On Friday night, Naz Hillmon was absolutely perfect for the Atlanta Dream.
In the win over the Toronto Tempo, she scored a career-high 24 points, all while not missing a shot from the field or free throw line. Hillmon hit all eight of her field goals, including going 4-for-4 from 3, and was a spotless 4-for-4 at the foul line.
Kamilla Cardoso, however, is unimpressed.
Advertisement
On June 26, Cardoso made the most field goals without a miss in a single game in WNBA history, going 13-for-13 on her way to 30 points. Yet, Hillmon can counter that Cardoso’s perfection did not extend to the free throw line, as she misfired on two of her six attempts.
On Sunday, the two can determine who has the strongest claim to WNBA perfection, as Hillmon and the Dream host Cardoso and the Sky in Atlanta (4 p.m. ET, CBS). Both teams will be aiming for a third-straight win.
Or maybe, someone else in action on Sunday will make her own bid for perfection?
For the Dream, Brionna Jones, who is probable to play after making her season debut on Friday, nearly had her own perfect outing last season, going 9-for-10 from the field and scoring a season-high 23 points.
Advertisement
What about elsewhere around the WNBA? Here’s a look at the candidates in Sunday’s other two games. In the comments, make your perfection prediction.
A decade ago, Nneka Ogwumike went 12-for-12 from the field and 7-for-7 from the free throw line, finishing with a flawless 32 points.
It was a performance exemplary of her hyper-efficient and MVP-winning 2016 season.
The opponent for that historic night? The Dallas Wings. Could Nneka turn back the clock and again deliver perfection for the Los Angles Sparks as they aim to avoid a fourth-straight loss on Sunday afternoon in Arlington (1 p.m. ET, ABC)?
In contrast to the sputtering Sparks, just about everything has been going right for the Wings, riding high on a five-game winning streak. So, it wouldn’t be too shocking if a Dallas player enjoyed an unblemished afternoon, especially since they have a number of credible candidates.
Advertisement
As Edwin Garcia detailed when accounting her MVP case, efficiency is intrinsic to Paige Bueckers’ game and greatness. Bueckers opened the season with an 8-for-10 performance against the Indiana Fever, with her only two misses coming from behind the arc.
Last season, Bueckers’ best shooting night was, of course, against the Sparks, when she was a scintillating 17-for-21 in her 44-point masterpiece.
Shooting efficiency, likewise, is fundamental to Azzi Fudd’s excellence.
Through 23 career WNBA games, she’s already got an 8-for-9 game on her ledger, which occurred in Dallas’ mid-June demolition of the defending-champion Las Vegas Aces.
Advertisement
Yet, neither Paige nor Azzi might be the Wings’ best candidate to go without a miss.
In fact, two Wings already have authored a perfect games. Awak Kueir was 6-for-6 from the field, but just 2-for-5 from the line, when Dallas lost in Atlanta in late May. In 2024, then-sophomore Maddy Siegrist was 8-for-8 from the field (with no free throws), albeit also in a loss to the Connecticut Sun.
Jessica Shepard also has a couple of perfect games on her WNBA resume, posting a 2-for-2 and 4-for-4 games with the Minnesota Lynx in 2022. She’s also come close at higher volume.
Last season, when playing all 40 minutes against Indiana, Shepard went 10-for-11 from the field as part of a 22-point, 11-rebound and 10-assist triple-double, although she did leave four points at the foul line. This season, Shepard has a 7-for-8 and 6-for-7 game; she also missed free throws in those, making it unlikely she could match the pure perfection of Hillmon or Ogwumike.
Advertisement
Connecticut Sun vs. Phoenix Mercury (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
With a perfect shooting show in the desert, could the Sun notch back-to-back wins over the Phoenix Mercury, their third-straight win overall and match the Mercury with eight total wins, passing them in the standings along the way (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)?
It would be perfectly perfect if Brittney Griner, back in Phoenix, completed the feat for third time in her career. Back in 2013, rookie BG had a 5-for-5 game; in 2019, she went 7-for-7. BG also might have the most single-miss games in WNBA history. In Friday’s win, Griner didn’t approach peak perfection, scoring 12 points on 12 shot attempts.
Advertisement
One of her teammates, however, can claim perfection.
Olivia Nelson-Ododa actually has shot perfectly from the field five times this season. Three of them are 2-for-2 outings, with one 3-for-3 game and a more impressive 6-for-6 showing. Last season, she enjoyed 4-for-4 and 5-for-5 performances. Missed free throws in all of those games rob her of true spotlessness. In Friday’s win, she was a modest 2-for-3 with six points.
On the other side, Natasha Mack, Griner’s former understudy, likewise has been perfect from the field on a low volume of attempts on several ocassions in her career. Yet, in early June, Mack did put together a fully-perfect game at a significant volume, going 7-for-7 from the field and 2-for-2 from the line.
Out since June 25 with a bone bruise in her foot, Mack is probable to make her much-needed return on Sunday.
Advertisement
For her and flailing Phoenix, just being on the court, making an impact, snapping their five-game skid and cuing “Mighty Mercury,” rather than perfection, will suffice.
