The Las Vegas Aces will visit the Phoenix Mercury on Friday night in a crucial game for WNBA playoff positioning. The matchup is set to take place at PHX Arena, with tip-off scheduled for 10:00 PM ET.

Both teams are currently in playoff contention, with the Aces holding a record of 19-14 and the Mercury at 19-12. If the playoffs started today, the Mercury would have home-court advantage in the first round against the Aces. Phoenix recently enjoyed a three-game winning streak but saw it end with a 74-66 loss to the Atlanta Dream on August 10. In that game, Alyssa Thomas led the Mercury with 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

Meanwhile, the Aces are on a strong run, having won seven of their last eight games, including five consecutive victories. Their latest win came against the New York Liberty, where they secured an 83-77 victory. Jewell Loyd was a standout performer, coming off the bench to score 21 points. A'Ja Wilson contributed significantly as well, finishing with 17 points, 16 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks, despite struggling with her shooting (3-for-14) but going a perfect 11-for-11 from the free-throw line.

The Aces and Mercury have each won one of their two previous meetings this season. They are scheduled to face each other again on August 21 in Las Vegas.

In another WNBA matchup on the same night, the Chicago Sky will host the Golden State Valkyries at Wintrust Arena at 7:30 PM ET. The Sky, with a record of 8-24, are looking to disrupt the Valkyries' playoff hopes, as Golden State currently stands at 17-15. The Valkyries are on a three-game winning streak, including a recent 88-83 victory over the Washington Mystics, where Veronica Burton scored 30 points.

The Sky are struggling, having lost their last game 71-62 to the Connecticut Sun, the team with the league's worst record. Kamilla Cardoso led the Sky with 24 points, but the team has been missing key player Angel Reese.

This will be the third and final meeting between the Sky and Valkyries, with Golden State winning the first two matchups.