The 2023 WNBA season is underway. In the first game of the evening, the Washington Mystics cruised to a surprisingly easy win over the New York Liberty, who looked totally out of sync in their first game together, in part due to the Mystics’ elite defense. Also in early action, the Connecticut Sun jumped out to a quick double-digit lead, and eventually held off a comeback attempt by the Indiana Fever.
Later on, the Chicago Sky took advantage of a sloppy Minnesota Lynx performance to cruise to a double-digit win of their own. In the finale, Brittney Griner played in her first game in 579 days. But while she played well, it wasn’t enough for the Phoenix Mercury, who fell to the Los Angeles Sparks.
Here’s a recap of an interesting opening night.
Sparks 94 — Mercury 71: Final
Griner returns
Brittney Griner missed the entire 2022 season while she was detained in Russia on drug charges, and did not return home until December. She made it clear immediately that she wanted to play this summer, however, and re-signed with the Mercury in free agency. On Friday, she made her return to the court when she led her squad against the Sparks.
It didn’t take long for her to make an impact. She assisted on the Mercury’s…
