Las Vegas Aces face a brutal 4-games-in-7-days road grind, capped by Lynx-Liberty back-to-back

NEW YORK (AP) — It's a busy week for the Las Vegas Aces, who play four road games in seven days, including a back-to-back pair in Minnesota on Saturday and then New York a day later.

The Aces will have to make the nearly 1,200-mile trek to face the Liberty less than 24 hours after facing the No. 1 team in the league — the Lynx. Minnesota also has a back-to-back this weekend, but it's home for both games.

Las Vegas' trip is about the worst a team could have to deal with as far as back-to-back goes. The league won't make teams travel two times zones or have less than 22 hours between games, according to a person familiar with scheduling. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly about it.

Back-to-backs came up in collective bargaining agreement talks this past spring, but it was more about having teams have an equal number of them as opposed to travel.

Everyone has to go through tough stretches in their schedule. Before their current five-game road trip that started with a loss in Chicago, Las Vegas had played only six games in the previous 19 days with the All-Star break thrown in.

Las Vegas currently is sitting tied for second place in the standings, four games behind Minnesota.

It doesn't get easier for the Aces, who face Washington in consecutive games at home right after they get back.

Minnesota regained the top spot in the power poll as Golden State faltered with two losses in its past three games. The Lynx have won 10 straight overall, the franchise's longest winning streak since 2016. Indiana, Las Vegas and Golden State were next. The Valkyries had held the top spot the last few weeks. Atlanta, Washington and Dallas followed Golden State. New York was eighth and Chicago ninth. Phoenix, Los Angeles and Portland came in after the Sky. Toronto, Connecticut and Seattle rounded out the poll.

The WNBA trade deadline passed with only two deals taking place. Kelsey Plum left Los Angeles for Phoenix and Toronto acquired Aneesah Morrow from the Connecticut Sun. The Mercury are sitting way out of the playoff hunt right now, but Plum can provide an instant offensive boost to them. Plum is a free agent after this season, so the final five weeks of the season will also serve as a chance for the Mercury to convince her to stay next season and beyond.

Kelsey Mitchell has been nearly unstoppable lately, scoring more than 20 points in 14 consecutive games — the second longest streak in WNBA history behind only A'ja Wilson's 15 in a row. Mitchell did all she could on Sunday to try to help the Fever beat the Lynx, scoring 37 points, but it wasn't enough as they lost 108-100.

Her incredible run has left teammate Caitlin Clark in awe.

“It’s really fun and obviously it’s makes my life easy, so I just try to give her the rock,” Clark said after the loss to the Lynx. “It’s like every time she shoots it, it goes in and just the pace that she plays with, she always puts the defense in some stress. Like it’s really fun to witness up close.”

Shakira Austin of Washington was the AP player of the week. The forward averaged 21.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists to help the Mystics win all of their games over the last two weeks. Other players receiving votes included A'ja Wilson of Las Vegas, Sabrina Ionescu of New York and Olivia Miles of Minnesota.

Las Vegas at Minnesota, Saturday. The top two teams in the league will square off with the Aces looking to move closer to the Lynx in the standings.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) drives against New York Liberty guard Rebekah Gardner (7) during the first half of an WNBA basketball game Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (22) gives a thumbs up during the first half of an WNBA basketball game against the Portland Fire Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) drives between New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones, left, and guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) during the first half of an WNBA basketball game Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP)

Canada’s second largest airline, WestJet, has agreed to a tentative agreement with flight attendants to end a strike that led to hundreds of flight cancellations and thousands of stranded passengers over the weekend.

The union representing the flight attendants said Monday that if the deal is ratified, the work that flight attendants do before flights take off will be recognized.

The union, CUPE 8125, said that flight attendants will be returning to work now that the strike is over. The tentative agreement still faces a ratification vote.

WestJet cancelled 495 flights Sunday, snarling travel plans in Canada in the middle of a long holiday weekend.

A key issue in the dispute was how flight attendants should be paid for duties performed while still on the ground. The union said some of that work is unpaid, while the company said they staff was indeed compensated, citing pay through a “credit hour” system rather than an hourly rate.

“This tentative agreement represents meaningful progress," CUPE 8125 President Alia Hussain said in a statement. “It evolves the flight credit system by recognizing more of the work cabin crew are required to perform and with general increases to compensation for that work.”

The Canadian Union of Public Employees represents the 4,400 cabin crew at the airline.

The deal comes after 250,000 travelers had their trips canceled, according to WestJet. Some struggled to find accommodations while they were stranded away from home, and others were left unable to reschedule flights.

“We are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement that reflects the hard work and professionalism of our cabin crew,” WestJet CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said in a statement. “We know this disruption has been frustrating for our guests and WestJetters and we’re sorry for that. Our teams are working hard to restore service and get our guests on their way to their destinations as quickly as possible and we appreciate everyone’s patience as we get back to normal.”

Before the strike began, WestJet had made a proposal that included a 13% wage increase in October, increases of 2.5% each January for the next three years, retroactive wage payment to last January, additional pay for all hours worked, and upgrades to other benefits, according to WestJet. Hussain had said that although negotiators tried until the very last minute to get a fair deal, what the airline proposed didn’t go far enough.

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce said the tentative agreement is a positive, but more needs to be done to avert future travel disruption.

“We are glad the parties found a path forward before the disruption caused even greater harm,” the chamber said. “This episode is nevertheless another reminder that Canada needs a stronger labour relations framework to prevent repeated shutdowns of major transportation infrastructure.”

Last summer flight attendants at Air Canada, the country’s largest carrier, stranded more than 100,000 travelers during peak travel season with a strike partly over the same issue of unpaid groundwork. That work stoppage lasted three days before the sides came to an agreement.

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AP reporters Jim Morris and Michelle Chapman contributed to this report.

WestJet flights are pictured cancelled on an information board at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

A traveller looks to an information board as WestJet flights are cancelled at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

A traveller tries to check in for a cancelled WestJet flight at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)

WestJet flight attendants strike at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)