Team Spoon vs Team Coop Picks and Prediction for Saturday July 25 2026

The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game brings Team Spoon and Team Coop together at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on Saturday, July 25. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET, with national television coverage on ABC. The showcase is part of the league’s 30th-season celebration and features rosters selected by WNBA legends Teresa Weatherspoon and Cynthia Cooper.

Team Spoon enters as a 4.5-point favorite, while the current game total is 275.5 points. Those numbers establish expectations for an extremely fast and offensively driven matchup. Rather than being divided by conference, the 22 All-Stars were separated through a special draft conducted by Weatherspoon and Cooper.

Paige Bueckers, who led the fan voting with 1,045,051 votes, was assigned to Team Coop following a coin flip. Caitlin Clark, who finished second with 1,023,321 votes, was placed on Team Spoon. Weatherspoon subsequently used her first selection among the remaining starters on A’ja Wilson, while Cooper answered by choosing Breanna Stewart.

There is an additional competitive incentive attached to this year’s exhibition. The teams will compete for a $100,000 charitable prize pool supporting two Chicago organizations dedicated to keeping girls involved in sports. The winning team will earn $70,000 for its selected organization, while the runner-up will receive $30,000.

Team Spoon Preview

Team Spoon’s starting group features Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson, Olivia Miles, Aliyah Boston and Jessica Shepard. Cheryl Reeve will coach the team after Minnesota and Las Vegas owned matching 16-6 records when the All-Star coaching assignments were determined. Becky Hammon received Team Coop because Las Vegas held the head-to-head tiebreaker, leaving Reeve to lead the roster containing Clark.

Wilson gives Team Spoon the most statistically dominant player in the matchup. She entered the All-Star festivities leading the WNBA with 25.5 points and 2.0 blocks per game while ranking third with 9.8 rebounds. Those numbers demonstrate why Weatherspoon immediately selected the four-time MVP after receiving the first choice among the remaining starters.

Clark supplies Team Spoon with an elite playmaker who can push the tempo, create perimeter opportunities and produce quick points. Her combination with Wilson presents Team Coop with a difficult assignment. Clark can initiate the offense and stretch the floor, while Wilson can score from multiple areas and control possessions closer to the basket.

Boston and Shepard give Team Spoon additional size, rebounding and passing through the frontcourt. Boston’s ability to play alongside Clark provides the starting unit with some built-in familiarity, while Shepard’s versatile offensive game should translate well to the open style normally associated with an All-Star matchup. Miles adds another ball handler capable of creating scoring chances before the defense becomes organized.

The reserves make Team Spoon especially interesting. Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray bring additional perimeter scoring, while Courtney Williams supplies another experienced guard. Jonquel Jones, Kiki Iriafen and Nneka Ogwumike give Reeve an impressive collection of frontcourt options. Team Spoon can play with considerable size or surround Wilson and Clark with additional shooting, depending on how the rotations develop.

The collection of Wilson, Jones, Boston, Ogwumike, Shepard and Iriafen should give Team Spoon an advantage around the basket. In a game expected to feature plenty of possessions and relaxed defensive intensity, that size can produce easy finishes, second opportunities and high-percentage scoring possessions.

Team Coop Preview

Team Coop will open with Paige Bueckers, Kelsey Mitchell, Breanna Stewart, Natasha Howard and Gabby Williams. Becky Hammon coaches a roster possessing considerable scoring talent in the backcourt and versatile options throughout the frontcourt.

Bueckers gives Team Coop a composed lead guard capable of scoring or creating for others. She was averaging 20.7 points and 6.3 assists before the All-Star break and received more fan votes than any other player. Her ability to control possessions without slowing the offense should complement the players surrounding her.

Mitchell entered the break ranked second in the league in scoring and provides one of Team Coop’s most dangerous perimeter weapons. Pairing her with Bueckers gives the starting lineup two guards capable of attacking immediately, creating their own shots and converting from outside. Mitchell’s established familiarity with Clark also creates an entertaining individual matchup between the Indiana teammates.

Stewart provides Team Coop with its premier frontcourt presence. The two-time MVP brings scoring, size and versatility, while Howard and Williams complete a starting frontcourt capable of playing quickly. Williams should be particularly valuable in transition because she can handle the ball, pass and finish without requiring the offense to operate through a traditional set.

Team Coop’s bench may be its greatest strength. Angel Reese, Marina Mabrey, Dominique Malonga, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Sonia Citron give Hammon several different lineup combinations. Plum, Young and Mabrey can increase the pace and perimeter volume, while Reese and Malonga provide rebounding and interior options.

Reese’s return to Chicago adds another storyline to the game, and her rebounding could become important if the contest produces the high number of missed shots that often accompanies an aggressive All-Star pace. Team Coop also has enough backcourt depth to keep fresh scorers on the floor throughout the game. Bueckers, Mitchell, Plum, Young, Mabrey and Citron form a deep collection of guards and wings who can maintain the offensive pressure.

The main question is whether Team Coop can offset Team Spoon’s size. Stewart, Howard, Reese and Malonga give Hammon strong frontcourt choices, but Team Spoon can continuously rotate established interior scorers and rebounders into the game. Team Coop may need to answer by pushing the tempo and turning the matchup into a perimeter shooting contest.

Team Spoon vs Team Coop Picks and Prediction

The 4.5-point spread reflects Team Spoon’s imposing combination of Clark and Wilson, but the overall roster construction also supports the favorite. Team Spoon has perimeter creation, considerable frontcourt depth and several players capable of producing efficient points without needing the ball for extended stretches.

Team Coop should remain dangerous because of its extensive collection of guards and outside scorers. Bueckers, Mitchell, Plum, Young and Mabrey give the underdog numerous ways to produce points quickly. However, Team Spoon appears slightly better equipped to generate easy baskets when the perimeter shots are not falling.

The total presents a different challenge because 275.5 is an exceptionally high number for a standard WNBA contest. This is an All-Star exhibition, however, and the concentration of offensive ability on both rosters makes an extended scoring run possible at almost any point.

ATS Pick: Team Spoon -4.5

Team Spoon has the strongest top-end pairing with Clark and Wilson, but this selection is about more than its two headliners. Reeve can rotate Jones, Boston, Ogwumike, Shepard and Iriafen through the frontcourt while using Howard, Gray, Williams and Miles around them. That combination should produce a steady supply of high-percentage opportunities.

Team Coop has the shooting to remain competitive, although its path depends more heavily on sustained perimeter production. Team Spoon’s size and scoring options closer to the basket provide the more reliable foundation. Take Team Spoon to win and cover the 4.5-point spread.

Total Pick: Over 275.5

A total of 275.5 requires the teams to average nearly 69 points per quarter, leaving very little room for a prolonged scoring drought. Nevertheless, both rosters have enough shooting, playmaking and finishing talent to support an extremely high-scoring game.

Team Coop’s guard depth should keep the pace elevated, while Team Spoon can answer with Clark’s playmaking and a frontcourt filled with elite scorers. With rotations designed to involve all 22 players and both teams capable of attacking from every area of the floor, the over is the preferred total selection.

Predicted Final Score: Team Spoon 145, Team Coop 137