Two preseason games on Wednesday. Two storylines worth carrying into the regular season. Neither result matters. Both told us something real.
Sun 83, Tempo 78 — Toronto's first game ever
The WNBA officially arrived in Toronto on Wednesday night, and the crowd at a sold-out Coca-Cola Coliseum made sure everyone knew it. Fans lined up for merchandise before tip-off. The sellout crowd of 8,210 roared when Hamilton's Kia Nurse — the hometown star — was introduced last in the starting lineup. Then she hit the first basket in Tempo history, a three-pointer at the 7:59 mark of the first quarter, and the building came apart.
Toronto held a 10-point lead in the third quarter and looked like they might pull it off. Then they ran out of gas. The short-handed Tempo were missing Julie Allemand, Marina Mabrey, and Brittney Sykes — all three expected back for the May 8 home opener — and Connecticut's depth eventually showed. Aneesah Morrow finished with 21 points and 7 rebounds. Lexi Held led Toronto with 18.
The result was almost beside the point. As Tempo forward Laura Juskaite put it postgame: "I will not remember this game because of basketball." Neither will anyone else who was there.
Dream 87, Sky 78 — Angel Reese goes back to Chicago
Most preseason games pass without fanfare. This one had a tribute video, a standing ovation, and a sign in the stands that read: "Angel, when you're back in Chicago we love you." Reese played 13 minutes — the first half only, like most of Atlanta's starters — and finished with 8 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists. She led the Dream in plus-minus at +14 and didn't commit a single turnover despite frequently pushing the ball up the floor herself.
The bigger story was Atlanta's depth doing Atlanta depth things. Madina Okot posted 14 points and 11 rebounds. Isobel Borlase and Te-Hina Paopao each added 13 off the bench. Sika Kone chipped in 11. That's four players in double figures, none of them named Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, Brionna Jones, or Naz Hillmon — who barely played or didn't suit up at all. The Dream used a 16-0 second-quarter run to push the lead to 20 and never let Chicago close it.
For Chicago, Sydney Taylor scored a game-high 23 off the bench. Rickea Jackson — now a Sky player after the trade that sent her from LA — is going to need teammates.
Three things that carry forward
Reese fits. She said it postgame: "seamless." The stat line backs it up. A player who was publicly frustrated with her situation in Chicago for two years looked comfortable, confident, and willing to take shots she described as outside her comfort zone. One preseason game. But the fit is real.
Atlanta's ceiling is high. When your bench scores 51 and your starters barely play, the math gets interesting. The Dream lost in the first round last year with a franchise-record 30 wins. They added Reese and kept everyone else. That's a different team.
Toronto is not going to be a problem to ignore. They were shorthanded, they led by 10 in the third quarter on the road in their first game ever, and their building was sold out and loud in a way that felt like a real market, not an expansion placeholder. May 8 matters for a lot of reasons. Toronto's home opener is one of them.
Ten days until it counts.