Seattle Storm, inspired by Breanna Stewart, got off to a winning start against Las Vegas as they chase back-to-back WNBA titles, while Chicago Sky tipped off with a win in Washington.
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Las Vegas Aces 83 - 97 Seattle Storm
Breanna Stewart recorded 28 points and 13 rebounds and Jewell Loyd added 22 points as the defending champion Seattle Storm began the 2021 season with a 97-83 victory over the visiting Las Vegas Aces.
Storm players and coaches who were the team last season when they won the WNBA title received their championship rings before the game.
Sue Bird, now 40 years old, began her 18th season in the WNBA with 11 points and eight rebounds. She made an insurance 3-pointer late in the game to help the Storm defeat the same Las Vegas team they swept in the 2020 WNBA Finals.
Bird gave spectators a bit of a scare in the fourth quarter after going to the court while being screened. She returned to action a few minutes after being treated in the training room.
A'ja Wilson collected 24 points, five rebounds and four assists for Las Vegas. Liz Cambage added 16 points, Jackie Young had 12 and Kelsey Plum chipped in 11 off the bench for the Aces.
Chicago Sky 70 - 56 Washington Mystics
Candace Parker recorded 13 of her 16 points in the first half of her Chicago debut, and Kahleah Copper scored a game-high 19 as the visiting Sky posted a 70-56 win over the Washington Mystics.
Parker spent her first 13 seasons with Los Angeles, but grew up in suburban Chicago. She went 3-of-4 from 3-point range, added eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
Copper scored all but four of her points in the first half for Chicago, who used a key 11-0 second-quarter run to take control of the contest.
Tina Charles, whose Mystics debut was delayed after she opted out of the 2020 season, had a team-high 14 points.
However, fellow star Elena Delle Donne (back) was not yet ready to play after also sitting out in 2020.
New York Liberty 73 - 65 Indiana Fever
Betnijah Laney's game-high 20 points led four players in double figures on Sunday as the New York Liberty used a quick start to beat the Indiana Fever 73-65 in Indianapolis, enabling them to sweep a home-and-home series.
Sabrina Ionescu added 12 and Michaela Onyenwere netted 11 points, while Jazmine Jones came off the bench to score 10.
New York won despite occasionally sloppy play, committing 22 turnovers - eight by Ionescu - and making only 40 percent of its field goal attempts.
Kelsey Mitchell scored 16 points to pace Indiana, while Danielle Robinson added 13 and Tiffany Mitchell tallied 12 in a reserve role. But the Fever struggled to make shots, canning just 32.5 percent from the field and also mixing in 21 turnovers.
Indiana never got closer than seven points in the fourth quarter, even though the Liberty gave them opportunities with a spate of turnovers. But the Fever went scoreless for a 3:56 stretch that put them down by 13 inside the last
Indiana center Teaira McCowan, who dominated Friday night's 90-87 defeat inside with 22 points and 16 rebounds, was held to six points on 3-of-7 shooting in 26 minutes.
Phoenix Mercury 86 - 78 Connecticut Sun
DeWanna Bonner led all scorers with 27 points against her former team and Natisha Hiedeman scored a career-high 17 points as the host Connecticut Sun held off the Phoenix Mercury 86-78 in their home opener on Sunday night.
Jonquel Jones had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds and Briann January contributed 15 points for Connecticut (2-0), who had won their season opener 78-67 at Atlanta on Friday night.
Bonner spent her first 10 seasons with Phoenix and made three All-Star appearances before signing with Connecticut in 2020.
Diana Taurasi had a team-high 19 points, Skylar Diggins-Smith scored 18 and Brittney Griner had 16 points and four blocks to lead Phoenix (1-1).
The Mercury won their opener 77-75 at Minnesota behind a Taurasi game-winning 3-pointer on Friday night.