Team USA stars shine in WNBA's return

After nearly a month-long break following the 2024 All-Star Game and the Paris Olympics, the WNBA returned with a bang on Thursday. Oddly enough, many of the standouts also shined on the international stage earlier this month.

With that in mind, here are some highlights from the WNBA's return

Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu lead title-favorite New York Liberty to fifth straight win

Stewart, an integral part of Team USA's gold-medal win at the 2024 Paris Olympics, didn't miss a beat returning to her day job as the WNBA's reigning MVP. In New York's 103-68 dismantling of the Los Angeles Sparks, she scored a game-high 27 points (10-of-15), including going 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

Meanwhile, Ionescu finished second on the team in scoring (18 points), shooting 6-of-13 and 3-of-7 from three while adding a game-high six assists and four rebounds.

The Liberty improved to a league-best 22-4, and they have won five in a row and 10 of their last 11 games. They own a three-game cushion over the second-place Connecticut Sun (18-6) and are five games better than the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, who rank fifth at 16-8.

All-Star paces victory over Washington Mystics, helping Minnesota Lynx keep pace in standings

Napheesa Collier, also a gold-medal-winning member of Team USA, stood out on Thursday. The four-time All-Star finished with 17 points (6-of-13) with 12 rebounds and four assists in a 79-68 win over the Washington Mystics.

Collier also surpassed the 2,500-point mark. The well-rounded veteran is now just the 66th player in WNBA history to record at least 2,500 points, 1,000 rebounds, 400 assists and 250 steals.

Collier and the Lynx improved to 18-8 with the victory, which puts them third in the WNBA behind the Sun (18-6) and the first-place Liberty (22-4).

After the gold rush, Mercury pair shine in return from break

Fresh off a gold-medal win in Paris, Brittney Griner and Kahleah Copper picked up where they left, leading the Phoenix Mercury to an impressive double-digit victory over the Chicago Sky, 85-65.

Griner dominated, joining Sylvia Fowles (2018) and Tamika Catchings (2005) as the only players in WNBA history to shoot 80 percent or better from the field while recording at least 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists in a game, per Stathead . She went 10-of-12 from the field, hit her sole three-point attempt, had nine rebounds and six assists.

Meanwhile, Copper went off in her first meeting against her old team, the Sky, since being traded to the Mercury in February. Copper scored a game-high 29 points, far surpassing the output of every player involved in the deal, including Michaela Onyenwere (5 points) and Brianna Turner (0 points).

Angel Reese makes history twice

First-year star Angel Reese was a bright spot in the Sky's one-sided loss to the Mercury.

Reese finished with 11 points (4-of-14) and 15 rebounds, recording her 18th double-double of the season, the second most ever for a rookie. Meanwhile, she also recorded her 301st rebound of the year, the most by a player in WNBA history over their first 25 career games.