that they’re a level (or two) above Dallas?

Will Angel dominate in her Dream debut against the Lynx?

Angel Reese should have the opportunity to show off her difference-making potential for the Atlanta Dream in their opener against the Minnesota Lynx. Available on WNBA League Pass, the game is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. With both Napheesa Collier and Dorka Juhász out with injuries, Natasha Howard is the Lynx’s lone experienced big. And the 34-year-old Howard no longer has Defensive Player of the Year-winning impact on that end of the floor. Reese should feast with her physicality inside, earning tons of trips to the foul line. Howard, however, can still get after it on the glass, suggesting she’ll will be game to challenge Angel for boards. With the high expectations in Atlanta and the transitional state of the Minnesota roster, it will be a bit concerning if this is not a somewhat comfortable win for the Dream. Do you agree? Do the Dream need to dominate? Are you expecting the Lynx, despite all the changes, to still find a way to overachieve?

Fire vs. Sky is a contrast of offseason approaches

Saturday closes with Portland hosting a WNBA game for the first time since 2002, with the Fire re-debuting against the Chicago Sky at 9 p.m. ET on NBATV. These two organizations present team-building contrasts. The Fire are opting for a slow burn, eschewing a win-now approach in favor of finding undervalued players who can thrive in head coach Alex Sarama’s system. The Sky initiated an offseason roster overhaul that leaned heavily into acquiring veterans who can help stabilize the franchise and, hopefully, steer a return to the playoffs. They capped off this approach by essentially jettisonning Hailey Van Lith for Natasha Cloud, who is not expected to play in the opener. Certainly, a referendum on either approach cannot be adjudicated on Saturday night. Portland, in particular, should not be subject to immediate judgement. Anything less that a win for Chicago, however, will raise some eyebrows, even with Azurá Stevens (knee), DiJonai Carrington (foot) and Courtney Vandersloot (knee) all still absent, in addition to Cloud. What are your expectations for the Sky? And what about the Fire? For both squads, who do you see stepping up and having a big game?